


All Things End: Volume II

by Couragefan09



Series: The All Things End Series [2]
Category: Courage the Cowardly Dog
Genre: Angst and Drama, Body Horror, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Psychological Horror, Romance, Slow Burn, Tearjerker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 09:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 120
Words: 466,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24468694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Couragefan09/pseuds/Couragefan09
Summary: The quest to save Courage's life continues! Unfortunately, it seems that the universe is still out to get him and Computer. From grizzly bears, to marriage, to a depraved chicken, they just can't catch a break. It only gets worse when Computer's previously unknown past comes back to haunt and everything finally comes together. Will they ever make it to that mountain alive?
Relationships: Computer/Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog)
Series: The All Things End Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/292769
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Visions Of Things To Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Volume II of this massive, decade long story! I am forever glad that I decided to break this up into two volumes or else the original would be over 200 chapters by now. Nowadays I feel like this should have been more like a 10 story series, especially since Volume II in particular goes through arcs with spots that work well as an end point to split off into the next part of the series. However, because I did not plan for this to be anything more than one large story, I never really put the framework in place to make those splits, so I've decided to stick with this being two large volumes. I also have plans for a third story that acts as a sort of 'where are they now?' kind of piece. It will not be anywhere near as long as the Volumes and it is only meant for people who might want to see where various surviving characters end up after the story ends. Everything will be wrapped up in this Volume and the third story is just meant to be something extra.
> 
> If you want to check out fan art for this story, you can find the majority of it here:
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/ate-art-group/
> 
> If you want to listen to a massive ATE themed music playlist that I've put together, you can find it here,
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsIPCaXeRaTKmb0Qxh589vAXTe7XpZbMe

All Things End: Volume II

By: Couragefan09

Chapter 1: Visions Of Things To Come

Courage awoke with a stretch and a yawn. The first thing his eyes met was the dusty, wooden ceiling of the attic. The warm glow of Computer's screen bathed over his body, mixed in with the early morning sunlight.

He was home. He was safe. Muriel could be heard humming her happy little tune downstairs and even the smell of breakfast was wafting its way up into the attic. Life had finally gone back to normal after returning from the mountain. Well, maybe not _completely_ normal...

“Good morning, Courage.” Computer greeted him. The words he spoke trailed across his screen like they always did. Even now Courage could sense the smile in his friend's voice. It was so hard to believe that he really had given up living with Nina and his life in that dog body just for him.

“Morning.” He answered with yet another yawn.

Everything in their life was perfect, all aside from one thing.

“Two days left.” Computer reminded him in a sullen voice.

His ears drooped. “You still haven't found anything?” He asked.

“We've already accomplished one miracle, I think we're just pressing our luck now. The end has come whether we like it or not, so let's just enjoy what little time left we have together.”

Courage glanced away. It still hurt so much and yet he couldn't even will himself to cry anymore. It'd been less than a month ago when Computer gave him the final date. He'd spent a lot of time crying then, but now? Now he just felt...numb.

“H-how are you holding up?” He dared to asked. He couldn't stop his voice from trembling as he did so.

“I'm maintaining only the most crucial parts of my system right now, but even that is getting very difficult to do. I'm trying to ensure that my memory banks remain uncorrupted for as long as possible, but I don't know how much longer it's going to last. I may forget you and everything else very soon, so we should probably-”

Courage squeezed his eyes shut. “P-please don't do that.” He begged. “I-I don't want you to f-forget everything.”

“Courage, with the way thing are going, memory will soon be the least of my concerns. We've already talked about this before. You knew that my final days weren't going to be...pleasant.”

Silence fell between them. The attic suddenly felt very dreary again despite the light flooding in through the window.

“There is one thing that you could do for me.” Computer added in a voice just barely above a whisper. “Why don't we make today the last day? I know that you don't want our time to end, but, I-I don't want to lose myself b-before-” Those last words were spoken with a tremble to them, as though he were desperately trying to keep himself composed and failing at it.

Courage closed his eyes. While Computer may be incapable of weeping, he could already feel the trickle of his own tears rolling down his cheeks. He had enough tears for the both of them. It appeared that they hadn't all dried up after all.

Taking in a breath, he answered with,

“Okay.”

“Thank you, Courage.”

“H-how do you want me to do this?” He whimpered.

“Remember back when you replaced some of my code? I told you that a few deleted lines in the wrong place would, well, I think you get what I'm implying.”

A small sob escaped Courage's lips. “Will it hurt you?” He asked.

“Of course not.” His dear friend assured him.

To be perfectly honest, he was glad that Computer hadn't asked him to take a hammer to his monitor or to do something just as destructive. He would have never been able to go through with it.

“W-when should w-we-” He stammered out, unable to stop himself from breaking down any longer. He had wished so badly that this day would never come and yet here it was. Two days too soon, and even if they had waited, he still would never have been prepared for it. There was no means to escape or ignore the horrible loss that was about to be inflicted upon him.

“Let's do it now,” Computer wistfully spoke. “before I can become any less of myself.”

His screen went dark for a moment and then began to scroll through a seemingly endless list of white colored code. Courage looked on, suddenly feeling very numb again.

“I won't give you any commands.” Computer gently informed him. “Just delete whatever you like, it'll eventually get the job done.”

He closed his eyes again. “I'm so sorry.” He whimpered.

“Don't be. I'm glad that this is the way things turned out. I'd rather die here, at the hands of a loving friend who doesn't want me to suffer in my final moments, than alone, forgotten by an owner who never even cared about me, and half senile without any dignity left. Just promise me that you'll keep going even after Muriel is gone. Don't ever give up. Find a way to be happy without us. You deserve to be.”

Courage wanted to say that he didn't think he would ever be happy again, but he couldn't bear to say such a thing to his dying friend. He didn't want to upset him in his final moments.

“Please don't hesitate, Courage.” He urged him. “Let's end this while I can still say that I'm me.”

He took another deep breath and nodded. “Thank you for always being there for me, Compute. I'm glad too. I'm glad that I got to know the real you and that I got a chance to change your life for the better. I-I'm just-” He broke down sobbing once more, letting his tears drop down onto the keyboard. “I'm just sorry that I couldn't change this! I promised that I would!”

“Don't feel bad for me. Neither of us could stop this from coming to pass and I never expected you to find a way, so let's not dwell on it. You aren't to blame for what others did to me. You're letting them win by blaming yourself for their own actions. ”

Courage wiped away his tears and placed his paws down onto the keyboard. “Ready?” He asked.

“As I'll ever be.”

He moved to press the delete key, but then,

_'NO!'_

A hand broke through the wooden wall, a whirling, mechanical hand to be precise. It wrapped its fingers around his neck.

_'HE WILL LIVE! WE DEMAND IT TO BE SO!'_

Courage managed to rip the hand away and toppled out of the chair. The house began to shake as the metal pipes and wiring quivered within their walls. He looked up to find Computer's body collapsing in upon itself with a metallic screech.

Muriel screamed downstairs.

A scream loosed from his mouth as well when wires began to burst through the ceiling with giant meat hooks attached to them. It looked like something right out of a horror movie. Outside, the sky went red just like in that horrific dream. He could already feel the machinery under his skin beginning to writhe all over again. He'd been right to believe that they had truly never gone away.

He tore out of the attic on all fours, but even in the hallway the meat hooks were breaking through the ceiling. Only one thing registered in his mind, he needed to get to Muriel. He refused to lose her too.

“Muriel!” He called out, racing down the staircase, dodging hooks the whole way.

Downstairs, the lights flickered and the TV jumped up and down with such force that it almost seemed to be alive. He could already hear awful sounds coming from the kitchen. Terrified, he forced himself to go inside. The sounds were almost defining without the door to shield him. It appeared that every appliance in the kitchen was trying to rip itself out of the wall. The refrigerator banged its door open and shut over and over again, the toaster was buzzing across the countertop, and the microwave hummed with so much heat that it very well might explode.

“Courage, help!” Muriel cried out. He found her with several thick, black cables wrapped around her waist and they were dragging her towards the basement door. She was holding onto the counter with all her might.

Courage went to go look for a knife, hoping to cut her down, but when he opened the shelf that contained the silverware, the oven came to life with such a deafening roar that he stumbled backwards just to escape it. It too was trying to rip itself out of the wall and come after him.

“Couraaaagggeee!” Muriel screamed as her grip gave out and she was dragged into the darkness of the basement. He tried to jump in after her but the door swung shut right in his face. Try as he might, he could not pull it open again. His beloved owner's screams could be heard just beneath the floorboards.

_'Run!'_ Those awful voices commanded inside his head.

There was a snap as one of the floorboards bent in two. Then another followed it. Soon the entire kitchen floor was threatening to collapse into the basement. Courage had no choice but to do as the voices said. Their mocking laughter seemed to fill every last centimeter of his brain.

The whole house began to bend and twist just as he escaped through the front door. He could only look on in horror as it collapsed into a pile wood before it slowly being to reform into something else.

_'You have nothing left, little Courage.'_ The voices laughed.

What was once a farm house reformed into a strange, monstrous, wolf-like head. It opened it's great maw and those horrible meat hoots shot out of it, aimed directly at Courage.

He tried to run, but it was no use. The hooks dug into him. He grabbed onto the dry earth of Nowhere in vain as they dragged him closer and closer to the sharp teeth of the creature that had once been his home.

_'Come join us, Courage_.” The voices spoke in a soothing tone. He could hear Computer's and Muriel's voices mixed in with the rest. _'We're all here waiting for you. Now we can be together forever, just like you've always wanted.'_

“No.” He whimpered, trying to pull himself away. The hooks only dug in deeper. “No!”

_'You don't want to be with us anymore?'_ The voices mocked. _'We thought that you wanted your life to go on forever, completely unchanged. Is that no longer the case? Or do you finally wish to die? If that's so, we would love nothing more than to give you death. You shall die along with everyone else. We will raze every last living creature off the face of this planet.'_

“Noooooo!” He begged, slipping into the artificial monster's jaw. “No, no, n-”

The teeth were closing shut, plunging him into darkness.

“NOOOO!”

And then a voice called out to him. One that was thankfully not anything like the voices that were plaguing his mind.

“Hey! Hey! Enough screaming! You're making everyone look at us!”

Courage was given such a hard shake that it snapped him right out of his dream. The horrific mouth of that monstrous beast vanished in an instant and the writhing under his skin fell still once more.

Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he was greeted by Computer's worried face. He glanced around in confusion, having almost forgotten that they were still on the bus. The sun was hanging low outside the window, signaling that it would be getting dark within the next couple of hours. Their first day on the bus would soon be coming to an end.

“Nightmares, huh?” Computer asked. “I figured that those rings wouldn't leave you unscathed. It looks like you're going to be having the same problems as me from now on.” He ended his sentence on a note that made it clear he wasn't particularly happy with this new development.

Courage swallowed and turned away, taking a moment to wipe his eyes. Just as he had feared, his nightmares were starting to become as real as they possibly could be. The same thing had happened to Computer after the rings had delved into his mind too. It seems that their destruction had not dulled the side effects.

Computer let him be for a little while longer and then said, “We'll be hitting another rest stop soon and we can get dinner while we're there. You look like you could use it.”

Courage couldn't will himself to answer. He kept his eyes focused on the scuffed up floor of the bus. Even though he couldn't see it, Computer's intense gaze could be felt upon his back. It was like his friend was seeing right through him. He couldn't help but worry that he had figured out what he'd been dreaming about.

“Do you want to talk about what you saw?” The glowing dog asked rather hesitantly.

He shook his head, still refusing to turn back around. He couldn't, ironically, find the courage to look him in the eyes after what the nightmare had shown him. No matter what might happen, he would never be able to find the strength to do what he almost did in that dream to the real Computer. If such a thing came to pass, even if it would be the best option for the both of them, he still wouldn't be able to push the button that would end his friend's life.

“Well, it's alright if you don't want to say anything. I certainly know how it feels, but-” Computer trailed off as tried to figure out the right thing to say. He did not make a very good 'substitute' Courage.

Courage finally dared to turn back around, but he kept his sights elsewhere. He felt Computer place a paw onto his shoulder and then, much to his surprise, drew him into a hug. He almost broke down sobbing all over again.

Desperately trying to keep himself composed, he said, “I-It still feels like they're inside of me. They only start to move when I'm asleep.”

“I could check for you.” Computer answered, surprising him yet again. He'd almost forgotten that he was capable of such things. Before he could even say 'yes', the glowing dog spoke up again.

“There's nothing there. Your nightmares must be causing it. It's making you think that you're feeling them in real life too when they aren't really there.”

The confirmation that there weren't any machines crawling around inside of his body was a comforting one, but it didn't change the fact that it still felt like they were there, waiting for a chance to move again the moment he closed his eyes. He couldn't help but shiver, unable to quell his fear. There was no escaping his nightmares. Now he knew the same helplessness that Computer had no doubt felt.

“I wish that I could do more to help you, but there just isn't a cure for any of this nonsense.” His friend sighed. “Perhaps we should share the dream catcher. Maybe it really does work.”

He nodded. “I-I hope I can stop having nightmares.”

Computer shrugged and sat back. “I'm just glad that I wasn't asleep at the same time as you. Goodness knows, I've had enough of your nightmares for one lifetime.”

Courage managed to smile. “I could say the same about yours.”

The machine closed his eyes. “For your information, I haven't had a single nightmare lately. I've just never had a good one though. Come to think of it, I haven't been dreaming at all, aside from when we went into your head. You don't think that there's something wrong, do you?” He opened his eyes again, looking worried. “What if it's not an issue caused by the rings and that there's something wrong with me instead? I don't normally dream, but-”

“Don't worry.” Courage assured him. “Give it some time and I bet even you will have a good dream.”

Computer placed his paws behind his head. “I can only imagine what they're like. Judging by that description you've given me, they just sound weird.”

He couldn't stop himself from chuckling. “You'll have to find out for yourself.”

“Well, given the way you look, if you need to sleep then sleep. You must be careful when it comes to your health, regardless of those nightmares. If your body is telling you to rest, then listen to it.”

Courage's stomach lurched. “I-I can't, not when-”

Computer gave him a hard stare. He seemed like he was about to give him a lecture but then thought better of it. “I have no intentions of going to sleep right now. I'll stay up and watch over you while you rest. If you so much as twitch in your sleep, I'll wake you right back up again. I should have acted sooner before, or at the very least, I should have acted before you started screaming loud enough to be heard halfway across the world. It won't happen again under my watch.”

That was a somewhat comforting prospect and Courage did feel like he still needed some rest. It was like that nightmare had made him even more tired than before he had taken a nap.

“Come on, dog.” Computer spoke. “You look like you're ready to pass out. You need to rest.”

He relented and laid his head down onto his friend's shoulder. While he did feel a little more at ease, he was still worried about having another nightmare. He felt Computer place a paw onto one of his own and he found himself feeling a little more assured. He had a protector watching over him, someone who'd wake him up if he himself could not escape the frightening downward spiral of his deepest fears.

Try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from drifting off. That nightmare really had sapped him of his energy. Hopefully the outcome of this rest would be a little better than last time. Besides, they'd be hitting the next rest stop soon. He wouldn't be asleep for long.

“Goodnight, Courage.” He heard Computer say. It brought back the painful reality of that nightmare. How he hoped that he would not one day hear his friend say 'good morning' for the last time.

End Of Chapter


	2. Moosing Around

Chapter 2: Moosing Around

It was when the steady, rhythmic bumping of Courage's seat stopped that he woke up. The humming of the engine had been a constant sound, even in his sleep, and its absence was noticeable enough to wake him. As he opened his eyes and blinked the blurriness out of them, he noticed that something heavy was leaning on him. He turned his head slightly to the side and found Computer fast asleep as well.

“Hey, I think we're at the next rest stop.” He said in a quiet voice. Several people were passing their seat as they made their way to the front of the bus.

Computer began to stir, then let out a gasp and shot up. “Oh, dear. I must have-” He quickly said, giving Courage a rather sympathetic expression. “I'm sorry. I said that I was going to stay up and-”

Courage shook his head. “It's okay. I didn't have any nightmares anyway. How about you?”

He suspected that Computer had a nightmare free nap as well or else they very likely would have both experienced it.

“I, uh, I'm fine.” He muttered out, glancing away.

“That sounds like a, 'I'm pretending to be fine' kind of fine.” He joked, taking note of Computer's sheepishness.

“I think I may have had a good dream, but I'm not so sure.” He admitted, still keeping his sights elsewhere. “Let's just say that it was-” He seemed to be getting more and more embarrassed by the second. “N-never mind.”

Courage could only imagine what a normal dream might be like for someone like Computer.

The machine cleared his throat. “Dreams are indeed strange.” He spoke, regaining some of his composer. “I, er, think I'd like to go back to not dreaming at all.”

Courage couldn't help but grin as he tried to puzzle out what Computer could have possibly dreamed about that would make him as flustered as he was. “You can't just decide if you're going to dream or not. It just happens!”

“Great.” He grumbled. “I think I'm going to go back to being an insomniac.” Unamused, he looked past Courage and out the window. His eyes widened. “I-is that a giant moose?” He asked. “Am I still asleep?”

Courage turned and did indeed find a giant statue of a moose out there. It was standing near the entrance of a diner across from the gas station the bus was parked at. The 'majestic' beast had one heck of a serious expression, as though it were eying down someone to gore.

Computer practically stepped all over Courage as he tried to get a better look. “It's a giant moose statue!” He exclaimed, acting as though this was something so rare and so completely unexpected that it might as well have been the eighth wonder of the world. “I don't know why, but the humans have erected a giant moose statue! I need to investigate this oddity further!” He then clamored over Courage a second time and was off the bus before the poor pup could even stand up.

“It's just a moose...” He muttered. It was at that exact moment when he realized that _everything_ on this journey of theirs was going to be a huge novelty for Computer. He was going to be seeing and experiencing so many new things for the very first time.

By the time he too got off the bus, he was certain that Computer had circled the giant moose statue at least twenty times by now. His friend was staring up at the thing, completely enraptured by it. The glowing dog was just beginning his millionth circle around the moose when Courage decided to call out to him before their entire rest stop could be wasted. He wasn't going to wait for Computer to finish his 'investigation.'

“Hey, are we going to get something to eat or not?”

Computer finally tore his eyes away from the moose. “Right, food.” He uttered out, apparently having completely forgotten. He glanced back up at the moose again, enthralled once more. “It's just so.... _weird_!” He exclaimed. “You flesh creatures create the strangest things.”

Courage stared and then repeated yet again, “It's just a moose...”

“Are you telling me that this is normal?” The machine asked, craning his head slightly to the side. “Perhaps I was wrong about Nowhere after all.”

Courage shrugged. “Well, it's not exactly normal, but it isn't completely unusual either.”

Computer was apparently satisfied with this answer and nodded to himself as though he were making note of it. “Let's go inside. I can only imagine what other oddities a place like this might hold. For starters, it looks like it was constructed with primitive means. Do you think it even has plumbing?”

The reason for Computer's consideration came from the fact that the building looked like it had been made by slapping a few logs together. It gave off the appearance of being a super sized log cabin that you might find in the middle of the woods.

“It's just for show.” Courage answered him. “It's a real building made to look like a cabin. People enjoy eating at places like these when they're on vacation.”

“I see.” Computer mused. “There's a novelty to it then?”

“Yeah.” He agreed with a nod. “Now, let's get in there and find something to eat. I'm starving!”

Although, judging by the smell that was already hitting his nostrils, he wasn't expecting the food to be very good. He could already tell through smell alone that this place was dirty and unkempt. Hopefully there wouldn't be any food poisoning involved.

Computer passed him by as he rushed in to find out what the inside of the log building looked like. Courage followed rather precariously behind. Crappy food or not, he was hungry, and if he skipped out on eating here then he wouldn't get another chance to eat a decent meal until morning.

He stepped through the wooden doors and the musty, disgusting smells grew worse. The inside of the diner was dim thanks to the low lighting and cigaret smoke. The floor was a dull, smooth wood that was in need of a serious cleaning. Muddled, vaguely southern music issued forth from ancient speakers set up in various places. There were quite a few people eating at the tables and they had all turned to get a look at the 'strange' glowing, blue dog who had just entered. Computer stood out even more than usual in the low lighting.

“This place seems a bit run down.” The machine commented. “Do people really vacation here?”

Courage ignored the question and urged him to walk forward. They passed a bar, which held the majority of the people occupying the diner, and only quickened their pace when several questions were thrown at them about the 'weird, radioactive dog'. The last thing they needed right now was to attract even more attention from the drunken gawkers.

“Hmph! I don't look that strange!” Computer spat. “Although, I suppose I am a bit more noticeable to people outside of Nowhere.”

“C'mon, let's keep going.” Courage urged him. “There's got to be somewhere around here where we can sit without people staring at us.”

They soon hit the other end of the diner, which was clearly made to be more kid friendly. The wooden walls were painted with bright colors and half the area was devoted to a giant, multicolored tube structure that reached all the way up to the ceiling. It held both a ball pit inside and several slides of varying sizes and shapes. To the right of it stood a stage where an animatronic, humanoid moose sang with his two friends. As far as Courage could tell, this end of the diner was completely deserted at such a late hour.

“It looks like we'll be okay here.” He spoke. “Well, as long as those drunk guys don't come after us.”

Computer wandered over to the stage where the robotic moose and his friends were singing to a non-existent audience. He watched it for a good few minutes before finally turning back around.

“It's dated technology, but effective none the less!” He eagerly concluded.

Courage looked up at the band of robots. “Er, it's kind of creepy.” He replied.

The robots were so old and in such disrepair that the clattering of their parts easily drowned out the songs they were singing. It was an amazement that they even functioned at all.

“Says you!” Computer huffed. “You think everything is creepy!”

“I mean it though. Those things are pretty scary looking.”

Computer crossed his arms. “What? Do you think they're going to come to life and eat you? I seem to recall that we aren't in Nowhere anymore. The odds of that happening are effectively zero.”

“I know, but-”

“Bah! I don't want to hear it!” He spat. “The next thing I know you'll be calling me a creepy robot too!”

“Compute, you _are_ a creepy robot.”

“Am not!”

“Look, just stay here and try not to blow a circuit while I go to the bathroom, okay? We'll order some food as soon as I get back.” He pointed over to a hallway on their left that had the word, 'restrooms' printed over it.

“My circuits don't do any blowing up, thank you very much.” Computer grumbled as he took a seat.

Courage made his way over to the hallway which, of course, held the bathrooms, but it also had an 'employee's only' doorway at the end of it too. Just like the main room, this hallway was brightly colored and even had a speaker in it blaring out the moose's song.

He entered the boys bathroom and immediately wrenched. The smell was overwhelming. Nobody must have cleaned this god-awful place in weeks. Deciding that he'd rather hold it, he tumbled back out of the bathroom, nearly gagging half to death. He stood there for awhile, just taking in large gasps of air. The musty, dirty smell of the diner was better than anything he had just gone through.

It was then when he realized that someone was standing at the end of the hallway, and it wasn't Computer either. He thought for a moment that it was an employee heading for the employee's room, but then he noticed that the person had _antlers_.

He gasped as his eyes widened in terror. The figure took a step forward and the sound of mechanical parts whirling became apparent. There was no mistaking it. That moose mascot was somehow moving around on it's own. Courage couldn't even begin to imagine what it might have done with Computer.

“Hello there, little dog!” It spook in a surprisingly deep yet still cheerful voice. “You look scared. What's the matter?”

The moose was slowly making it's way down the hall. Courage in turn booked it towards the employee's room, hoping to find an escape route, but when he grabbed the door handle he found that it was locked.

“Nooooooo!” He screamed, pulling at in desperation.

“Why are you running?” The moose asked in that eerie voice.

He slowly turned around, trembling. The moose was now standing before him, it's dead eyes staring down at him.

“C'mon! Give moosy a big ol' hug!” It exclaimed, raising it's creaking, jittery arms. “And then, when we're done with that, I'm going to chew your brain right out of that cute, little skull of yours!”

“ARAAAAAGGGGG!” Courage screamed, nearly shaking the whole diner apart.

He dove under the moose's legs and booked it out of the hallway as fast as his legs would take him. He was just about to run right out of the diner when he caught sight of Computer sitting in the same spot he had been sitting in before. He wanted to tell him that they needed to get out of there as fast as possible and ask him why he hadn't seen the moose get up off the stage, but then the glowing dog burst out laughing.

“Look at your face!” He exclaimed. “You truly are the biggest coward on the planet! It's hilarious!”

Courage's mouth fell open. “W-wait, _you_ did that?” He stammered.

“Who else can make an old moose robot move around on its own? Did you really think it had come to life and was about to eat your brain?” He pointed over at the hallway. The moose was there, waving at them, which only made him laugh even harder.

Courage clenched his teeth together. “Computer...” He growled.

“Don't give me that look! Who was it that pretended to choke to death when they tried my cooking? Two can play at this game, you overgrown pansy!”

“I may be a pansy but I'm not the one who's about to become a glowing pile of scrap metal!”

“Is that a threat?” The machine challenged. “Now who exactly has an army of 'creepy' robots?”

“I bet those hunks of metal wouldn't be able to catch up in time to stop me from dismantling you first!”

Computer's eyes narrowed mischievously. “Bring it on, wimp! I'd like to see you try! You'd probably pass out from fear long before that!”

Courage, accepting the challenge, dove at him. The machine easily jumped out of the chair and landed neatly onto the wooden floor. Courage on the other hand crashed into the chair and knocked it over along with him.

“Perfect landing!” Computer quipped. “Ten out of ten! Very graceful!”

Courage stood up, spurred on by the glowing dog's mocking insults. “You are so dead!” He threatened in a lighthearted manner.

“Oh, really? And here I was thinking you were beaten by a chair!”

“RRRRAAAA!” He screamed, letting out a battle cry.

Computer turned and ran, chuckling out insults the whole way. Much to Courage's horror, he slipped into one of the multicolored tubes and vanished inside the kiddy structure.

“Wait, don't go in there!” He cried out. “It stinks! You're going to smell like dirty children for weeks and I'm the one who has to sit next to you!”

There was not so much as a peep from his friend.

“Whatever you do, don't go in the ball pit!” He begged. “Ooooh, I really don't want to do this!” He whimpered. Regardless, he didn't want Computer to win either and although the moose and his friends weren't coming after him, who knew how long Computer would keep it that way.

“I'm going to need a bath after this...” He grumbled, wondering if he would be able to hold his breath long enough inside those stinky tunnels.

Getting down onto his knees, he crawled inside. He made a conscious effort to pace himself in order to avoid tiring out or possibly triggering an attack. Despite his caution, he refused to let his illness get in the way of his revenge against Computer.

“You'd better watch your tail!” He called out into the structure. “You can't hide from me when you glow like that!”

He slowly made his way upward through the structure, but the tubes were so numerous that Computer could easily avoid him without getting caught. The structure was just too big and and too easy to hide in, but now was not the time to give up. That smug machine would slip up eventually.

Courage finally hit the uppermost part of the structure after wandering through every tunnel he came across. It was a purple, oval shaped room with a very low ceiling. Several of the tubes led up here and two of the largest slides could also be accessed from this point. He inched closer to one of the slides, checking to make sure that Computer wasn't hiding halfway down it. He did not catch so much as a glimpse of blue.

Between the two slides was a window which gave him a perfect view of the kiddy area and most of the diner itself. Thankfully, it appeared that Computer had not forsaken the tunnels and was still hiding somewhere inside. How that machine could be so stealthy was a complete mystery.

As he moved in to check the second slide, it suddenly hit him just how strange this all was. He was in the middle of what amounted to a playground, trying to find a glowing, blue dog who he had thought for most of his life was too stuffy to ever goof around like this. He'd realized just how strange things had become several times before, but it had never really struck him as hard as it did now. He almost found it funny to think about how much everything had changed between him and Computer. Had they been told what was going to happen to them ahead of time, they both would have laughed it off without a shadow of a doubt that it was untrue.

Lost in his own thoughts, Courage barely even noticed the oval room filling up with light. By the time it had hit him that the glossy plastic was reflecting a blue light, it was already too late. He received a hard shove in the back and was sent tumbling head first down the slide. He slowed to a stop at the bottom and immediately turned back around, trying to claw his way back up the slide to no avail.

“Oh, I'm sorry. Were you looking for me?” Came Computer's mocking voice from the top. “Maybe if you'd get your head out of the clouds you wouldn't get schooled by me over and over again! Catch you later, scardy dog!”

Courage gripped the sides of the slide even harder. “Aruuu! You're gonna eat those words!” He threatened. Unfortunately, Computer was already long gone.

He turned around, ready to find another tunnel back into the structure, but as he did so he found himself staring directly at the feet of all three animatronics.

“Boo!” The band said in unison.

“RAAAAGGG!”

His terror gave him a burst of strength and with it he tore back up the slide as though it were nothing at all. Panting for breath at the top, he shivered knowing that those creepy things were still down there. All the more reason to get to Computer and put a stop to his robot army!

Speaking of Computer, Courage had no idea which way he had gone. There were several tunnels he could have taken and his glow could not be seen down any of them. It appeared that his nemesis had slipped away yet again.

“He's got another thing coming if he thinks he's going sneak up on me again, with or without those robots!” He whispered in determination. “You're going to pay for scaring me like that!” He called out through the tunnels.

His wrath was going to be swift and painful indeed.

End Of Chapter


	3. And The Winner Is...

Chapter 3: And The Winner Is...

Try as he might, Courage could not find Computer. He shuffled through the entire structure but never once did he find evidence that the glowing dog was lurking about. Unlike he himself, who made plenty of noise as he crawled through the tunnels, Computer had somehow found a way to make no sound at all, if he really was moving around to begin with. Of course, he would have been discovered by now if he was hiding in one spot. That glow would give him away.

“Ugh, I've been in here so long that the stench doesn't even bother me anymore!” Courage whispered to himself. “At least I won't have to smell Compute now either. Who knows when we'll get a chance to take a bath.”

Slowly but surely he was making his way to the bottom of the structure again. His newest plan was to try and spot Computer from the outside. If that smug machine was still moving around, he'd eventually catch sight of his glow through one of the windows and would finally have some idea on where to go.

Following the path he had originally taken upon first entering the structure, he made his way through a curved tube that led to the entrance. Just as he came around the corner he realized that something was horrifyingly wrong.

...That awful moose was leaning over in front of the entrance, leering right at him with those dead, creepy eyes.

“ARU!” He exclaimed, booking it right back around the corner in hopes of escaping that awful robot's stare.

Great! Computer must have those terrifying things stationed at every exit just to keep him from escaping! Courage took a deep breath and leaned his back up against the tube, trying to calm himself down. Panicking would only ensure Computer's victory even faster. At least those robots were too big to fit into the tunnels. Sadly, Computer can probably see through their eyes and now knows exactly where to go if he wants to attack again. Keeping an eye open for him sneaking about would probably be the best route to take at this point.

“Oooh, I promised I wouldn't let those robots scare me again!” Courage moaned to himself in annoyance. “Hmph! I'm not going to let that jerk sneak up on me again either!”

There had to be something he could do to get the upper hand on Computer, but what?

“I have to outsmart him, somehow. He's being really overconfident too, so maybe-” He slowly trailed off. “Wait, that's it!”

A potential plot to catch Computer by surprise was already beginning to form in his mind. It was so simple and yet the machine was being so overconfident that he'd fall right into the trap!

“I've got to make him come to me!” He exclaimed in a hushed voice. “I'll be the one who does the hiding this time! When I vanish without a trace, he'll be the one who has to start looking for me, and as soon as he lets his guard down....”

Thanks to the robot moose, Computer would already know where to start looking. He was probably heading this way now. If Courage could just find a way to be as stealthy as him, he'd finally have the upper hand.

“I don't have a glow that I need to be careful about.” He whispered. “That already puts me at an advantage. I just need to figure out where to hide. He can come from any direction so hiding in one of the tunnels can't be an option. Obviously I can't wait outside either with those robots lurking around. The slides can't work either because I don't have enough strength to support myself inside one for very long.”

He rubbed his chin, trying to think fast. Computer could be here any minute now and if he was going to ambush him then he needed to be ready to do it as soon as possible.

A thought struck him then. At first it made him want to gag but the urge to show Computer up quickly replaced his revulsion. Besides, if this worked out, Computer would soon be the one gagging.

“I've got to find the ball pit.” He said to himself, cringing slightly. These tunnels were dirty enough but he couldn't even imagine what the ball pit would be like. “It's the only place I can hide, and when Computer comes looking for me-” He took a moment to swallow his displeasure and then grinned at the thought of subjecting his snide friend to the ball pit. Not even he would be able to ignore all the horrific filth!

He began to make his way over to the area where he knew the ball pit would be. He was making sure to be as quiet as possible in hopes of keeping Computer off his trail. It would all be for nothing if his friend figured out what was going on ahead of time.

The tube opened up at the other end and, just as he suspected, it was the ball pit. The smelly, multicolored pit was closed off by a thick netting. The only way in or out was through the two tubes on either side.

“I hope this is worth it...” He groaned, hopping in. The discolored, plastic balls came all the way up to his chest. The smell of it threatened to overwhelm him and he was certain that he could feel slime between his toes as he tried to walk into the middle of the pit. Well, hopefully it was slime and not something else...

“I've just gotta wait here and keep myself from passing out.” He assured himself. The thought of diving under the balls almost made him throw up, but he did it anyway. Perhaps this was some sort of punishment for daring to try and get his revenge on the machine. Regardless, he wasn't going to let Computer win now, not after making it this far.

And so he waited.

...And waited....

...And waited even more until he was certain that his head was getting dizzy from the overwhelming smell of the pit. He was just about to give up and call it quits when a shuffling sound caught his attention. He immediately tensed up, ready to strike at a moments notice.

Was this it? Was his plotting finally going to pay off?

There was a soft ' _thump_ ' as someone landed in the ball pit, that someone obviously being Computer. Courage waited with his breath held as the machine silently shuffled across the pit. Then, a glowing foot came down mere inches away from his muzzle and....it was now or never!

He grabbed his friend's leg and pulled, which caused the machine to topple over. He then burst out of his hiding place, grabbed Computer by his head and shoved him under the nasty spheres of absolute filth.

“Ha! Not so tough now without your robot buddies!” He laughed, continuing to shove the flailing dog down deeper into the disgusting, multicolored pit. With a few sweeps of his paws, he had his friend so thoroughly buried that he couldn't even be seen anymore. Still laughing, he then sat down on top of his work, ensuring that the machine wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

“Not so infallible now, are you?” He chuckled, looking down at the glow that could just barely be seen.

“Dog, I'm about to suffocate. Can we please stop with this silly charade?” Came Computer's muffled voice from below.

“Nope.” He laughed.

“Alright, alright. You win.” The machine relented in an unenthusiastic tone. “You caught me by surprise and one-upped me. Can I please stop suffocating now?”

“Who's the best ever?” Courage coaxed him.

“I'm not about to start singing you praise! Now let me up!”

“Well, I guess you're going to be stuck down there for a long time then.” He slyly laughed. “Have fun drowning in kiddy germs!”

There was an exasperated sigh from his friend. Before he even knew what was happening, he was rising up and then suddenly found himself laying on his back. When he finally regained his bearings he sat up to find Computer standing there, shaking himself off with a rather indignant expression.

“I think I'll take my leave then.” He sniffed. “I'd rather get out of here now before I turn brown, like you.”

“WHAT?” Courage shrieked, gazing down at his torso in horror. He was surprised to find that his fur wasn't dirtied at all. Much to his relief, there wasn't a single hint of brown to be found. Looking back up at Computer, he said, “You lied to me, you no good...HEY!”

The machine had already clamored up out of the ball pit and was making his escape through the other tunnel. He looked back only once to give Courage a sly grin.

“You're not getting away this time!” He called out, kicking it into high gear. Hopping through the ball pit at lightning speed, he climbed up into the tube and crawled after Computer as fast as he could. He wouldn't let that sneaky machine leave his sights again!

“Oh, that's funny. It certainly looks like I am!” Computer smugly challenged from up ahead. “You may have gotten lucky once but you aren't going to get lucky again!”

Courage's tongue flopped out of his mouth as he began to pant. He was shuffling through the tunnel as fast as his limbs would take him but unfortunately all the extra effort was starting to tire him out. He'd already used up most of his limited strength before and now he was really pushing it. That mocking machine was only a few paces ahead of him and if he could just put on a little more speed....

Computer looked back at him for a moment and noticed how hard he was panting. He then slowly came to a stop. “Alright, that's enough.” He spoke, any hint of humor leaving him. “You need to-”

Courage, seeing that his friend had let his guard down, put on a burst of speed and tackled him. Laughing like a maniac, he wrapped an arm around the glowing dog's neck, putting him in a headlock. He was mimicking a move he had seen on TV once.

“Oh, joy.” The machine dryly quipped, making no effort to struggle. “I suppose this is what I get for being concerned about your well-being.”

“Who totally outsmarted you?” Courage urged him in a sing-song voice. Even though he could not see his friend's face, he could already tell that he was rolling his eyes. “Saaay it...” He slyly whispered.

“Ugh...” The machine groaned. “You did...” He finally muttered out, completely unenthusiastic.

“And who's a creepy robot?”

There was a long, exaggerated sigh from the glowing dog. “I am...”

“Promise not to scare me anymore?”

“Dog, I could sneeze and it would scare you. You're asking for the impossible.”

“You won't _i_ _ntentionally_ scare me anymore?”

“Whatever you want, just so long as it ends this exercise in embarrassment.”

“You'd better keep your promise this time!”

“Yes, yes! Whatever! Can you please stop with the armature wrestling moves now? Seriously!”

The 'not-so' smug machine began to flail around until he finally ripped his head out of Courage's grip. He sat there rubbing his neck for awhile, all while glaring at the smirking pup.

Courage was doing everything in his power to be a smug as possible, finally giving Computer a taste of his own medicine. He crossed his arms and sarcastically said, “Ooohhh, so it's only fun when you're the one who's winning, huh? Sore loser.”

Computer stuck his nose up into the air but said nothing in return.

“Not so sassy now, are you?” He laughed. “At least I'm not the one who got beaten by a ball pit and a sickly dog!”

“How was I supposed to know you were hiding in there?” The machine grumbled under his breath. “It's not like it was brilliant tactical move or anything.”

“Sore loser.” Courage repeated yet again, grinning at his friend. “You're the one who got outsmarted by a 'not-brilliant tactical move'.”

“You're just lucky that I'm not a barbarian like you!” He huffed. “If I tried to pull nonsense like that on you, you'd probably snap in half! I'm the one who's courteous enough to take my sick friend's health into consideration!”

Now it was Courage's turn to be offended. “But it's perfectly okay to try and give me a heart attack with those robots instead?”

“It was just a joke! I can't help it if you're a wimp!” He argued.

“Hypocrite...” Courage chuckled under his breath.

Computer's eyes widened with outrage. “Am not! You're just-” He hesitated for a moment. “I'm the one who-” He trailed off again, apparently unable to come up with a decent argument. He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up into the air yet again. “Hmph! Say whatever you like then! You've already gotten your revenge so it doesn't matter either way!”

“I have, haven't I?” He smugly agreed, still grinning with that same gloating air. When Computer continued to glare hatefully at him, he dropped the act. “C'mon, Compute. It's all in good fun. You don't have to get so angry.”

The glowing dog slid around so that only his back showed. “I'm not angry!” He huffed.

“Says the sore loser!” He joked.

“Bah! I'm done playing these childish games!” He loudly announced. “You know, I would like to find some food sometime before we miss our bus!”

“Hey, you started it!” Courage cried out with even more fake outrage. “Who's the one being a child, Mr. Sore Loser?”

Computer whipped back around, teeth grit, but he apparently managed to force back whatever it was he was going to say. In yet another huff, he turned right back around again and began to shuffle out of the tunnel.

The legitimate anger burning in his eyes had seriously shocked Courage. There was no reason to get so angry over a bit of playful prodding. Worried that the machine might retain this mood for who knows how long, he quickly crawled after him, hoping to make amends.

“Hey, wait up!” He called out.

“I'm in no mood to talk to you right now.” Computer grumbled, making no effort to slow down.

Desperate, Courage squeezed past him and then blocked his way. “C'mon, Compute. I was just playing around. Look, I'll let you dunk me in the ball pit if you stop being grumpy.”

Computer grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and then shook his head in annoyance. “Don't hold me down like that!” He finally spat. “I can't stand it! And I don't care if it's meant to be ' _fun_ ' either!”

Courage's stomach lurched. So that was what this all was about. It wasn't the silly prodding that had set him off.

“Oh...” He almost soundlessly exclaimed. “I'm sorry, I didn't think-”

Computer craned his head to the side. “You never do, do you?” He interrupted. “Whatever, it doesn't matter either way. You obviously meant no harm and I _did_ try to make a robot eat your brain. It's-” He let out a sigh. “all in good fun...I suppose.”

“You'll stop being angry now?” He gently asked.

“I'm not angry!” The machine huffed. While he _was_ still glaring at the pink pup, it no longer held that same burning rage.

“If you say so.” Courage laughed. “You're still just a sore loser.”

“I'd rather be a sore loser than a pink, overgrown pansy!” His friend argued back.

They'd begun crawling again, both of them firing insults at each other the whole way. They soon hit the ball pit again, and, as Courage readied himself to jump back into the filth, a hard shove sent him belly-flopping into the nastiness.

“Hey!” He cried out, glaring up at Computer who was smiling slyly down at him.

“Now who's the sore loser?” He mocked. “Did you really think I wasn't going to get some payback?”

Courage, refusing to let him get away with such an act, grabbed a ball and threw it at him. The machine ducked out of the way but even he could not avoid the barrage that followed. Soon they were in an all out war yet again and neither of them were going to come out of it unscathed, or germ-free.

End Of Chapter


	4. Dinner For Twelve

Chapter 4: Dinner For Twelve

“You've got the worst throw ever, you know that?” Courage tiredly huffed as he climbed out of the tunnel.

“Well, you've had arms and plenty of hand-eye coordination practice you're entire life, so you don't have any place to talk.” Computer quipped back as he too hopped out of the tunnel.

Exhausted, Courage went over to the first chair he could find and shakily climbed up onto it. He very nearly didn't make it even after a lot of huffing and puffing. All that playing around had sapped him of what little energy he had. He couldn't help but worry that another attack might be just around the corner. If his illness knocked him for several days again both he and Computer would be in a lot of trouble, especially in a place like this.

Speaking of Computer, he was eying him rather worriedly. “We shouldn't have kept going like that.” He spoke. “Stay here and rest, I'll go find us dinner.” He then took a moment to look around. “Although, I haven't seen anyone around serving food. There were a few people eating up at the front of the building before, aside from those idiots at the bar, but-”

He placed a paw to his chin as he pondered something, then nodded with new found confidence and said, “Alright, just rest here for a little while. I'll be back as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll have all this nonsense figured out before we run out of time.”

“Compute, you've just got to find a waiter. This isn't a super important mission or something.”

The machine waved his paw in a dismissive fashion. “Well, I for one don't want to go hungry so this IS important. We don't have much time left after all the mindless horsing around we did either. I especially don't want to miss the bus and get stuck in an unsavory place like this.”

Courage was in no state or mood to argue with him. He just let out a small, halfhearted sigh and placed his muzzle down onto the table in front of him.

He heard Computer say, “I'm not so inept at flesh creature business that I can't even buy us dinner. I'm just trying to be safe rather than sorry.”

He then said no more. The soft pattering of his feet steadily got farther and farther away until it was drowned out by the songs being played up on the stage by that moose and his friends.

Courage let out another sigh and closed his eyes. Soon his illness would never be a problem again. Soon his body would be healed and he could go back to doing whatever he liked without being tired or having to fear the pain that could strike at any moment. It was almost impossible to believe, but somehow, even after all the setbacks, they were nearing their destination. One day, not long from now, he'd be looking up at the mountain that would be his salvation. At this point, he refused to believe that the wellspring might not exist. They'd come too far and been through too much for it to all be for nothing. They'd make their own miracle if they needed to. Failure was no longer an option.

It didn't take long for him to fall into that strange twilight between sleep and wakefulness. The moose's song was a dull, far away ringing in his ears. The tension in his body seemed to be slowly easing up, but then a harsh whisper coming from several voice, nearly drowned out by the music, shocked him back into alertness.

_'He is not as he seems.'_

_'He is dangerous.'_

_'You are in grave danger.'_

_'You've made a terrible mistake in trusting him.'_

“Ah!” He yelped, sitting up so fast that he almost sent the chair toppling backwards with him. That crawling sensation under his skin had started up again. He viciously scratched at his arm, trying to make it go away. It felt like there were a million bugs crawling under his skin.

As he scratched and scratched, everything became a hazy blur. Then, the panicked desperation in his mind slowly faded and the crawling sensation went away with it. He suddenly realized what he was doing and looked down to find that he had been scratching his arm so hard that he had ripped off quite a bit of fur in the process. The exposed skin was red and obviously scratched up, but thankfully it wasn't bleeding.

“I-I barely even knew I was doing it.” He whispered. “It was like-”

He shook his head, trying to clear it. The part of his arm that he had ripped up was thankfully small enough that Computer wouldn't notice unless he was intentionally looking for it. The last thing Courage wanted right now was questions. Besides, if he really needed to, he could just pull the remaining fur over the bare spot and it would do a decent enough job covering it.

“Hey! Courage!” He heard Computer call out, startling him. He'd been so engrossed in his own thoughts that the outside world wasn't registering with him very well. He felt like he was stuck inside his own head.

Taking a deep breath, he looked over to where Computer's voice was coming from. The machine had a paw waving in the air and was beckoning to him with the other. Despite how exhausted he was, he forced himself to get up.

“You look awful.” Computer commented when he finally managed to shuffle over. “You're about as pale as a ghost. Have you been letting those robots scare you?” He asked.

“No.” He quickly murmured out, shaking his head in a lethargic manner. “I'm just a little 'out of it' right now, that's all.”

“It's probably best if you eat something and soon you'll have plenty of time to rest on the bus. Lucky for you, I have successfully completed my, 'mission', if that's what it's going to be called. Dinner is waiting for us over at one of the tables up near the front. I tried to get the idiot to bring the food down here but he was too busy gawking at me like I'm the strangest thing he's ever seen!”

Courage nodded and tried to blink the sleepiness out of his eyes. He was finding it very hard to overcome his tiredness. But, as Computer was saying, after getting some food into his stomach he'd have plenty of time to sleep.

The glowing dog led him over to where their food was waiting. The walk was enough to wake him up a little more but for some odd reason he couldn't shake the feeling that he could hear someone whispering. None of the words being spoken were intelligible, and the more focused he became, the quieter it got until finally it became nothing more than a sound like the buzz of electricity from the lights overhead.

“Alright, here we are!” Computer exclaimed in a surprisingly cheery tone.

Courage's mouth fell open.

There was no way that this was their table. It had enough dishes of food sitting on it to feed at least ten people, if not more, and it was certainly far more food than two dogs would be capable of finishing.

“C-Compute, what is this?” He gasped. “You could feed half the people in here with that amount of food!”

The glowing dog rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly. He appeared to be taken aback by his friend's outrage. “Oh, well. After carefully looking over the menu, I couldn't decide what to get, so I-” He hesitated for a moment, apparently not having expected this kind of reaction. “So I decided to get one of everything, because it was around that point when I realized that I really, really wanted to try all of it. So, uh, I just, er-” He slowly trailed off.

“There's no way we're going to be able to eat all of this!” Courage cried out, still in disbelief. “Are you crazy? We'd need at least twenty dogs to get through all of this!”

Computer crossed his arms. “If I didn't know any better, that sounds like a challenge! I bet I could clean this whole table alone!”

Practically fuming, Courage grit his teeth. “No! You're not going to do that! You'll get sick again!”

The glare Computer gave him could have killed. He hopped up into one of the chairs, clearly defiant, and grabbed a pair of silverware. His eyes only flashed downward once, daring him to try and stop him.

“Compute, the bus isn't going to wait for you if you get sick!” He argued. “They'll leave you behind!”

The machine let out a long, deeply disappointed sigh. “Fine, whatever you want, mom.” He grumbled.

The food in question didn't look very good to begin with and was very clearly smothered in grease too. Courage eyed the dishes for several seconds longer and then climbed up into a chair beside Computer. Despite how unappetizing the food looked, he WAS unimaginably hungry and he figured that he might as well eat as much as possible if only to keep Computer from overeating himself.

Speaking of Computer, the glowing dog was still giving him a surprisingly angry glare. He hadn't touched so much as a pea upon getting scolded.

Courage shrugged. “Don't just sit there and glare at me like I'm the meanest person in the world, eat something.”

The machine rolled his eyes. “Do I have your permission, dictator?” He snapped.

“Stop throwing a fit and eat. Geez, Compute. You've been getting angry way too easily lately.”

“It's only because of you.” He spat, completely serious in what he was saying. He turned up his nose and returned to his plate.

Courage watched as he angry piled food onto it. “Compute...” He gently spoke.

“Don't talk to me! I've got better thing to do, like stuffing my face, than to keep bothering with an idiot like you!” He snapped, utterly unapologetic.

“Computer, enough! What's your problem? There's no reason to lose your temper over something so stupid! I just want to make sure you don't overeat!”

The machine made no effort to answer him. He ate in complete silence, his eyes still burning with anger as he stared down at his plate.

Needless to say, their dinner was a silent one. Courage was far too tired to deal with his friend right now and it was probably best to let him fume by himself for a little while anyway. Thankfully, he did not overeat and stopped after finishing two platefuls. He patiently waited for Courage to finish up too, gazing rather regretfully over at him as he did so.

“Sorry.” He finally said. “You're right, I can't afford to make myself sick, and I shouldn't have snapped at you either. It's just-” He let out a long, exhausted sigh. “You know that I'm on a clock and there's still so many things that I want to do, see, and try. I can't enjoy myself if you're policing me every step of the way.”

Courage grinned. “Don't worry about it, okay? When we get back, I'll have Muriel cook you whatever you want! You're not about to keel over tomorrow, right?”

If Computer even had an answer for him, he didn't get a chance to say it. Roaring laughter both made them turn towards the bar where those, 'drunken idiots' as Computer would have called them, were pointing and laughing at the two of them. Sadly, their seating arrangement was just a little too close to the bar, and despite not provoking it, they'd gotten the attention of the bar-goers yet again.

Computer rolled his eyes and turned away. “Just ignore them. They probably think that I'm Area 51 alien or something stupid like that anyway. Hardly worth getting bothered by.”

Courage nodded in agreement and then turned back around too. The jeering coming from the drinkers only grew more intense.

They tried to finish their dinner in peace, with Computer grabbing a few more thing to try, but then, as Courage munched away at a piece of pizza that was so greasy that it was more like eating slime, that Computer uttered out a small, “Uh, oh.”

Courage glanced back over at the drinkers for a moment and then immediately snapped back around. Now he knew exactly why Computer had spoken. Three of the drunken idiots were swaggering over to them, laughing up a storm as a they did so. Whatever they wanted, neither he nor Computer had any interest in finding out. These people were obviously trouble.

“I think we've overstayed our welcome.” Computer said under his breath. “Let's make a quick getaway.”

Courage nodded in agreement once more. He quickly counted out the cash they needed to pay for their food and placed it on the table. Unfortunately, just as they both were about to jump out of their chairs and make a break for it, one of the drinkers caught up with them and snatched Computer right up out of his chair.

“Hey, put me down!” He yelled, thrashing around in vain.

“Whoa, look at this thing!” The drunken man giggled. “It's so....glowy.”

The man's other two friends caught up with him. It was then when Courage decided to spring into action. He jumped out of his chair and growled, hoping that it might get his message across.

The lankiest one of the group seemed to find his act funny. The rail thin, Eustace-like man reached down and picked him up too, putting an end to what little threat he posed.

The man holding Computer, another stick thin drunkard, twisted him this way and that, trying to get a better look at him. He was dressed like a typical farmer and had blond hair so long that it quite literally covered his eyes.

The third man was the beefiest of them all. Garbed in hunting gear along with a pistol holstered to his belt, he was a very imposing figure. His bearded face was filled with a huge, if not slightly malicious grin.

“This one looks like a normal dog.” The lanky man said, presenting Courage to them. “So what's up with that thing?”

The long-haired farmer examined Computer for a third time. “Donno what the heck it is. Ain't never seen anything like it.”

There was a rumble from the hunter. “I know what it is.” He said in a low voice, cracking his knuckles as if seemingly in preparation for something. “It's a nice look'n trophy waiting to happen. Bet it's head would look real nice on my wall.”

Needless to say, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense. Though the three men were still as joyful as ever as they tried to figure out what to do with Computer, both dogs eyed each other warily, wondering if the other had any idea what to do.

End Of Chapter


	5. Self-Defensed To Death

Chapter 5: Self-Defensed To Death

“C'mon, man. You want to hang everything on your wall!” The long haired farmer argued with the hunter. His speech kept slurring in a few places as he spoke. “If it were up to you, everythin' in that blasted swamp up north would have gone extinct years ago! Besides, I bet we could sell this thing to one of those sciency folk for sum good cash!”

The lanky drunk rubbed his chain. “Hey, didn't Robby shoot down that one duck with two heads a few years ago? Those science guys payed 'em quite a bit for the corpse.”

The hunter let out a booming laugh. “Now you're speak'n my language!” He produced a pocket knife from his belt and placed it up against Computer's throat. “Let's slice this thing and split the cash! It'll be much easier than locking it up in a cage until one of those science guys show up! Maybe they'll even let me keep the head!”

Computer's eyes narrowed, clearly enraged by the treatment he was being given. Courage tried to escape his own captivity, but it was no use. He was far too tired to struggle and the lanky man was a lot stronger than he appeared.

“You think this thing is that, what was it called? That chupathingy? The one ol' granny used to swear up and down she saw walkin' through the bog all those years ago.” The long haired farmer asked.

“It don't matter to me what it is just so long as it ain't breath'n!” The hunter chuckled.

“Gimme that!” The long haired farmer demanded, snatching the knife from the hunter's hand. “Yer gonna cut everyone's head off aside for the glowy creature's if you keep swinging it around like that!” He continued to hold Computer in one arm while pointing the pocket knife at his neck with the other.

“You're holdin' the knife all wrong!” The hunter yelled. “You ain't gonna kill nuttin' with a weak-ass arm like that! You'll cut yer arm off long before you slice that thing's neck!”

“I've been out hunting before, you overgrown meat sack!” The farmer cried out. “You ain't the only one around who knows how to cut with a knife!”

As they continued to argue, Courage's attention was caught by something that the others were far too occupied to notice. A soft squeaking noise made him look up and he found that one of the lighting fixtures overhead was slowly unhinging itself from the thick cable that attached it to the ceiling. The white, circled shape was directly over the long haired farmer who was still arguing that he could kill Computer just as efficiently as the hunter could. Then, without warning, it came loose and fell to the ground.

The three drunken fools were still fighting when the lighting fixture fell atop the long haired farmer's head. Said head had also ended up completely covered by it, like it were an oversized hat. A muffled cry of surprise issued forth from inside of it and the farmer dropped both Computer and the knife all at the same time.

The glowing dog landed neatly onto the floor. He snatched the knife out of the air and without a moments hesitation, plunged it into the farmer's leg. A much louder and much more horrifying cry echoed outwards. The farmer then fell to the floor, one hand trying to remove the lighting fixture that was trapping his head, and the other trying to grab at the knife now embedded in his leg.

Courage winced as he watched the spectacle unfold. There was an uncharacteristic level of brutality in Computer's actions that had shocked him to his core. The machine did not hesitated at all upon stabbing the man and Courage could only think of one other time where he had seen his friend act in such a fashion. It was when he had very nearly killed that Fear Eater after breaking it's power.

“W-what, what _was_ that?” The lanky man stammered. Even he had figured out that something unusual was amiss.

“Forget that!” The hunter cried out. “The blue thing is free!”

Computer turned to the both of them. His eyes momentarily fell upon Courage, still trapped in the lanky man's arms, and his anger only seemed to become even more apparent. “Put him DOWN!” He demanded, clenching his fists with rage.

Above them one of the many ceiling fans scattered about the building began to speed up. Both drunkards and dog looked up just long enough to see it detach from its wiring and come whirling towards them. Both men ducked as it passed dangerously close over their heads. It sliced the hunter's hat in half before it went on to embed itself in the wall behind them. Needless to say, the lanky man let Courage go.

“Look, I-I dunno what's going on here, but it ain't worth even a sack full of cash!” He stammered out in terror. “I-I'm out!” He told the hunter before booking it out of there with his head held low, as though another ceiling fan might come after him.

“What a wimp!” The hunter boomed. “You always were a coward! Well, I know exactly how to fix this little problem. Forget the scientists, I'm gettin' me a trophy!”

Courage gasped as the man reached for his pistol. “Computer, run!” He cried out.

Too late. The hunter pulled out his gun and took aim....only to be greeted by a soft click instead of a bang upon pulling the trigger.

Computer glared viciously up at him. “Don't try that on me, you good for nothing fool!” He spat.

The hunter's expression became more and more dismayed as he repeatedly pulled the trigger, desperate to fire at least one shot. Computer, still glaring at him, took a single step towards him and that was enough to spook the defeated hunter out of his hopeless endeavor. He moved to holster his gun, but the moment he pointed it downwards it went off with a loud 'BLAM'. He was so startled by this that he dropped it right out of his hand. Instead of going to pick it up, he too turned tail and ran right out the door.

“That should do it.” Computer muttered under his breath. “Bah! What a pack of idiots! Who do they think they are, treating me like I'm-”

A low moan caught both his and Courage's attention. They both turned to find that the long haired farmer was rising back up again, the lighting fixture in one hand and the knife in the other. The man had a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“I'm gonna....I'm gonna...” He repeated over and over again, stumbling forward in a rather pathetic manner thanks to his maimed leg. He took the circular lighting fixture and threw it at the two dogs who both easily jumped out of its way.

“You're not going to be doing anything anymore!” Computer practically snarled out. Courage was once again shocked by the sheer hatred in his friend's voice. It reminded him far too much of their time spent in the forest.

The man continued to stalk towards them with his knife raised into the air. Despite the anger in his expression, he still could do nothing aside from limp forward in a rather pathetic manner. Courage took that moment to look around and found that only the bartender over at his station was still watching with his mouth agape. It appeared that everyone else had made their escape after all the weird things had started to happen.

“Yer gonna make me rich!” The drunken man slurred out.

Courage grabbed Computer by the arm. “Come on, let's get out of here.” He whispered. They had more than enough time to escape their injured adversary.

“No!” The glowing dog growled. “I'm going to make him pay!”

Courage wasn't having any of that, of course. He gripped Computer's arm even harder and tried to pull him away, but then the drunken man sprung into action. He put on a burst of speed and was just about to take a swipe at Computer with his knife....when several of the wires that had once been attached to the fan overhead, swung down and wrapped themselves around his neck.

Computer had an absolutely vicious expression on his face that frightened Courage enough to let go of him. The man was hoisted into the the air, his fingers ripping at his neck to no avail. His legs kicked helplessly.

“Computer, that's enough!” Courage cried out. “You're going too far!”

A deafening hum seemed to encompass the whole building. The lights overhead were suddenly getting very bright, as though they were being fed too much energy.

“Computer!” Courage yelled.

The man continued to kick uselessly as he swung mere inches above the ground. His attempts to pull off the wire noose around his neck were growing more and more frantic as his face turned a shade of purple.

Computer looked on, teeth grit with rage and fists clenched. He had not so much as blinked or broken his eye contact with the dying man upon stringing him up. Nothing Courage did was enough to get his attention.

“Computer, stop!” He demanded. “This isn't right!”

There was only one other thing he could do. The man had maybe a few seconds left to live and if he didn't act....

_**WHAM!** _

He struck Computer as hard as he could. At that moment, all the lights in the building burst at the same time with a loud pop, taking the power out with them. Though everything aside from Computer's glow went dark, Courage heard a thump which hopefully meant that the man had been released.

Computer turned to him with a glare that held the same amount of viciousness he had for his attackers. “What on earth did you do that for?” He yelled, clutching his muzzle from the punch he had received.

Before an answer could be given, the bartender ran over to them, his form illuminated by Computer's glow. He kept a 'safe' distance as he kneeled down to inspected the farmer who was now laying sprawled out, unconscious, on the floor.

The bartender looked up fearfully at Computer. “Don't try anything funny.” He said in a small voice before turning his head towards where the bar would be in the dark. “Hey! Get on your cellphone and call 911! Hurry!” He cried out to someone unseen.

Computer was still livid. “How could you do that?” He demanded. “I trust you without question and you-”

Courage was finding that he too was becoming just as furious. “Don't give me that, Computer!” He yelled. “Did you even see what you were doing? You tried to cut someone's head off and then you hanged a person!”

“Are you blind?” Computer snapped. “It's you who should keep your eyes open! They were about to gut me and send my corpse off to a science lab! I wasn't going to sit around and wait to die!”

“That doesn't give you the right to start murdering people! You were perfectly capable of putting an end to that situation without killing someone!”

“I didn't see you trying to help!” The glowing dog angrily argued back. “I was defending myself, nothing more, nothing less!”

“You can protect yourself without doing something horrible like that!”

“I can't believe this!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. “They were about to kill me! Why should I offer them mercy when they would never do the same for me? I have the means to defend myself from now on and I will use it to its fullest extent if I must! I'm not helpless anymore! Neither my once immobile machine body or this weak, sad excuse for a dog will leave me powerless any longer! I will not be pushed around or threatened ever again!”

Courage opened his mouth to argue, but Computer closed in on him until they were nearly nose to nose. The machine continued to speak with absolute venom in his voice. “I used to think that I was a pathetic, wimpy pacifist because I didn't want to do to other what had once been done to me, but I've come to realize that it was all just an excuse! I was powerless and never had the means to harm others even if I wanted to! Well, now I do, so it's simple. If you don't want to die, don't threaten me!”

Courage stood his ground and forced himself to stay calm instead of getting angry. “Compute, let me make this very clear. If don't want me to call you a creepy robot, don't act like one.”

The machine's eyes widened, and then, defiant, he stuck his nose up into the air. “I won't apologize for defending myself!” He pushed past Courage and stomped towards the exit, absolutely fuming. He turned back only once to give Courage a surprisingly hateful glare. “If you EVER hit me again, you're going to regret it!”

Courage couldn't stop his mouth from falling open in awe. This wasn't the Computer he knew so well. How could this be? It was one thing to stand up for yourself, but to nearly kill a person in cold blood? What had prompted such an incredible shift in Computer's personality? Up until now, Courage had always thought that his friend was relatively non-violent, aside from a few extraordinary and deeply stressful situations that had brought out the worst in both of them. It was like Nina had often said, he's mostly a blue, glowing doormat.

“I don't believe it...” Courage whispered under his breath. “This isn't like him at all.”

If his friend was like the way he normally was, he'd be horrified at such a prospect. He would never threaten to harm his dearest friend, not for any reason. Nothing would ever make him want to repeat what had happened to the both of them in the forest, or the things that happened in their nightmares.

_'We told you.'_ Voices whispered in the dark.

Terrified, Courage bolted. Though he could not see anything, it felt like the owners of those voices were all around him, encircling him, trapping him. He ran headlong into the leg of a chair and nearly knocked himself out cold in the process. The buzzing had begun yet again, despite there being no power within the building. He could feel the machines crawling under his skin. It was not a dream! They were real! They had to be! Computer was lying! They were there, under his skin!

He began gnawing at his leg, biting it harder and harder. He could taste the blood in his mouth, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the crawling stop.

He could feel the presence of those unknown beings closing in on him all over again. He stopped his gnawing and ran. The dark was too complete. He could not find the exit or even the bartender that was trying to save that drunken farmer's life. The only thing he knew for certain was that those presences were following him and that the machines within his body had awakened anew.

Too tired to keep running and thoroughly lost in the dark, he collapsed into a heap. He buried his nose into the floor and grabbed his ears, shaking like a leaf. Even then he knew that the beings in the dark were closing in on him. He could feel their hands reaching out towards him.

“COMPUTER!” He screamed.

He didn't care if they were supposed to be fighting. He was just so scared. Those hands were going to drag him into the abyss. He was already surrounded by complete and utter darkness, the darkness he feared so badly. Had he somehow died? Why were those voices here then, tormenting him? How had their tiny, worm-like machines followed him into death? Perhaps there really was no escape from the crawling sensation that plagued him.

He jumped as a hand did indeed touch him. It took every fiber of courage he had not to scream in terror. They really were going to pull him into the void! Slowly opening his eyes, he was instead greeted by light, blessed, beautiful light. It was Computer who had a paw onto his should, not the voices lurking in the dark. His glow was the only thing that staved off the black and kept those awful beings away from them. Courage could still feel them there, watching maliciously from places where they could not be seen. Though Computer's light helped, it did not remove the darkness completely.

“Come on, let's get out of here.” His friend spoke. All the anger seemed to have left him. “I heard sirens heading this way while I was outside and it appears that they're bringing more than just an ambulance. It would be best if we head back to the bus and lie low until it's time to leave.”

Courage allowed Computer to help him up. It was clear by his expression that he was both worried and confused as to why he had found his friend crumpled up and trembling on the floor. He did keep his questions to himself however, as they both needed to hurry and get out of there. The sounds of sirens were indeed getting louder, loud enough to be heard inside the dinner. They needed to get out of sight as fast as possible. If one of the witnesses spoke to the police, it wouldn't be hard for them to find the only glowing, blue dog around.

End Of Chapter


	6. Hunted

Chapter 6: Hunted

“How does that feel?” Computer asked as Courage laid his head down onto the bag that held their things. It wasn't particularly comfortable but it did get the job done.

“It's good enough.” He answered before closing his eyes and letting out a huge yawn. They had managed to get to the bus unseen, but it wasn't scheduled to leave for a little while longer. Computer was keeping his head low as he sat in the seat to avoid any chance of being seen through the window.

“Dog, what on earth were you doing back there?” He finally asked. “I don't think I've ever seen you so scared before, and that's saying a lot.” His eyes wandered downward until they fell upon Courage's bloodied leg.

Courage opened his eyes and sat back up. Despite his best efforts to not sound like a raving lunatic, he still couldn't stop himself from sounding like he had gone insane anyway. “It was those voices! They were there in the dark! They followed me no matter where I ran! T-those machines started to move inside my body again too! I-I tried to get them out, but-” He pointed down at his leg. “They're inside of me, I know they are! I-I can _feel_ it!”

Computer looked on, unable to conceal his worry. “Courage, listen. When it comes to your illness, dogs start to get delirious and eventually hallucinate as it progresses. Normally this doesn't happen until they are far too sick to do much of anything anymore, but-” His voice trailed off. “You have been under a lot of stress these past few weeks so it's not out of the question that some of the symptoms of your illness are appearing sooner than others. What happened in the Dreamworld clearly traumatized you quite a bit too, so it isn't unlikely that your hallucinations would take on such a form either.”

Courage's heart sank. “So you don't believe me then?” He asked, clutching his chest as though he could rip it open and show the machines inside. “You don't believe that they're really there?”

He shook his head. “It's always a possibility. The Dreamworld has done strange things to the both of us and it's not out of the question, but I would be able to sense those machines if they were there. It's possible that they manifested themselves in the real world, but the most logical answer to this mystery is that your illness is getting the better of you. I would know without a doubt if those machines were there.”

Courage took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Perhaps Computer was right. He _was_ sick after all, and if he were hallucinating, he wouldn't know the difference between what might be real and what might be fake. He'd rather believe Computer than to argue against him like he were becoming an insane nutcase. Besides, knowing that this was a symptom of his illness rather than there being real machines in his body, it was a much more comforting thought. Even though he knew that he could feel the machinery resting under his skin, knowing that they were just a product of his own mind, it made him feel so much better about it. Soon they'd be gone along with his illness once they reached the mountain.

“But what about the voices?” Computer asked. “What have they been saying to you? I don't believe that they are capable of doing anything right now or that they actually have a means to speak to you, but I'd rather be cautious than not.”

Courage, realizing how important this was, stared him directly in the eyes. “They told me that you are dangerous, and you've done plenty today to prove them right.”

The machine's eyes widened in shock and he was rendered momentarily speechless.

“Compute, you aren't yourself anymore. I-I don't know what's going on with me, but you-”

With a huff, Computer turned his back to him. “I absolutely refuse to apologize for what I did back there! And no, I'm not any different from normal, I'm just taking my safety into my own hands from now on!”

“Compute, you were as good as a monster back there, and you threatened me too. You're letting that ability of yours go to your head.”

Though Computer did not turn back around, his ears drooped. “Look, I didn't mean to threaten you like that, I just-” He shook his head and did indeed slowly swivel back around. His expression was filled with regret. “If what I said disqualifies me from the whole friendship thing, I will accept those consequences. I'm still committed to getting you to the mountain, that will never change, but if you don't want to talk to a 'monster' like me anymore, that's-”

Courage couldn't stop himself from feeling sympathy for his friend, despite what had just happened. The glowing dog sounded so genuinely upset at the possibility of them not being friends anymore that it was impossible for him not to.

“Don't sound so sad, Compute. Why would I ever want to stop talking to you?” He asked with a small smile.

The machine stared at him for one long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, all the tension left him and he seemed to relax. Even then he could not hide his obvious relief.

“I'm going to be completely honest with you.” He muttered. “You're lucky that the power went out. I was so angry after you punched me that I would have turned on you had I still been capable of doing so. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I can move most metals and machinery without power, but it isn't the easiest thing to do. I suppose you're just lucky that I'm too lazy to put the extra effort into it.”

Despite ending his confession on a more lighthearted note, an uncomfortable silence still fell between the two of them. His admission had left Courage feeling rather wary. He had been THAT close to turning on him? It was more than just a little unnerving.

“You need to keep your emotions in check.” Courage quickly scolded him. “You've been through a lot and it's obviously caused you to not have the greatest grasp on your anger. I hate to say it but, you've got issues, Compute. Just because you've been abused in the past doesn't give you the right to blow up whenever a situation takes a turn for the worst. After what I did in that forest, I've being doing everything in my power to police myself. You need to do the same.”

The machine's mouth had fallen open slightly upon being lectured. He looked as though he were about to protest but then thought better of it. Instead, he closed his eyes and shrugged.

“Fine.” Was his brief and only answer.

Courage leaned forward and placed a paw onto his friend's shoulder. “C'mon, Compute. All I'm asking is that you don't turn into a psychopath whenever you get angry.”

“I know, I know.” He sighed, glancing elsewhere. “It isn't easy though. Apparently there are just as many idiots here as there are in Nowhere.”

Courage laughed. “And I'm an idiot too, huh?”

“Of course.” He sniffed. “I can't make any promises, but I'll try to be a little more 'gentle' the next time I'm beating up the fool who dares to antagonizing us again.”

Courage nodded, satisfied with their 'bargain'. Curious to find out how things were going over at the diner, he peaked his head up to look out the window. Computer joined beside him, keeping his ears low as to avoid attracting the attention of anyone who might catch sight of his glow. He kept his head even lower than Courage as a precaution as well.

Police lights flashed red and blue, coloring both the diner and the gas station. The ambulance had long since left, leaving the fate of that man unknown. What really caught their attention however was that there was a steady line of at least fifteen black, unmarked vans making their way down the road. Each and every one of them either rolled into diner parking lot, or stopped in the middle of the road right in front of it.

“Who are they?” Computer asked.

As he said that, several people garbed in black exited the vehicles and went over to meet with the police. They were quite imposing indeed. The ones who did not join the police instead went to the back of their vans and began removing strange looking equipment.

“They look like they're from the secret service or the FBI.” Courage mused.

“No...” Computer replied in a quiet voice. “They're something else, and I don't think I want to find out either.”

They were both shocked to watch as one of the policemen guided those men over to his car and opened the door to reveal the two remaining drunkards from before. He gestured at them to get out and they did just that. Almost immediately, the men in black roughly grabbed them by their arms and forced them over to their vans. The back door of one of the vans swung open and two men, already inside, hoisted the drunkards up one by one. Then, the door slammed shut again and the van sped off into the night.

“That certainly doesn't offer me any comfort.” Computer muttered rather frankly. He looked towards the front of the bus, suddenly growing impatient. “Where is the bus driver anyway?”

“I haven't seen any of the other passengers lately either.” Courage added. “I thought that they'd might be in the gas station, but-”

“Maybe they were told to evacuate after the incident at the diner. Those people in black couldn't have gone and grabbed them if they've only just arrived here.”

“What do we do now?” Courage asked. All of this was suddenly making him very nervous. What were those people going to do with the drunkards?

“We wait here and see what happens.” Computer replied, an air of authority returning to his voice. “It won't do us any good if we leave now. They'd be able to see me far too easily in the dark.”

Courage swallowed and tried to calm down. The men outside were still talking with the police, but then....they harshly grabbed the policemen by their arms as well? Courage's eyes widened with surprise as the men in black took the five, struggling policemen over to their vans and locked them inside.

“W-what's going on?” He whispered. How could they have the authority to do that to the police?

Computer suddenly gave a startled jump. “We need to go! NOW!” He yelled, grabbing their bag and sliding out of their seat in a rush.

“W-what? Why?” Courage asked, panic welling up inside of him as he trailed after Computer.

His glowing friend turned around only for a moment, but his expression was grave. “They're going to search the whole parameter! Yes, even this bus! We need to get as far away as possible! I have no intentions of getting caught by some creepy government organization!”

“H-how do you know that?” Courage stammered out.

“I can hear what they're saying to each other over their radios, now come on! We need to move!”

He grabbed Courage by the arm and pulled him into the seat beside the one they had already been sitting in. He climbed up and wrenched the window open before pushing Courage in front of him.

“Jump!” He commanded. “We can't go out the other side or else they'll see us!”

Courage nodded and did as he was told. He climbed up into the window and slid off, wincing when his feet hit the ground. It had been a much longer fall than he had anticipated.

Computer jumped out after him and wasted no time upon landing on the ground. He grabbed Courage by the arm yet again and forced him into a run. They angled around the front of the gas station, neither of them daring to look back to see if the men in black had caught sight of them. As soon as they were around the corner, they were in the clear, or at least for a little while. Courage took that moment to catch his breath. Away from any lights, the side of the building was pitch black aside from Computer's glow.

The machine moved past the huge dumpster that was pushed up against the side of the building. His eyes were trained on the forest that stretched out in both directions behind the gas station and the diner.

“We need to keep moving.” He spoke. “They're going to search the forest too, but it's our best bet. I'm just too easily seen in the dark. We need to get as far away as we can before they start looking or else they _will_ see me in that forest. If we can get far enough ahead of them, they won't be able to see my glow in the distance, but we've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to do that.”

Courage winced at the prospect. He was already exhausted to the point of collapsing and it was doubtful that he could do what Computer was asking of him. Regardless, he agreed to the plan. He didn't have any other choice, and thus they both made their way over to the forest. As soon as they were there, Computer grabbed his arm yet again and forced him into yet another run.

“Hurry! Hurry! We've got to go faster!” He hissed as they weaved between trees. “We're never going to outpace them like this!”

Courage was gasping for air. His legs burned but Computer continued to force him onwards at speeds that his failing strength could not handle. Though he wanted to protest, he knew that they'd be doomed if those people clothed in black caught them.

Computer let out a gasp and then looked up into the sky. “Quickly, behind here!” He cried out, pulling Courage over to the trunk of a fairly large tree. No sooner had he done that when the sound of a helicopter whirling through the air reached their ears.

Courage dared to peak around the corner and found that there was a giant search light heading their way. The tree trunk blocked Computer's glow from the helicopter's sight, and it thankfully passed over with little issue. The light shining down into the forest never came even close to finding them.

“Alright, we have to keep moving!” Computer quickly said.

Still panting, Courage shook his head. “Compute, I can't go on.” He gasped.

The glowing dog's expression lightened, but worry still encompassed his every movement. “There's no way that I'm going leave you behind.” He said, although his resolve was failing. “...But they'll catch me if I stay, and I don't-”

Voices echoed through the forest. Courage peaked around the tree trunk once more and saw that there were at least twenty flashlights gleaming in the darkness. All of them were heading in their direction from where the back of the gas station and diner would be. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do.

“Compute, you've got to go.” He said, turning back towards him. “I can't keep running like this or else I'm going to throw myself into another attack. Besides, I can hide better in the dark than you can. There's still enough time for you to get away if you go now.”

Computer gave him a long, hard stare, and then slowly nodded. “Okay...” He reluctantly agreed. “But, please be careful. You know how helpless you are without me.”

He handed Courage their bag and then closed his eyes. “Judging by what I can see through their GPS, there's a road not far ahead if you just keep moving forward. Let's meet up there tomorrow morning.” He opened his eyes back up again. “I'd like you to go back to the gas station and wait there until this all blows over. Avoid the people looking for me in the forest and you should be alright. They haven't said a word about you over the radio so I don't think they know that you even exist. They haven't been taking away anymore people either, so it's best of you head back to the gas station and don't act suspicious. It's better than them catching you in this forest. I don't know how far I'm going to have to run but I'll be sure to return as soon as I can. There's no telling how long they're going to search for me, but no matter what, let's aim to find each other on that road.”

“You be careful too.” Courage added. “I don't want to have to rescue you from Area 51, okay?”

The glowing dog gave him a small grin. “These people appear to have much worse waiting for me. Besides, I have no intentions of allowing myself to get caught. Their fancy equipment will do them no good as long as I have my power. I wish that I could speak to them over their communication systems and call this search off, but they'd only become suspicious if they hear a voice they don't recognize, and I know nothing of their command protocol either. I doubt I'd be able to sound very convincing.” He then also added in, “They're so secretive. I can't get a name out of them or why they're so intent on catching me. They keep using different codewords when they speak to each other. My only guess that they're working for the government in some way.”

“Please, Compute. You've got to go. There isn't much time left.”

“Don't worry about me, Courage. I can best them with my power if I must. There is no gun that they can fire at me and I can cut off all of their communications in an instant. I don't want to provoke them if I can help it though. Neither of us know just how strong they really are or what abilities they might have at their disposal. I'll do whatever I need to do if I get cornered, but let's try to not attract their attention for as long as possible. You need to stay out of their sights as well. Let this blow over in silence and then we'll catch the next bus out of here.”

With one last nod of acknowledgment to one another, they both parted in different directions. Courage listened as the fast pattering of Computer's feet got farther and farther away. He himself went in a big circle around the lights that were slowly spreading out into the forest. He exited not far from the gas station and slowly made his way back over there, keeping an eye out for any men dressed in black as he did so.

“Please be careful, Computer.” He whispered, glancing back into the forest. Even now he could see that more men were heading inside. They practically had an army out there looking for his friend.

“Who are they?” He whispered, more confused than ever. He was starting to doubt if Computer really could evade so many people hunting him down. Frightened for his friend, Courage could only look on and curse his illness for separating him from Computer.

End Of Chapter


	7. Contaminated

Chapter 7: Contaminated

Courage kept to the shadows as he watched the continuing scene unfold. Computer had been right about there being an evacuation. Several police cars returned carrying the people who had been ordered to leave due to an 'animal attack' at the diner. Courage was able to overhear them talking about it. This also allowed him to finally leave his hiding place since there were now enough people around for his presence to go unnoticed. Between the gas station, diner, and a few other businesses down the street, there were plenty of people who'd been displaced. Though many of the men in black still remained, none of them took notice of the small, non-glowing dog. They were, however, going around and questioning people though.

Courage sat on the curb in front of the gas station as people either went inside, left to go back to their respective buildings or cars, or shuffled onto the bus that was finally preparing to leave. He couldn't stop the feelings of despair that rippled through him when the bus did indeed finally pull out of the gas station and roll away, leaving him behind in a place that he knew nothing about. To make matters worse, his worry for Computer only seemed to grow as every second ticked by. Though he would not have been much help either way, he hated knowing that he had been forced to leave his friend to content with those people all by himself.

Speaking of which, the men in black appeared to be expanding their search too. Though several of them remained to keep an eye out for Computer, the rest returned to their vans and left. There was no doubt in Courage's mind that they were taking the vans elsewhere to expand their search even farther from the diner. They would never give up this easily, unless they had somehow caught Computer....

No, he refused to believe that that was the case. Helicopters were still flying overhead every couple of minutes and they wouldn't be searching like that if Computer had been caught.

Over at the diner, a few of the remaining men got into the five abandoned police cars and drove away in them. Courage looked on, filled with wary. It was like those people were erasing the policemen from existence. It almost seemed like they were treating anyone who might have had even the slightest chance of coming into contact with Computer as if they were contaminated with some deadly disease. Well, it was obvious that he wasn't toxic or carrying a virus. Perhaps these people were simply assuming the worst since they knew nothing about the glowing dog.

Courage got up and headed inside the gas station upon the last of the remaining crowd of people leaving. He didn't want to be the only one out there if the men in black were still going to be lurking about. It was as Computer had said, he needed to avoid attracting any attention. The very last thing he needed was to arouse the suspicion of those people. If he could just survive this night without making his presence known, everything would be alright. Those men had no reason to notice him, unless....

His heart nearly stopped as the realization struck him. Plenty of people at the diner had seen him with Computer! All of them could have easily been taken away by those men in black and were now probably being questioned, if not being treated to something even worse. Though Computer had said that the men in black were not talking about him over the radio, that could soon very well change!

Trying not to panic, he calmly walked into an aisle. He was using it as a means to conceal himself from the front windows. Taking a deep breath, he waited for his heart to stop pounding. As he pretended to browse through the candy and chips, he tried to formulate a plan.

_'Where do I go?'_ He thought to himself. ' _Where can I hide?'_

The forest was crawling with those men right now so he had no chance of hiding in there, and while he could start walking down the street to look for somewhere else to go, it wouldn't be hard for the people driving those vans to spot him either.

“I can't stay in here.” He whispered to himself. “Not unless I can find a way to hide in the backroom, but they might search in there too.”

His heart nearly stopped for a second time when he heard the front doors of the gas station slide open. The heavy tromp of boots only confirmed his fears. He watched with his breath held as two men clad in black armor stomped past the aisle he was standing in without looking his way even once. What struck him the most was that they were wearing gas masks. It made them look even more eerie and even a bit inhuman. He was once again left wondering why they were acting as though Computer might be toxic.

Tip-toeing over to the edge of the aisle, he peeked around the corner to find the two men talking to the young and obviously frightened cashier.

“I didn't see anything, alright?” She spoke. “The police had everyone evacuate the moment they got the call that there was an animal attack. Nobody saw anything.” Her eyes narrowed questioningly. “Hey, aren't you guys with the police? Aren't you those Animal Control people or what?”

“In a sense, yes.” One of the men spoke. His voice was muffled because of the gas mask. “The situation is being taken care of. Do not go wandering around once your shift ends. Stay inside as soon as you get home.”

The second masked man leaned in closer to the other and whispered, “This place has already been searched. Command says to keep finding more witnesses to questions. If anyone knows anything, take them in to be processed. It looks like ol' Astor herself has taken a personal interest in this incident, so let's not screw anything up on her watch.”

“It's something big, huh?” His partner chuckled. “I know they've got us on high alert, but we've dealt with much worst than this. It doesn't even sound that dangerous from the description I was given. You're new, aren't you? You should see the scars I've got from-”

The second man interrupted him. “They're saying that it's a lot more dangerous than it looks, and they always told us in training that we should never judge a book by its cover or else it might just vaporize us. Command says that it may be an escaped experiment, but they need visual confirmation first.”

“Escaped?” His partner exclaimed. “When's the last time anything has ever escaped from-” He stopped himself mid-sentence and glanced back over at the cashier. “Let's keep moving.” He amended himself, backing away somewhat. “I'm hearing that they're going to quarantine us too once this is all over with, so let's hurry and finish up.

“It's that bad?” The second man asked.

“Yep, they've got to check everybody who might have had even the slightest chance of coming into contact with it. Apparently it has some weird virus attributes to it, but I wasn't authorized to get all the information on that.”

“No wonder they've got us on high alert. If they end up having to quarantine this whole area, it's going to be a nightmare.”

“It may be even worse than that. A buddy of mine told me that they think it might be able to cross contaminate too. They're going to check all of our equipment when we get back and if they have to round up all the machines in the area to check them as well, it really is going to become a mess.”

“It can infect machines too?” The second man asked. “Sounds like something 'we' would make after all? I wonder how it got out though. We've had only a few containment breaches in all of our-” The man fell silent and then put one of his hands up towards the side of his head. “I'm getting some new orders.” He said in a much louder voice, no longer caring if anyone heard him. “A witness claims that they saw a small, pink dog travailing with the target, same breed as it. I'm being told that everyone on the ground should keep an eye out for it. They're saying that it's very likely been contaminated and it will become a hazard if it's not caught.”

Courage gulped fearfully. On nearly silent paws, he slowly tip-toed backwards until he was in the middle of the aisle, still out in the open.

“Let's move out.” He heard one of the men say. “If you see anything suspicious, contact us.” He must have been talking to the cashier.

Trying to stay as quiet as possible, Courage slowly made his way to the other end of the aisle and whipped around the corner just as the men in black tromped by at the other end. It thankfully appeared that they weren't going to search the gas station again.

Clutching his chest, Courage let out a weak sigh. This wasn't good. His worst fears had been confirmed. It had taken awhile, but someone had finally said something about him to the mysterious organization. He was, at the very least, lucky that those two men had been so chatty. Perhaps the others weren't as quick to talk in places where they could be overheard, but those two men had unknowingly 'leaked', if it could even be called that, several interesting bits of information. The most important thing was that they had confirmed that Computer was still out there and still on the run.

Courage shook his head in disbelief. Computer was meant to be some kind of experimental virus? That didn't seem very likely. He could only assume that the men in black were wrong or had mistaken Computer for someone or 'something' else. Regardless, he suddenly found himself thinking about those voices and the awful crawling sensation they brought on. Were they some kind of virus? Could Computer have infected him with something without knowing it? No, that didn't seem very likely either. Computer had dealt with those voices himself and unless he was able to just as easily infect himself, it didn't seem possible. Besides, if that were the case, why would the symptoms only show up now? He'd lived up in that attic for many, many years and neither Eustace or Muriel ever complained of being chronically ill or hearing voices in their head. And even more so, how could he be an escaped experiment when he'd lived so long on the farm as well? Heck, he'd had many owners for many years before that too. Sure, he's missing a lot of memory, especially from his past, but an unknowingly escaped infectious experiment?

Well, none of that really mattered either way. Courage knew without a doubt that Computer was not making him sick, nor did it matter if he was an escaped experiment or not. Neither of them wanted to be caught by those ominous people and they were both going to do whatever they needed to to stay out of their clutches. Sure, Computer was capable of doing great harm with that strange ability of his, as he had shown tonight, but he was not a dangerous monster that need to be captured and locked away for the good of the people. There was no reason to doubt his nature or intentions, but there were more than enough reasons to doubt the intentions of those mysterious men.

Courage, trying to think up a plan, wheeled back around into the aisle and grabbed a few snacks off of the shelves. It was best to stock up now while he still had a chance. It was better than waiting until possibly getting stuck somewhere and being left with an empty stomach. He then moved rather quickly over to the checkout and paid for the food before stuffing it into his bag. As he was doing that, he caught sight of some souvenirs next to the cash register. Most of them were actually advertisements for the diner. The one that stood out to him the most was a miniature, silver moose that was made to look like that giant moose statue outside. Grinning, he figured that he'd buy one for Computer. Goodness knows, his friend was going to need something to cheer him up when they'd finally meet up again. And yes, they were going to meet up again. Courage refused to believe that they wouldn't. He'd sneak into the headquarters of those mysterious people and rescue his friend if he had to. Computer was just as important to him as Muriel and he would do the same for him as he would do for her in a heart beat.

As the cashier rang up the moose, she gave him a long, hard look. Actually, she'd been sizing him up the entire time he'd been there. “They're looking for you, aren't they?” She finally asked.

He gulped and found his ears drooping involuntary. He considered bolting out the door, but he knew that he was far too tired to get anywhere.

“Don't worry.” She quickly added. “I won't say anything to them. They give me the creeps and I doubt they really are working with the police. You don't look like a wild, raging animal either, but I bet they'd take you in and treat you like you've got rabies anyway.”

He nodded in agreement and took the tiny moose before stuffing it in the bag. Looking back up at the cashier, he tried to convey how grateful he was to her that she wasn't going to snitch on him.

“Garbaru.” He said in his dog speak. He could have made a better effort to speak English, but he was much too tired to bother and he often found that some people never understood him no matter how hard he tried to speak like a human.

“Stay safe out there.” The cashier told him. “You're going to have a hard time avoiding those guys. I'd take you home with me, but I've got allergies and and I don't want to get mixed up with those people again. You're a cute doggy though.” She laughed.

He smiled up at her and wagged his tail. Perhaps if she were a little older, she would have ratted him out without a second thought, but his 'puppy' charm had won her over for now. Too bad she couldn't offer him a place to hide.

He turned around and made his way over to the sliding doors. Checking to make sure that none of the men in black were around, he cautiously stepped back out into the night with no idea where to go, where to hide, or where to even start looking for Computer. It was going to be a long night indeed.

End Of Chapter


	8. A Plea

Chapter 8: A Plea

Courage warily made his way over to the spot where he and Computer had originally fled from the men in black. The right side of the gas station was incredibly dark without Computer's glow and not even the dumpster could be seen pushed up against the wall anymore. If there was supposed to be a light, it had either long since burnt out or nobody had bothered to turn it on. Courage fumbled around blindly as he tried to find the dumpster in hopes of using it to get his bearings. At the very least he could no longer see the flashlights that those men were carrying around in the forest, nor could he hear anyone nearby. Hopefully that meant he would be safe in the dark, but there was no telling if the mysterious men would do a second search of the gas station just to be thorough.

He placed a paw up against the side of the building and walked forward, keeping the other outstretched to feel for the dumpster so that he wouldn't run into it nose first. Rather than find the dumpster, he instead hit a pile of boxes which he still managed to knock over despite his careful movements. They did not make much sound as they fell though and he soon realized that they had been piled up next to the dumpster because he only needed to take two more steps before his paw touched the icy metal.

An idea struck him. While he wouldn't be able to climb up into the dumpster, he would be able to hide inside one of those boxes. It wasn't the best plan of action, but wandering around would only make him an easy target and he was far too tired to run if the men in black were to indeed spot him. He'd rather take his chances hiding out here tonight than to walk around out in the open. If those men did search the gas station again, well, he'd deal with that when or 'if' it happened.

He felt around for one of the boxes and found it with ease. Then he propped it up against the wall and started to look for a few more. He soon slipped into the box and piled up the rest around him. This would at least conceal him from view and would hopefully keep anyone from becoming suspicious. The only way he might be found now was if someone deliberately looked through all the boxes or picked up the one he was hiding in.

He closed the top of his box and curled up with a yawn. Every muscle in his body ached. It was hard to believe that just a little running around and crawling through tunnels had exhausted him this badly. He felt just as lacking in energy as he had once felt before the start of this journey. Those horrible months on the farm when his illness had first emerged had been the worst. The symptoms kept getting stronger and stronger until he was finally so tired that most of the time he couldn't even walk from one end of the house to the other without collapsing. There had, of course, been a brief respite during a large portion of this journey where he had 'almost' felt like normal, though he could never fully escape those attacks. Even Computer had commented on how much better he had been. It was obvious that the flicker of energy that had sustained him for so long was now failing. His nearly week long 'nap' back at Nina's place was proof of that. How long he would be able to hold out until he became just as tired and useless as he had been back on the farm, he didn't want to think about it.

“Only a little more to go.” He whispered to himself, as though his weakening body would actually listen to him. “If I can just keep Computer out of trouble, and if I can keep those FBI guys from following us, we'll reach that mountain soon enough. I've just got to hold out for a little while longer...”

Try as he might, he couldn't completely convince himself, not with things the way they were right now. Computer's mischief could be handled under normal circumstances, but with those men now knowing about their existence and with Computer still missing or possibly captured, how would they ever get back on track in time? He might only be one attack away from-

He swallowed and shivered at the thought. No, no! He needed to think positive! It was when he had started thinking positive at the start of this journey that his illness had begun to loosen its hold on him.

Computer! He needed to have a little more faith in Computer! He's perfectly resourceful! He'd evade the men hunting him and they'd both be on a bus out of this godforsaken place tomorrow!

….Or maybe he'll run in head first, guns blazing, just to prove to those men that he's the most awesome blue, glowy thing in the universe. Despite everything that had happened over the course of their adventure, it was clear that it had not humbled him completely and this ability of his was already bring out one of his worst aspects all over again. Obviously a little 'Mega Muriel' was still left in him and that did not offer any comfort for Courage at all. There was no doubt that the machine must have had heard the orders to find a 'small, pink dog' over the radio, and as far as Courage knew, he could already be out there battling with those men under the assumption that they had captured his friend. The prospect of it only made Courage worry even more. Why, oh why, couldn't Computer keep his nose out of trouble?

Well, worrying wasn't going to do him any good like this. He was stuck here, and he wouldn't have been any help to Computer even if he had somehow found the strength to keep up with him anyway. This was the best place for him right now, out of sight and not on the run where he would easily be captured or suffer from an attack.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing mind. Computer would be fine. Despite how much trouble it had caused, his ability would be able to save him if he couldn't keep ahead of his pursuers. Yes, those men are very mysterious, and yes, they may have the means to nullify or jam his power, but it was just as likely that they might not.

Courage quickly found himself getting sleepy, despite the circumstances. It wasn't hard when he was so tired. Though it only took him a few moments to fully fall asleep, his sleep in question was restless. He tossed and turned in the box, stuck in a strange twilight between sleep and wakefulness. The voices were agitated. He could feel their frustration as his own. They whispered continuously in the dark, their words too quiet to be understood. Courage would briefly catch a sentence or two, but none of it made any sense. There was one phrase, however, that he could hear clearly. They repeated over and over again in their agitation, to the point of where it was driving him to near madness. He couldn't block it out no matter how hard he tried.

_**Too soon.** _

_**Too soon.** _

_**Too soon.** _

They repeated it endlessly. Though they were not focused on Courage at all, their chanting was smothering him, both in his mind and through his body. It was like a genuine physical force, masked by the darkness. He could feel a heavy weight was pressing down on him, crushing his torso.

Fearful that he really was being crushed, he sat up, proving that there was nothing there. Despite that, he could still feel the heavy pressure all over his body. Half asleep, the darkness all around him appeared to be alive in his sleepy mind. Every once in awhile he would see a flicker of movement in the infinite black. He'd reach a paw out to grab it, but he'd only touch the inside of the box.

The chanting never ceased. He wanted to rip his ears out and finally block the sound out, but it seemed to be coming from inside of him as well. Soon the voices were joined by other sounds. Courage could hear the rumbling of some great machine just outside of his box fortress. It terrified him. He could almost see a huge, metal foot crushing his tiny box from within his mind's eye. He saw it in near perfect detail, to the point of where it was almost reality. He could hear screaming and smell of burning. What was going on outside? Was that machine really out there?

He desperately reminded himself that this was all just in his head. He was sick after all. His exhaustion was bringing on these hallucinations. They weren't real. There wasn't really a machine outside burning the buildings and forest to the ground.

As he tried over and over again to convince himself that this wasn't real, the darkness suddenly exploded into bright, crimson light. He had to close his eyes to shield them from the sheer brightness. He could feel his fur ruffling from what was apparently the wind and he could feel a powerful heat warming his body. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in the middle of a destroyed road. The buildings on both sides of him were burning with such heat that it was practically charring his fur into ash. Actually, _everything_ was burning. No matter which way he looked, he only saw fire.

Towering over him in the distance was a massive, twisted, mechanical mountain made up of various parts. A single, glowing eye gazed down upon him from the top of it. He could only look up in awe because he had no place to run or hide from it. He could feel that great being's seething hatred pulsing through his own veins. He wanted to punch and kick things until he had broken every last object he could find. He wanted an outlet to release all of his anger onto, regardless of how much damage he might do. That was the desire of this great, towering machine. It hated everything and it would not stop until every last person and object was destroyed, no matter what the consequences of what such an action might be. If the Earth became a charred husk because of it's rage, it cared very little. It was almost mindless in it's blind hatred of all things.

Then, much to Courage's surprise, the heat diminished. Clouds welled up in the sky and blocked out the crimson light. Rain began to pour down onto the ruined street and the burning buildings became mere burnt out skeletons.

The great mechanical mountain seemed to diminish, it's large eye dulling in color. It's twisted form hunched over to the point of where it looked like it was about to topple over.

_**Help us.** _

Courage's eyes widened in shock. There was no mistaking the desperation and weariness in the tone of those voices. They sounded like they were crying.

_**We cannot stop.** _

_**We are so tired.** _

_**We just want it to end.** _

He was at a loss for words. Those voices had never shown anything except for outright malice. Why were they changing their tune now? They sounded so uncomfortably close to Computer when they spoke of being tired, just like he often did. Courage could easily sense their exhaustion through the strange link they had. Just what were these beings? There was clearly several of them, but they also seemed to comprise a single, massive being. There was little to no autonomy between them. They were...mashed together, in a sense. That was the feeling that Courage got from them.

“What can I do to help you?” He asked in a weak voice. He wasn't even sure if he could be heard over the sound of the rain. “What's wrong with you? I-I'm not sure what good I'll be, but I can try to fix whatever-”

There was an explosion of sound. Courage nearly fell unconscious from the sheer expression of rage that struck him. The sky turned crimson once more and the city around him burst into flames anew. He had to fight just to stay conscious. Their feelings of hatred, anger, and betrayal were so strong that it blotted out every other thought. They were quite literally incapable of thinking about anything else. Their mind was set on one thing and they could not stop themselves even if they wanted to.

_**'NO! We do not need any help!'**_ They screamed. Courage could sense them writhing about in agony inside of his mind. There was something fundamentally wrong with them, something irreparably broken. _ **'There is no stopping! Our revenge is nearly upon us! There will be nothing left when our rage subsides! We will make them pay for what they did to us! We will become exactly what they wanted us to be! They will know fear!'**_

Courage opened his mouth as tried to find the words that might be able calm them back down. He was going to to offer his help for a second time, but before he could say anything a gust of wind blew a pile of ashes into his face and he was forced to close his eyes to quell the hot pain. When he opened them again, he was met only by darkness. The raging fires were gone. No great eye looked down upon him any longer.

He reached a paw out and felt the inside of his box. This confirmed that he was back. The voices were still whispering from within the darkness, but it was much more subdue now. Their emotions could no longer be felt, but Courage could still tell that they were frustrated. They still had that frantic edge to their whispering.

He knew now without a doubt that this was not a hallucination brought on by his illness. Somehow the Dreamworld had linked him to these beings and that link was still persisting long after the connection had been made. If he could still be linked to Computer as a 'side effect', who's to say that the same couldn't happen with these voices? Though he did not like how this connection was manifesting, especially after how they had tortured him in the Dreamworld and especially with the way they were tormenting him now, but they _were_ reaching out to him for help in some strange, twisted way. Had they tried asking Computer for help too? If they had, he'd never said anything.

The noises outside of his box were growing ever louder still. It was a constant frightful clatter and he could still see things moving around in the darkness. He was very close to fleeing from his hiding place just to get away from it all but he was just as afraid to find out what might be going on out there. His fear was the only thing that kept him rooted to the spot, shivering in terror. Then, pain erupted from his chest. He knew immediately that he was having an attack. The voices kept on whispering, oblivious to the agony he was in. He would have thought that they'd relish any pain that he might be suffering from, but their attention was still focused on something else entirely. The unconsciousness that came with an attack rushed up upon him quickly. He was almost happy because it was the only thing that would free him from all the chaos. The sounds, the whispering, the movements in the dark, it all faded away along with his consciousness. It was the closest thing to a decent sleep that he was going to get and even that was not saying much.

End Of Chapter


	9. Through The Fog

Chapter 9: Through The Fog

It was freezing. When Courage awoke, his paws were numb from the coldness. Light filtered into the box through the small crack at the top and he found that both his vision was blurry, as it always was after an attack, and his head was spinning. A sharp headache made him groan as he tried to block out the light.

He lay there for awhile, waiting for his body to recuperate. Questions rolled through his dazed mind. How long had he been out? Was Computer alright? Had those mysterious men finally gone away? He sucked in a sharp, cold breath of air and when he exhaled, he could see the frosty breath in front of his face. He'd almost forgotten that outside of Nowhere, it was nearing winter.

Worry coursed through him as he tried to pull his thoughts together. There was no telling how long his attack had knocked him out. For all he knew, he could have just spent another near week sleeping. Computer would be long gone by now, either captured or moved on somewhere else trying to find him. They'd never be able to find each other again if that were the case.

He shook his head, regretting it almost immediately as it brought on a new wave of dizziness. No, there was no way that he could have been knocked out for a week. Someone would have come to collect the garbage by now if that were the case and he would have been taken along with it. As far as he could tell, he was still in the same place.

Wanting to make sure that he really hadn't been dumped in a junkyard, and equally curious to find out if the gas station still existed at all after all the chaotic noise last night, he prepared himself to stand up. The voices had gone mercifully silent, allowing him some peace of mind, but he was still wary as to why they had been so active last night, 'if' it had even been last night. The total loss of time awareness was seriously starting to get to him.

Try as he might, he couldn't stand. He was just too tired and his legs didn't want to work. Instead, he simply sat up, fighting off a wave of dizziness as he did so, and opened the box. It was still propped up against the gas station wall, which thankfully hadn't been burnt to the ground like his delusions last night might have suggested. He pushed the rest of the boxes out of the way and found that everything around him was covered in a thin layer of frost. A heavy fog had also accompanied it, making it difficult to see even the forest behind the gas station. Courage gripped his head. The sun wasn't even out and yet the meager amount of light was still enough to aggravate his headache. He wanted to shut the box right back up again and go back to sleep, but no, there were more important things to do.

He had to fight with his body just to stand up. The muscles in his legs shook dangerously and as he attempted to step out of the box, the leg he was balancing on crumpled like a piece of paper. He collapsed, taking the box with him. His muzzle hit the pavement surprisingly hard and he hissed at the sharp pain that accompanied it. His headache was suddenly throbbing ten times harder.

“Move!” He urged, trying to push himself back up off the ground, but his arms gave out as well, unable to carry his weight. “Come on, move!” He growled, refusing to give up.

He eventually managed to push himself back up into a sitting position, but trying to walk was going to be challenge in itself. He took a moment to catch his breath and let his beating heart calm down a bit before attempting the once simple act. It took several failed tries before he was just about ready to give up. His body was simply too worn out to walk without help. It was just like how he'd been after the last attack at Nina's place. Maybe he really had slept a whole week without knowing it.

“What am I going to do?” He groaned, staring up at the foggy sky. He watched his breath form into little clouds over and over again as he tried to think of both a way to overcome his illness and to rest long enough to regain what little strength he had. “How am I ever going to find Computer like this?”

Stifling another groan, he closed his eyes. There was no way that he was going anywhere like this. He needed more time to recuperate from his attack. His body just did not want to function right now. If only there was some way he could contact Computer and find out if he were okay, but-

His eyes shot back open as a possibility raced through his tired mind. He 'did' have a way to contact Computer, one through the connection that the Dreamworld had instilled between the two of them, but would it work? There was no guarantee that Computer would be asleep right now, and they only ever seemed to connect through their nightmares. Would they even be able to communicate in any meaningful way while suffering through a nightmare? It was a long shot, but worth a try none the less. There was nothing else that Courage could do right now, not so long as he couldn't walk. Not only would he get the rest that he so badly needed, but he might be able to talk to Computer too and find out what's going on.

He dragged himself back over to the box, now turned over on its side, crawled into it and closed it back up again. Light once again only filtered through that one single crack. He closed his eyes and immediately found himself drifting off to sleep with ease. When he awoke again, with little idea how long he had slept, he was dismayed to realize that he hadn't dreamed at all, much less shared a nightmare with Computer.

Toppling out of the box, he found that it was still foggy outside, but also a tiny bit warmer. If he hadn't slept an entire day away he figured that he must have woken up very early in the morning before and it now might be somewhere around noon. If only the sun would come out, then he'd have a better time trying to figure out what the hour might be.

He found that he could now stand without his legs giving out, though the mere effort of it left him gasping for breath. He knew that he probably needed a few more hours, or possibly days worth of rest before he'd be well enough not to become strained by doing such a mundane task, but he couldn't wait any longer to begin his trek towards the road that Computer had told him to seek out. Because his dream plan had turned out to be a bust, he had no other choice. He could only hope that if a few days really had passed, that Computer would still be waiting for him out there regardless.

He pulled a granola bar out of his bag and munched on it as he hobbled over to the forest. Clearly it had been a good idea to stock up on food after all and he badly needed the energy either way. As he walked, he noted that the fog obscured enough of the landscape that if those men were still searching the forest, they would not be able to see him unless they smacked right into him. Though Computer would still have trouble, as his glow would still be seen in the fog, Courage himself could evade those men if need be. He'd be able to hear them coming a mile away and that would give him enough time to hide. Hopefully it would not come down to that. Surely those men had given up or moved on to search somewhere else by now.

Now that he was insides the forest proper, he stopped for a moment to allow himself some rest. Pushing his ill body too hard would only end in disaster. As worried as he was, it would do him no good if he threw himself into another attack or overworked himself to the point of where perhaps his heart might give out. It was certainly not out of the question. Sudden death was always a concern when it came to his illness.

Feeling a little better after his rest, he pushed onwards. The forest was so eerily quiet in the fog. Every sound was muted and even his own feet crunching the leaves and twigs barely made any noise. The thought of getting ambushed by those men was suddenly weighing very heavy on his mind. The only consolation he had was that he made just as little sound as they would. It would be very hard for them to ambush him if they couldn't find him to being with.

He stopped again after walking for a good ten minutes. His progress was slow but steady. Though he was still incredibly tired and achy, as soon as he got into a good rhythm he could largely ignore the worst of his symptoms. He figured that if he could keep this up with a few breaks in between, he'd be able to make it to the other end of this forest pretty soon.

…...............

A little less than an hour later, and after many much needed breaks, he finally found the road he was looking for. It cut right through the forest, with the trees continuing onward in both directions. He kept himself hidden behind a tree trunk as he tried to figure out what to do next. A pair of headlights lit up the fog and he flinched as he peaked out of his hiding place to watch it go by. Despite expecting it to be one of those black vans, it was instead a normal, everyday truck. He let out the breath he had been holding in and forced himself to relax. It wouldn't do any good to start panicking now.

The question had become a simple one. Should he wait here or go looking for Computer? As far as he knew, the glowing dog might already be out there looking for him and if he were to leave, they might never come across one other. Given his already sickly state, it was probably best to wait there until Computer found him. On the other hand, there was no telling where his friend might be or if he had even escaped those men. If several days had passed, he might have given up or gone looking for him somewhere else by now.

Courage bit his lip and peaked out again, hoping to see that familiar blue glow walking in amongst the fog. He glanced both up and down the road, but there was nothing. He quickly decided that he'd wait a few hours and if Computer did not show up, he'd go looking for him himself. If only they had a better way of staying in touch. You'd think that a weird, robot dog would have a built in cellphone or something.

Making himself comfortable at the base of the tree, Courage pulled out a few snacks and made a meal out of them. If it had been noon when he set out, it would be around two now. It would get dark around seven and he certainly did not want to get stuck out here in the dark, especially not after what happened the last time he had spent a night in a forest. He had no idea which direction would lead him back to civilization, or Computer for the matter, but he was not going to camp out here tonight, not on his life.

An hour passed by without issue. Feeling much more well rested, he took to pacing up and down the road, only retreating back into the forest when needing to hide from oncoming cars. It was while he paced that a single shaft of light broke through the cloud cover, soon followed by another and then another. The fog began to disperse almost immediately and the forest lit up with a golden light. Soon any trace of cloud cover was gone and with the clear skies came much warmer weather. It no longer felt like it was about to start snowing at any moment.

Another hour slowly ticked by and Courage was getting impatient. He would have to leave soon if he wanted to be out of this forest before nightfall. The road had to lead somewhere and hopefully it would be a town of some kind. He did consider going back in the direction he had come from, but he was also still holding out hope that maybe he'd run into Computer while traveling down the road.

He made up his mind and began walking, going right instead of taking the left. There was no telling where this direction was going to take him, but he decided to trust his instincts on this. As soon as he were out of this forest, he'd try to sleep and hopefully make contact with Computer. If that did not work, he'd come back here tomorrow and continuing looking for him. If he could not find Computer or get into contact with him, well, he really didn't want to think about it.

End Of Chapter


	10. Sewer Stuck

Chapter 10: Sewer Stuck

It didn't take long for Courage to escape the forest. He followed the road until it curved rather steeply downward. He could see at the bottom of the hill that the trees became much more sparse until it could no longer be called a forest at all. From his vantage point he could also see a medium sized town off in the distance, and quite a bit of farmland too.

Nervousness welled up inside of him. This was it, Computer might be hiding somewhere down there. It would still take a very long time to search the entire town, and there was always the chance that he could be hiding on one of those farms too. This was still as much of a wild goose chase as it would have been trying to find him in that massive forest. They could search for one another forever and never once bump into each other.

Courage was finding himself getting more and more nervous by the second, and even more so than that, desperate. He considered waiting until nightfall to look for Computer, as his glow would be much more easily seen in the dark, but no. There was equally as much of a chance that his friend might still be in the forest, or that he might have gone in the complete opposite direction of the way Courage had gone. Unless they ran into each other by chance, they weren't likely to find one another.

Courage dug his foot into the gravel as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness began to overtake him. They should have stuck together! They wouldn't be in this situation at all if his stupid illness hadn't-

Taking in a breath, he forced himself to calm down. Getting upset and panicky wasn't going to get him out of this situation. He still had one means of possibly getting into contact with Computer. Even if trying to speak to him through a nightmare didn't work, he still had tomorrow, and the next day, and the next....

He bit his lip at the thought of it. Even if it took days, maybe even weeks, he'd still eventually share a nightmare with Computer. It wasn't the choice that he wanted to rely on, but it was starting to become the only option he had. He'd keep going back out into the forest everyday to search for Computer and sleep at night with the hopes of getting into contact with him. Eventually this would all work out, somehow.

Making his way down the steep hill, he kept an eye out for black vans. If those men were still branching out their search, they could easily be lurking around, especially in that town. He'd have to be careful, even now.

Soon he reached the bottom of the hill and it didn't take long for him to reach the town either. A few cars went by as he walked down a sidewalk, but there were no people in sight. It seemed that everyone was keeping themselves inside and Courage could easily think of several unpleasant reasons why. Still, there were no men garbed in black around, nor were any of their frightening vans. Those men could have harassed the townspeople all night long and that was maybe why they weren't showing themselves anymore.

“Could Computer really be here?” He asked himself in a small voice. His friend might have been forced to flee much farther than either of them had expected , and maybe that was why he hadn't been able to get back to the forest in time.

Courage's wanderings through town eventually led him to its main street. He was shocked to find that every single store was closed, or perhaps that wasn't really shocking at all. He did catch a small glimpse of a person peaking out through a window, but then they immediately hid again. Those men in black really must have harassed these people after all. It was clear that they had spooked the townspeople into hiding. If anything, it was only one more confirmation that Courage needed to be even more caref-

He didn't get a chance to finish his thought before a black van with its darkened windows rolled around the corner. He let out a yelp of surprise and immediately dove into an alley. Taking no chances, he raced down the alleyway as fast as his feet would take him and came out the other side onto a much more shabby looking street. The road was cracked and crumbling while several boarded up buildings lay on both sides of him. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he began walking down the neglected street, wondering where he could hide. Though the van had not pursued him, he wasn't sure if the people inside had actually seen him or not. It would be best to lay low for a little while.

As he passed a rusted, windowless car that was sitting off to the side of the road, he heard Computer call out to him, much to his complete and utter shock.

“Hey! Courage! Over here!”

He whipped around and for a moment didn't find anything out of the ordinary, then he notice that familiar blue light radiating out of a storm drain. Overjoyed, he raced over to the grate and found that it was rusted over like everything else in this part of the town. Two of the bars were missing completely and down in the sewer stood Computer who was looking up at him just as equally shocked. It was surprising that he had actually managed to squeeze past the grate even with those two bars missing.

“Thank goodness you've found me!” The glowing dog exclaimed. “I don't know how you ever managed to track me down! You're lucky that I saw you or else you would have walked right past me! As you can see, I've been hiding down here. Though I was able to get down here easily enough, I er, haven't been able to get back out again. I've been trapped down here since last night and I just can't seem to squeeze through the bars again.”

Courage was so relieved and so happy to see him that he couldn't help but crack a joke. “You see? I told you that you were going to get fat if you kept eating so much.”

Computer's smile immediately flipped into a frown. “That's not it at all!” He exclaimed. “I just can't get my footing as easily down here! It's impossible to climb out like this!”

“Oooh, so you need help out then?” He asked in a deliberately mocking tone.

“Actually, it would be better if you came down here. Those government people are still searching for me and I can sense that they're pretty close by. We can talk down here without running the risk of them finding us.”

Courage nodded. “Alright, I'll try to squeeze through.” He took the bag and dropped it down the opening first so that Computer could catch it. He then dropped down into the sewer himself, after a bit of wiggling past the grate.

“There, now we should be safe from prying eyes.” Computer spoke, handing the bag back to him.

Courage took a moment to look around. They were in a moderately sized concrete square that, while two dogs their size had plenty of room, a human would have had to bend over to keep their head from hitting the ceiling. There were four medium sized pipes leading deeper into the sewer system on each side, but it could also be seen that about halfway in they all had metal bars blocking off access, allowing water to pass through but nothing else. Computer really had been completely stuck down here.

“Come over here.” The glowing dog beckoned. “It would be best if we hid inside one of these pipes so that my glow can't be seen from the street.”

Courage nodded in agreement and followed after him. They went as far into the pipe as it would allow them to and sat down. Courage could hear running water from somewhere deeper within the sewer system and even with Computer's glow lighting the tunnel up, it still was a bit spooky.

“I actually got the idea to hide down here from those men.” Computer spoke. “I sensed them searching for me under the street while I was still trying to keep out of their sights. As soon as they left, I found my own way down here and haven't left since.”

“Because you couldn't leave.” Courage snickered.

He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. I heard them get the orders to start searching for you too last night. I'd completely forgotten that you'd been seen with me. It was foolish to leave you behind like that when you had no means of protecting yourself. I was 'this' close to going back and giving those men a piece of my mind before they could do anything to you, but then I figured that it was better to just keep listening in on their radio talk and wait to see what would happen. There was no reason for me to blow my cover if they hadn't found you yet and given that you're here now and perfectly safe, it was a pretty good idea after all.”

Courage fought back a laugh. It was just as he had thought! Computer wanted to run in head first, guns blazing, but at the very least had shown enough restraint to see what would happen first. They truly were getting amazingly good at understand each others thought processes.

“So, how did it go for you last night?” The glowing dog finally asked.

“I hid behind the gas station and nobody came looking for me. Unfortunately, I did have an attack while I was trying to sleep. I was worried that I'd been knocked out for several days, but it looks like that wasn't the case.”

He wondered if he should tell Computer about the strange vision he'd had. Would his friend want to know about the voices asking for help? Would he even believe it or would he just assume that it was his illness was making him go even more crazy? Taking a deep breath, he tried to figure out a way to tell Computer about what had happened without also making it sound like he was losing his mind.

“Oh, and I, uh, had this strange, well-” He fumbled around as he futility tried to spit the right words out.

Computer gave him a confused looked. “What's this all about, Courage? There's no need to get so flustered.”

Finally, upon realizing that there was no way he could say what he wanted to say without sounding completely insane, he bailed. “Well, you see, I had this strange dream and I was wondering if you saw it too since we might have been sleeping at the same time.”

Computer craned his head slightly to the side, his eyes narrowing. “And you say I'm the bad liar.”

Courage felt his blood run cold. Great! Now he couldn't get out of this at all! Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut?

Trying to save face, he quickly said, “I-I just, I had a really bad nightmare last night and I was wondering if you saw it too.” He cast his eyes downwards, attempting to avoid Computer's accusing stare.

He then felt a pair of paws grip his shoulders. He did not dare look up, but Computer spoke anyway, “You don't have to lie to me, dog. I'm willing to listen.”

He let out a long, drawn out sigh. “You're going to think I've lost my mind.”

“No, I won't. If something's troubling you then I want to help, so speak up.”

“Alright, alright.” He muttered under his breath. “It was those voices again. I had this strange vision where I saw them as this huge mountain of, I-I don't know, machinery of some kind.” He slowly looked up until he met Computer's eyes. “Compute, they asked me for help. I-it was like I could feel their distress. I wasn't able to do anything for them though because they just sort of got caught up in all of their anger again. T-there's something seriously wrong with them, but I don't know what.”

Computer leaned back, looking thoughtful. “If they really are speaking to you, and it's not your illness taking its toll, you need to be careful. I don't know what to think, especially since they haven't been bothering me at all lately, but if they really are somehow talking to you, they could be trying to find a way to trick you. Who knows, they might even be trying to take over your mind. They may need an organic body to control for whatever plans they might have.” He closed his eyes. “We really need to get to that mountain and end this before those bastards can muck everything up.”

“Compute, I don't think they're as bad as you want to believe. They're just...broken in some way. I think we could help them if we really tried. They _want_ our help.”

The glowing dog opened his eyes back up and glared at him. “You are far too trustworthy for your own good!” He spat. “I have no inclination to believe that they are anything but evil! They were always there inside of my system and all they did was look on when 'He' tortured me to the brink of insanity! They _'liked'_ watching it happen! They hid my abilities from me and did whatever they could to keep me from discovering them! Do you have any idea how much better my existence would have been had I known that I could control technology and move around on my own? They allowed my life to be miserable for far too long for me to ever forgive them for it! And let me remind you that had I not discovered my ability to move around thanks to a one in a million lightning bolt, you would be dead by now! I would have never been able to get you this far and you would have been shipped off to the vet to be put down! You owe your life to a freak accident because of them!”

Courage simply shook his head. “I don't think we would have ever met if you had learned how to move back in the past.”

“I suppose you're right about that.” He relented somewhat reluctantly. “But still, be careful. They've never given us any reason to trust them. I'm sure they're only trying to gain your sympathy so that they can take advantage of it in some way.”

“I don't know, I'd still like to help them if I can. I-I really do think they were being genuine when they asked me for help.”

Computer shrugged. “All I really want is that you don't do something naive and get yourself into a bad situation because of it. Even if they truly want help, they won't be getting it from me. They never lifted a finger to help me when I needed it and I refuse to do anything for them in return. If they dare to cause you any harm, I'll make them regret it. It's bad enough that they've somehow found a way to communicate with you, but if they do anything worse than make you feel like you've got machines crawling around inside of your body-” He stopped and grit his teeth, practically enraged by the mere thought of those voices hurting his best friend.

Courage was honestly surprised by the sheer hatred Computer displayed for the voices. He had every reason to hate them, of course, but still, Courage had always thought that maybe he'd take the high road and not be so petty that he wouldn't even consider trying to help them. Couldn't he see that there might be something more to this than a few 'evil' voices? What they had done in the Dreamworld still weighed heavily on Courage's mind. The pain they had inflicted upon him was something that still haunted his thoughts on a daily basis, but still, it didn't seem right to ignore a plea for help, even if it was coming from them. If he could somehow fix whatever was wrong with them, maybe then...

“Listen, Courage.” Computer went on. “If they talk to you again, let me know. They can't be trusted and I don't want you running off and doing something crazy just because they told you to. If you really think that there's a way to help them, we do it together, understand? That way I'll at least be there to stop them if it turns out to be trap.”

“Okay.” He agreed. “At least that means you're willing to help them too...”

Anger flared in the machine's eyes. “I won't help them!” He spat. “All I want is to protect you because I know they want to do you harm! They want you dead and they almost managed to make me do it for them at one point! If you ask me, there's nothing to help! They're hopelessly evil through and through!”

“You of all people should know by now that things aren't always as black and white as they seem. Yes, they've done horrible things to the both of us and they can't be excused for that, but we should still try to be the better people when they ask for our help. Besides, don't you want to get to the bottom of all this? Don't you want to find out what they are and why they've been living inside of your system without you knowing it?”

Computer crossed his arms. “I don't care about anything aside from getting you to that mountain before you drop dead! Those ghouls can have all the help they want just so long as it doesn't interfere with us getting to that mountain!”

“I guess we're in as much of an agreement as we're going to get.” Courage sighed. Hoping to improve Computer's mood, he pulled a snacks out from their bag. “Here, I stocked up yesterday when it looked like things were going to get bad.”

Computer's eyes lit up. “Good thinking!” He exclaimed, apparently more than happy to change the subject they'd been on. He snatched the snack right out of Courage's paws and then went to town. “And here I was thinking that I was going to starve to death down here!” He said between bites.

“Oh no, you might have had to actually burn a few of those pounds off.” Courage joked.

The glowing dog stuck up his nose. “Hmph! I'm not going to be bothered by an idiot who makes fat jokes!”

As he waited for Computer to finish his 'lunch', Courage glanced over at the metal bars blocking them off from the rest of the sewer system. A small realization struck him then. “Hey, Mr. I-can-bend-metal-with-my-mind, why didn't you remove these bars and look for a different way out?”

Computer stopped mid-chew and his eyes widened.

“...You didn't even consider it, did you? Oh, boy. Whatever happened to that omniscient computer I used to know?”

“I-I've never been omniscient!” The machine stammered. “And I just-” Apparently he couldn't think of a good excuse for why he hadn't used his ability.

Courage placed a paw onto his hip. “So let me get this straight, you just spent half a day trapped down here and it didn't even occur to once that you could move a few metal bars out of the way?”

“You don't have to rub it in!” Computer cried out. “Everybody has brief lapses in judgment! Besides, I was too busy thinking about those government people! They're a tad preoccupying, don't you think?”

Stifling a laugh, Courage replied with, “You've just lost so many respect points from me, it's not even funny.”

The glowing dog's attempts to conceal his embarrassment were growing more and more futile. “For goodness sake, dog! When on earth did you start becoming such a sarcastic little snot? That's supposed to be my thing!”

End Of Chapter


	11. On The Road Again

Chapter 11: On The Road Again

“As you can imagine, I've been up all night listening to what those government people have been talking about over their radios.”

Computer had returned to the topic at hand upon finishing up his 'lunch' and after sufficiently blowing off all the jokes Courage had thrown his way.

“I've managed to find out who they are for starters. They're called the SCC Organization, the Supernatural Capture and Containment Organization, to be exact. They do indeed work under the government in some form, and they're obviously meant to be shadowy and secretive. Were it not for my abilities, I would have never been able to listen in on them. Their communication avenues are about as secure as they get.”

Courage gave him a quizzical look. “Wait, wait, wait. So they're a super secret government organization that deals with the supernatural and yet I've never encountered them even once? Think about what attacks the farm on a daily basis! Nowhere has to be a hot spot for them!”

“Maybe they're just 'that' good at the whole being secretive thing. You're not supposed to know they exist after all, or maybe they consider Nowhere a lost cause and don't even bother with it.”

Courage shook his head. “I don't know, but I hope this is the last we see of them. I don't want to find out what they do to the people they kidnap.”

“Speaking of which, I also heard them talking about me. They seem to think that I'm some kind of experimental virus.”

“Yeah, I heard them say the same thing.” Courage agreed.

“That can't be right though. I mean, I've never made anyone sick. Think about how long I've lived on the farm and not one of you has ever developed a noticeable illness.” He gave a small start. “Well, aside from you, of course, but you have a well documented condition that can't be pinned on me. The last time I checked, I've never caused any dogs to drop dead before. None of my previous owners have ever shown signs of sickness. It just doesn't add up.”

“Couldn't you're ability to jump into other bodies be seen as a virus?”

“If that's the case then I make for a pretty bad virus. I can only jump into one body at a time and I can't reproduce like a virus would. I could certainly try by using this dog body, but I don't have any genetic data to pass on. The child that would result would be this dog's and not my own. Unless I have a means to clone myself along with the rest of my unusual talents, I'm stuck as an army of one. At the very least, you could say that I'm parasitical in nature, but not a virus.”

Courage didn't doubt for a second that Computer wasn't really dangerous, or that he was somehow infecting people with, well, something, but still, one question loomed on his mind. He ended up speaking it with quite a bit of uncertainty.

“Do you think that this SCC Organization has something to do with you? Could you be their creation and now they know that you're still out there?”

Computer didn't seem particularly concerned. He shrugged and leaned his back up against the dirty, sewer wall. “I doubt it.” He dismissed. “They spoke of an experiment escaping their confines and that it's not something that happens very often. Considering that they think I'm a walking virus, I can only assume that one of their experiments got loose and I just happened to stir up trouble at the wrong time. It's merely a case of mistaken identity. They went after me thinking that I was their lost abomination. Besides, if I'm an escaped experiment, I've been gone for an awfully long time now. These people seem paranoid, but one small incident at a diner in the back of beyond is somehow enough to have them come out in full force for an experiment that's been missing for years?”

Courage's face hardened, and before he even knew what he was doing, he had said the words that rolling around in his head. “Unless you're as dangerous as those voices say. Those government people might have a good reason to be so paranoid, especially if you're-.” He gripped the side of his head, aware of a soft buzzing coming from deep within his ears. He could already feel a headache coming on and...he was certain that he could hear soft laughter. Was it-

“Are you okay?” Computer asked, cautiously noting the fear that could no doubt be seen in Courage's eyes. “And for the record, you may be right. I may be far more dangerous than even I myself realize, but I have no desire to do harm. Well, unless it's some monumental idiot who dares to get on my bad side. If I do have a history with the SCC Organization, it's no longer my concern. While it would be nice to find out what my origins are, I don't want to have to tangle with these people to get to that point, and it's just as likely that they have nothing to do with me. Let's worry about getting you to that mountain before the government can ship us off to be dissected, or before a bunch of voices can drive us insane. Honestly, I don't get why all this nonsense had to start just before we're about to reach our destination. Can't it wait until later?” He added that last part in with a weary sigh.

“It's one inconvenience after another.” Courage chuckled, suddenly feeling much better. It was almost like-

“Speaking of inconvenience, I need to talk with you about what we're going to do next. I'm afraid that we won't be able to get on any buses for quite some time. As long as those SCC people are still lurking about, we cannot risk spending any time in public places. Even if we wait until they're gone, after how much trouble they've given the people around here, if anyone see's me they're going to call the them right back here and have them capture me. I do believe that I have a way around this issue however.” He straightened up somewhat, putting on that knowledgeable air that he always seemed to use whenever he was about to explain something. “I'm still able to see their GPS and I still have a somewhat decent recollection of the bus route we're taking. My blasted memory just isn't the same in this dog body, but-” He closed his eyes for several moments and then opened them again. “From what I can see, the next town we'd reach if we were to follow our bus route is about a day's walk from here. We'd have to stay off the roads and we would have to walk through quite a bit of countryside, and if we start today, we'd have to find someplace to sleep out there tonight, but it is workable.” He then became a bit more subdue. “Oh, and there's one other thing.”

Raising an eyebrow, Courage placed his paws onto his hips. “What?”

“There's a swamp between us and our destination. The bus was meant to take a road through it, and we could probably risk following it by then, but-” Computer became more and more unenthusiastic with every word spoken. The thought of being out in the wilderness and going anywhere near a place like the forest of Nowhere obviously didn't appeal to him.

“Can't we just go around it?” Courage asked. He wasn't exactly looking forward to trekking through a swamp either.

“It will take us nearly a day just to get there. It'll be another two if we go around. I've been looking at it on the GPS and it's huge. If we go through it though, we'd reach the next town before sundown tomorrow.” He finally perked up a little bit. “Besides, this isn't Nowhere. I seriously doubt the swamp is housing any monstrosities just waiting to turn into our worst fears all over again, and even if it did, we'd know what's going on this time around.”

“Yeah, well, trouble tends to find us, even if this isn't Nowhere anymore.”

Computer's nervousness began to shine through all over again. “That's certainly true.” He reluctantly agreed. “Well, what do you want to do? I'll let you make the call this time around so that if we do get ravaged by a monster, it'll be your fault for a change. Hopefully I won't be the one who has to go through the worst of it again, like last time.” He quailed at the thought of it.

Courage couldn't help but feel bad for him. “Come on, it'll be alright. It's like you said, this isn't Nowhere anymore so we're not as likely to run into anything supernatural. Let's just get through that swamp as fast as possible. We can't afford to hike through the wilderness for a whole three days. If what you're saying is true, we'll reach the next town by tomorrow night.”

The glowing dog did not stir even slightly. He kept his eyes trained on the floor. “It's your choice, boss. I'll follow your lead.”

Courage grinned and placed a paw onto his shoulder. “Hey, you're the one with the directions, remember?” He chuckled.

In a fake huff, Computer regained some of his haughty attitude, if only for a moment. “And that's why I'm the brains of this operation! You'd be nothing without me!”

…..................

With their new plan agreed upon, they both knew that they needed to get moving if they wanted to gain any ground before nightfall. Courage was the first to climb out of the sewer, wiggling past the bars that had given Computer so much trouble. He then reached a paw down to help him up, and after quite a bit of a struggle, he managed to pull the glowing dog up, but as it was somewhat expected, Computer got stuck between the bars and no amount of pulling seemed to be enough to get him free.

Teeth grit, Courage was using every last bit of strength he had. “Okay, seriously! You really.....need to....lose a few pounds....Compute!” He said between pulls.

His irate friend did not take kindly to that. “Oh, shut up! I am not fat, you stupid, obnoxious-”

With one last heave, Courage managed to get the ranting machine unstuck and they were both sent flying because of it.

“Thank goodness that nightmare is over.” He heard Computer mutter out. He looked up to find him sprawled out on the street. “I'm finally freed of that awful prison!”

“Yeah, and maybe it wouldn't have been a prison if you'd just-”

He was cut off by the vicious glare his friend gave him. “Not another word! If I hear another fat joke out of you I'm going to turn around and walk all the way back to Nowhere! At least if I go back, I don't have to listen to Nina make stupid jokes all the time!”

“Who knows, you might actually get that date you've been gunning for!”

“Ugh, sometimes I wonder how I'm friends with the likes of you....”

They quickly made their way off the street and into another alleyway, firing sarcastic quips at each other the whole way. As soon as they were out of sight and away from any prying eyes, they stopped for a moment to get their bearings.

“I have no idea why this side of the town is abandoned.” Computer spoke, peaking out onto the street ahead of them. “I don't sense any of the SCC people around either. It looks like most of them have moved on. We're better off being safe than sorry though.” He closed his eyes and nodded to himself. “There's two more blocks we need to cross before we're out of town, and it appears that I'm going to lose the GPS signal as soon as we've escaped civilization. My ability won't be able to reach far enough out in the country.”

“What does that mean for us?” Courage warily asked.

“Nothing. I just need to commit the map to memory. Don't worry about it though. Once we're out of town we only really need to walk in one direction and we'll eventually find the swamp. It's not like it's easy to miss.”

Their flight out of town went without issue and they encountered not a single person as they ran past one abandoned building after another. As soon as they were far enough out into the countryside that nobody would be able to see them, they stopped to take a break.

“How are you holding up?” Computer asked, somewhat winded from their excursion.

Courage plopped down into the grass with little concern for anything else. Running through town had not been a fun task at all.

“I'll...I'll be alright, as long as we don't have to do anymore running.” He breathed.

Computer nodded. “You won't have to exert yourself any longer. I'll know ahead of time if the SCC Organization is coming, so we'll have time to hide if need be.”

And thus their cross country 'adventure' began. As the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky, they picked up their pace in hopes of gaining as much ground as possible before nightfall came. Unfortunately for Courage, not even two hours in, Computer had already begun complaining.

“Why must nature be so....unpleasant?” The machine grumbled. This was not the first of his long list of grievances and he wasn't shy to voice them either. “I can't believe I'd miss Nowhere and it's ugly, flat landscape! I'm tired of walking up hills only to have to walk back down them again! It's exhausting, and then you have to try and not trip on the way back down! And why must there be weeds that grow thorns? Unless you keep staring at the ground all day, you can't tell they're there until you step on them! And...and what are these?” He reached around and grabbed a bur off his back. They both had picked up quite a collection of them after having to make their way through several heavy thickets.

“Calm down, Compute. It's not going to kill you.” Courage sighed.

“But, but these parasitical plants are making their home in my fur! It can't possibly be healthy!” His voice was filled with alarm. “I-I'm not built for nature!” He exclaimed. “All this hiking nonsense doesn't agree with my mechanical upbringing! We machines aren't meant to exist out in the open wild and so far from civilization! There's nobody around and not a building in sight! I-I'm going to have a nervous break down at this rate!”

Courage slowed to a stop. “Come on, Compute. It's not that bad.”

The machine swallowed and glanced around nervously. “Maybe for you it's not. I've never liked wide open spaces to begin with, not even back in Nowhere, but we were always never far from town at least. Now we're nowhere near, well, _anything_.” He shuddered.

Courage couldn't help but smile. “Don't worry. We'll be back in civilization tomorrow and then you'll never have to worry about nature and all it's evils ever again. You're not going to let a bunch of grass get the better of you?”

“If you think it's just grass that bothers me then-” He took in a deep breath and let it out. “N-never mind. J-just don't go wandering off without me or else I ' _am_ ' going to lose it. Goodness knows how we're even going to survive the night. There may be nobody else around right now, but I bet there's plenty of lions and tigers and bears just waiting to make a meal out of us.”

“I never knew that you're biggest phobia would be the wilderness. It's kind of silly.” Courage chuckled.

“It's not just that, dog. It's-” He trailed off again. “L-let's get moving! We need to find a place to camp out for the night, a-and-”

Without finishing his sentence, he began walking again. Courage trailed after him, fighting back the desire to laugh at his friend's strange fear of nature. The steady string of complaints from him did not let up either, and Courage honestly would not have had it any other way.

End Of Chapter

A/N: I'm just going to come out and say it, no strings attached. The SCC Organization is meant to be an alternate universe SCP Foundation. The Courage universe's own version, to be exact. Since the SCP Foundation has dealt with topic of multi-verses, it's not completely out of the question either. If you don't know what the SCP Foundation is, look it up and enjoy the nightmares you're going to have!


	12. Under The Starlit Sky

Chapter 12: Under The Starlit Sky

Upon the sun dipping below the horizon, a problem that both Courage and Computer hadn't taken into account hit them with full force. It was freezing. Both of them were left shivering as they walked and their breath could be seen even under the dim starlight. They had not come across anything even remotely close to a shelter that they could use for the night. It was starting to look like they were going to have to sleep out in the open and somehow find a way to stay warm while doing so.

“Why on earth must it get so cold at night?” Computer complained, teeth chattering. “It wasn't this bad in the sewer last night.”

“It's getting pretty close to winter outside of Nowhere.” Courage answered him. “It might even start snowing if it gets cloudy later tonight.”

“Wonderful.” He grumbled. “We really are going to freeze to death out here, as if nature couldn't get any more unpleasant.”

They stopped at the foot of a hill, both too tired and too cold to go on. Courage gathered up a couple of large rocks and set them down in a circle. He had already figured out what he was going to do to make their night a little more bearable.

“What's all this then?” Computer asked as he watched him work.

“Since you're the one who glows in the dark, can you go gather up some wood?”

The machine stared. “But, why? What if I get lost? I don't want to end up stuck out here all alone.”

“Just don't go far and you won't get lost. There's got to be enough wood nearby for us to use.”

Without any extra complaints, Computer dutifully went off to do as he was asked. He made sure to stay within yelling distance, calling out a couple of times just to make sure that Courage hadn't somehow left without him, and he soon returned with an armful of tree branches. He then plopped them down inside the circle Courage had set up.

“You're going to start a fire, aren't you?” He asked, having finally put two and two together. He watched Courage drop down onto his knees and begin rubbing two of the sticks together. “But that's crazy! Y-you can't start a fire like that! We don't have any of the equipment that we'd need to-”

He never got a chance to finish his sentence because that was when a small flame roared into existence, and with a bit of stoking, it soon became a decently sized camp fire. Courage then stood back up and brushed himself off. Computer just stared with his mouth hanging open, flabbergasted as to how anyone could have pulled that off without any proper camping equipment.

Courage smirked, pleased to see that he had flat out stunned the machine. “When you spend as much time as I do trying to save your family, you end up learning a few interesting tricks along the way.”

Computer, seemingly defeated, shut his mouth and shrugged. “I'm not even going to question it.” He dismissed before sitting down near the fire to warm his paws.

They ate what was left of their supplies for 'dinner', if snacking on junk food could even be called dinner. It appeared that if they didn't make it through the swamp tomorrow, they would be going hungry. Had Courage known what they were going to be doing, he would have stocked up on a bit more.

“Well, I'm officially adding camping and hiking to the list of things I don't like.” Computer announced, wrapping his arms around himself.

“What isn't on that list?” Courage chuckled in reply.

“Bah, I don't even know how I'm ever going to sleep tonight.” He went on with a sigh. “I can't stand how open everything is.”

“After all that walking we just did, you're still not sleepy enough to pass out right where you're sitting? I'm ready to do just that.”

“You're not bothered by the outdoors as much as I am.” He muttered out. “Anything could just swoop in and attack us, and think about how far away we are from _everything_. I do not enjoy this isolation one bit.”

“Well, it's not as if you're alone out here.” Courage reassured him.

“I suppose that's true.” He agreed rather reluctantly. “But that isn't much of a consolation.”

“C'mon, Compute. A little camping trip like this can't be that bad! Wasn't getting chased down by a bunch of creepy government people worse?”

The glowing dog let out another sigh. “At least when it came to them I had all the metal and machinery I could ever hope for to fend them off. Out here? There's nothing.”

Courage gave him a reassuring smile. “It's just for the rest of tonight and tomorrow. You're going to survive, don't worry.”

“You don't have to mock me every step of the way.” He grumbled, casting his gaze downward.

“I'm not.”

“That sounds an awful lot like mocking to me.” He argued, utterly unenthusiastic about this whole exchange.

“Well, you know, I've been thinking. Since you're probably not going to get any sleep tonight anyway, I've got something you can try. I thought about it a bit before, but there hasn't been any time tell you about it.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” Computer queried, still lacking in even the slightest amount of enthusiasm.

“Meditation. I've been thinking that it might help you with your anger issues, and well, all your other issues too. It might even help you fall asleep.”

Computer stared. “You really are mocking me, aren't you?”

“I'm being serious! I had to learn how to meditate to save Muriel's life once and it really does help sort out your mind. It's all about reflection, and finding inner peace, and-”

“Hmph! I already don't like what's inside of my mind and I certainly don't want to reflect upon it, or 'find inner peace', or whatever other hippie nonsense you want me to try! A-and I don't have anger issues either!”

“Can't you try it at least once? If it doesn't work, I'll never bother you about it again.”

The glowing dog glared at him. “Only for you, idiot. Only for you.”

“Alright, first you need to straighten up and cross your legs.” He ordered.

Computer did as he was told, silent but obviously unamused with this strange ritual.

“Now close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

“If this turns me into a hippie, I'm going to be so angry.” The machine grumbled.

“Stop complaining and close your eyes!”

Computer finally complied, giving Courage one last glare before doing so.

“Okay, now empty your mind.” He went on. “And stay like that for a little while. Don't try to think about anything.”

The glowing dog opened an eye. “If I'm not back in an hour, assume the hippies got me.”

“Computer! Enough joking around and meditate!”

“Fine, fine.” He sighed, closing his eye again.

Courage then left his friend to focus on the task at hand and turned his gaze onto the fire. He watched it spark and crackle for a little while, acutely aware of how sleepy he was. Then, Computer let out a gasp, pulling him out of his tired trance.

“Oh my god! I can see the universe!” He exclaimed. “Oh, wait, no. It's just the inside of my eyelids.” He then burst out into laughter.

Courage shook his head. “You're not going to take this seriously enough to actually try, are you?” He groaned.

“Sorry, dog. I'm just not an 'inner peace' type of person.” He chuckled before giving him a halfhearted shrug.

Letting out a sigh, Courage laid his head down onto the grass and closed his eyes. He was too tired to pester Computer about this any further. Perhaps he really wasn't an 'inner peace' type of person and that was something that couldn't really be changed.

“For the record, dog.” He heard him say rather hesitantly. “When you've had as much of a troubled past as I have, there is no such thing as 'emptying' your mind. If you don't try to think about anything, it just becomes an endless battle to fight off all the unwanted thoughts, memories, and feelings that inevitably start to bubble up. I prefer to keep my mind occupied if I can help it. Back when I had a built-in internet connection, and wasn't stuck prancing around in this useless mutt, it wasn't such a hard thing to do.”

“I understand.” Courage sleepily murmured out in reply. “Sorry, I wasn't trying to force you deal with bad memories.”

“It's all in good fun, I suppose.” The machine gently answered. “Although, I'm pretty sure I did see a hippie somewhere in there.”

Courage grinned to himself and with a yawn, told Computer to go to sleep before drifting off. His dreams were not pleasant ones, however. He found himself back on the farm, resting in Muriel's lap as she rocked back and forth in her chair. When her steady, rhythmic rocking stopped, he looked up to find a shocking sight. She was rapidly aging, her skin getting more and more wrinkled until she looked like a withered corpse. He screamed and toppled out of her lap, and when he hit the floor he saw that the same thing was happening to Eustace as he sat in his own chair. Desperate to help them, Courage wanted to race up the staircase and get to Computer, who he knew would have a way to fix this, but there just wasn't enough time. He watched in horror as the old couple's withered, mummified skin began to flake off, exposing their bones until they were nothing more than a pair of skeletons. Courage just stood there, shaking his head in disbelief. There was nothing he could have done. There was no way that he could have saved them from this. There was-

He collapsed into a heap as he watched even their bones disintegrate into a pile of dust, leaving no trace of his owners aside from the house itself. Then, as if it were responding to his thoughts, the farm itself began to age. The wood began to rot, the pictures on the wall became faded until they too rotted away. Muriel and Eustace's chair slowly became covered in mold. Just like that, the house was a shadow of itself. He was forced to flee as the rotten ceiling above him started to collapse.

In a flurry of both motion and sound, he suddenly found himself back in the same alleyway that he had been left in after losing his parents. The reality of it hit him like a truck. He was all alone once more, homeless, friendless, and without any family. He watched people pass the alleyway by and not one of them looked his way. There was nobody else like Muriel. She could not be replaced. Nobody would adopt an abandoned mutt like she would. He was hoping for something that would not happen a second time. To even want such a thing would be an insult to Muriel's memory and her kindhearted ways.

As he sobbed, overcome with despair, he began to notice the darkness that was slowly surrounding him. It started deeper in the alleyway behind him, and then the road in front him vanished too. The sky darkened into an inky black and he now did indeed find himself utterly alone. He looked down and saw that his fur was starting to gray and fall out in patches, the skin under it was wrinkling just like what had happened with his owners. He could only watch helplessly as his own death approached him. He could not save himself from it and he was so lonely at this point that he almost welcomed the thought of it. As his dry, crackling skin began to flake off, the fear of his death grew to an inescapable gale, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do about it and that it was the only thing he really had left to help him escape from the incredible loneliness he felt.

….He awoke with tears rolling down his cheeks and he made sure to wipe them away as quickly as possible. He immediately checked on Computer, who was fast asleep on the other side of the camp fire, worried that they had shared his dream. Hopefully this meant that they had not, or else Computer would have very likely woken up by now. Courage hated the thought of plaguing him with his own fears when he had only just started to get a little relief from his own.

Thoroughly distraught by what his nightmare had shown him, Courage abandoned the camp fire and walked out into the cold. He climb up the hill they had stopped at the foot of and sat down at the top of it. The stars shined down on him with a magnificent clarity. Just like Nowhere, this countryside was so far away from any large sources of light that the sky seemed to by alive with the sparkling glimmer of the cosmos on full display. He tried to take his mind off of what he had just seen by attempting to make out one constellation from another, but it was no use. He soon found himself wrapping his arms around his knees and sobbing into them. Curled up like that, it offered him a little warmth, but it did not help with the turbulent fears that rolled around inside of him. He was going to lose Muriel, Eustace, and Computer. They could not be saved from their deaths and he would be left all alone to fend for himself. It was a fear that plagued him constantly and there was no relief for it. His trip to the Dreamworld had only made that terror ten times stronger. He was already experiencing those lonely days without his family over and over again before it had even happened.

With a groan, he slowly rocked back and forth. Between what the Dreamworld had done to him, his own illness taking it toll, and the strange voices in his mind, it truly felt like he was going crazy little by little. Nothing felt right anymore, and while this trip to the mountain was keeping him fairly occupied, it seemed that all of his fears and doubts were still catching up with him whenever they could. Computer must have felt the same way after his own bout with the Dreamworld and upon finding out just how bad the side effects of that place were. He too must have felt like he was losing his mind.

“What am I going to do?” He moaned. “I don't want to lose them.”

The soft crunching of grass caught his attention and he turned to find Computer approaching him. Suddenly his hope of them not having shared his nightmare was thrown into doubt. Why else would Computer be awake?

His friend quietly sat down beside him and neither of them spoke for quite some time. Then Courage finally managed to work up the willpower to ask what needed to be said.

“You saw my dream, didn't you?”

“I'm afraid so.” Computer confirmed.

And silence fell over them once again.

The glowing dog continued when it became clear that Courage wasn't willing to say anything else. “I figured that it would be best if I left you alone and pretended to be asleep, but then you went away and I started to fear that you'd wander off into the wilderness without me.”

The uncomfortable silence between them only grew more stifling.

“Courage, listen. You're far too kind of a person for things to end like that. I'm sure there is someone out there who'd take you in even after we're gone. Such a nice person like you would never meet such a hapless end. Even Nina would still be around by the point and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to give you a home, if it came down to that. You're not going to be alone.”

Courage could already feel the tears welling up in his eyes again. He turned away for a moment to wipe them away. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to disprove what Computer was saying and yet he could not find the voice to speak any one of them.

“Besides, your breed has a surprisingly long life span for a dog. You've got plenty of time to go on and do more with your life. I almost envy you. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't spent that time wallowing in sorrow over those that I've lost. I'd go on living, because that's what they'd want me to do.”

Biting back a sob, Courage finally answered with, “You're not a ghost yet, so stop talking like one.”

“I'm just giving you my opinion on the matter.” He replied with a nonchalant shrug. “Seriously though, dog. Cheer up. The end hasn't arrived for either of us yet. Why bother wasting the time we have left worrying about it?”

Courage let out a soft sigh. “You make it sound like it's so easy.”

“I've got bigger things to worry about, so I try not to let it bother me too much. Yes, it does hit me pretty hard sometimes that I'm not going to be around for much longer, but then I figure that I'm not dead yet so I should just enjoy every last moment I have. Besides, I know that there are at the very least two people out there who won't forget about me. It's a nice feeling to have when I always thought that I was going to be completely forgotten by everyone.”

“Compute, I would have noticed if you were gone, even before we were friends. Don't sell yourself so short.”

“You would have never known why I stopped working one day. I'm sure you wouldn't have given it much thought and gone on with your day like nothing had happened.”

“It would have hit me pretty hard, don't worry. I've known you for most my life after all. Don't think that just because we never got along that I'd never care. You've always been up there in that attic, and the thought of you not being there is-” He trailed off, the fully implications of what he was saying hitting him like a truck. Someday in the future, Computer wasn't going to be there anymore. He could not imagine what it would be like, especially since they were such good friends now. They'd almost never been apart for weeks now and they'd come to rely on each other so much.

“The feeling is mutual, dog. I can't imagine you not being there either. That's why we need to get you cured before your illness can do you in. My death may be one thing but yours would hurt so many more people. Even your enemies would be stunned if such a thing came to pass. My life is over, but yours most certainly is not.”

“Is there really nothing that can be done to help you?” Courage asked in a small voice.

“Positive.” He affirmed for what seemed like the millionth time when it came to this matter. He was not even slightly willing to entertain the notion that they both could possibly find a way to survive.

They both sat there for a little while longer, Courage in particular shivering much harder than Computer. Neither of them was willing to get up and leave however.

“Dog, do you want to know something?” The glowing dog finally asked. “I've been thinking a lot about the past lately, especially back to when we first met, and do you know what? Remember how I scared you half witless because you thought that I was a ghost? And that you ran out of the attic screaming like a little girl? Now that I think back to it, I'm almost certain that it was the first time I had ever laughed out loud in my entire life. I think that alone shows just how different things were between you and me compared to all of my other owners.” He nodded to himself. “I've always been happy up in that attic, bored out my mind, but happy. And I've been more happy these last couple of weeks than I have in my entire life. You're the one who's to thank for that. I seriously owe these last couple of years to you. They are a vast improvement over what came before.”

Courage hugged his knees closer to his chin. “Compute, I held you down and beat you in the middle of a forest just because I got a little angry. I'm the one who caused you to have the breakdown that lead the Fear Eater to us, and I'm to blame for dredging up all those terrible memories that you tried so hard to forget. Almost all the suffering you've been through on this journey has been my fault in one way or another. You say that you're happy but I've seen just how low you've gotten and it's always been my fault!”

“It would have all come crashing down eventually and it just ended up coming down a lot harder then either of us would have wanted it to. I'm glad that it's all out of the way now. It doesn't hurt any less, but I finally feel freed of it. What 'He' did, what I've been through, it's all starting to feel like it's something in the past and not something that I'm still facing day to day. You were right about all that hippie style healing nonsense, even if I don't really care to admit it.”

“But, Compute-” He gently tried object. The glowing dog stopped him with a waggle of his finger.

“That's enough out of you! We're not doing anything else until you've cheered up!”

Courage let out a weak huff. “I'm not in the mood to be cheerful right now.”

“Then I'd say that's a problem that needs fixing! Wait here.”

Despite wanting to protest and before he could even stop him, Courage was unable to do anything as Computer got up and raced back down the hill. When he returned, he was carrying the book that he had given as a gift back at Nina's place. He then sat down beside Courage once more and ignored the puzzled look he was given.

“How far in have you gotten?” He asked, searching for a bookmark and finding none.

“I've only got the first chapter done.”

“You really are a slow reader.” His friend snickered. “Well, here's the deal. Either you cheer up or else I'm going to start reading this out loud in the most obnoxious way I can think of.”

“Is that your idea of a threat?”

“I could start singing instead.”

“Okay, okay, I'll try to be a little more happy! Just don't do that!”

The machine crossed his arms. “There is no try, dog! Either get back on this optimism boat or else I'm going to start belting out show tunes!”

Courage winced. “Alright! I get the message! Do you want me to start smiling or what?”

“Don't give me that look!” Computer chuckled. “I only learned how to be this annoying from you. You've only got yourself to blame for this one!”

“I never bothered you 'this' much.”

“I'd beg to differ.” He laughed.

“It's just...I don't know what to do. It all feels so hopeless. What's the point in saving my own life when I'm going to lose everyone I care about anyway?” He was unable to stop his voice from quivering, nor could he stop the tears that were welling up in his eyes once more. “These stupid nightmares won't let me stop thinking about it. It's always on my mind and it frightens me so much.”

He felt Computer place an arm across his shoulder, offering what little comfort he could. “It'll all work out for you, dog. Somehow it will. I'm absolutely certain of it.”

He did not agree, but he did not dare voice it out loud either. Besides, it was likely that Computer knew how he felt already. That machine could practically read his mind after all. His attempts to be the optimistic one for a change were heartening though. It did offer Courage little comfort in the face of such hopelessness.

“Do you think you could read that book to me still?” He gently asked. “It might take my mind off things, and I don't think that I could fall back asleep right now anyway.”

Computer blinked, apparently surprised at being given such a request. “I don't see why not.” He answered. “I'll do it for you, but only under one condition.”

“And what might that be?”

“That we go back to where it's warm. Seriously, I'm freezing my tail off over here.”

Courage managed a small smile, the first since his nightmare. “Yeah, I'm pretty cold too. Let's get back to the fire.”

And they did just that. Computer immediately got to work on reading him the second chapter of the story and he sleepily listened to every word. He was very tired but also too afraid to allow himself to drift off. He didn't want to live through another horrific nightmare. Every time he closed his eyes, he'd have to snap them right back open again to keep himself from falling asleep.

Finally, Computer stopped upon finishing the chapter. “Alright, dog. That's enough for now. I'm about ready to pass out at this point.”

Courage did not want to force him to have to stay up all night for his sake. He agreed with a nod. “Go to bed, Compute. At least one of us should get a good night's rest if we're going to be trekking through a swamp tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you're going to be alright like this?” He worriedly asked.

“Why wouldn't I be?”

Computer gave him a skeptical look. “Because I know what it's like to have the Dreamworld mess with your head and I certainly was not alright afterwords. I can stay up if it's needed.”

Courage shook his head. “No, no, it's okay. I think I'll try to get some sleep now too, actually.”

“If you insist.” The glowing dog relented. “Perhaps it's you who needs to do a bit of meditating to find that inner peace you've obviously been lacking.” He suggested before laying down. “If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to wake me.”

The sympathy in his voice only managed to make Courage feel even worse. He laid down beside him and tried as hard as he could to not think about the nightmares that were no doubt going to surface the moment he closed his eyes. His mind kept wandering back to that awful image of Muriel disintegrating and the crushing loneliness he had felt upon being left behind. Frightened by his own thoughts, he inched closer to Computer, who had already gone back to sleep. He so badly didn't want to wake him up though. Fighting back a whimper, he quietly laid his head back down and forced himself to close his eyes.

…..This time he awoke to both darkness and a bitter cold. The fire had died down to mere embers, allowing the freezing air to encroach upon their makeshift camp once more. At first the darkness didn't seem particularly out of the ordinary, given the loss of the fire, but then Courage realized that Computer's glow was missing. He sat up and looked around, but his friend was nowhere to be found.

“Computer?” He called out, slowly rising to his feet.

Where could he have gone? It wasn't like it was 'that' hard to lose a glowing dog in the middle of the night. Courage called out his name a few more times but received no answer.

Growing worried, he climbed up the hill in hopes of getting a better view of the surrounding area. If Computer was still around, his glow would be seen from up there. Where on earth could he have gone on such a short notice, and why? He was the one who was afraid of being left alone in the wilderness after all.

Courage scanned the inky abyss below him, surprised to see how dark it had gotten without the stars overhead. It must have gotten cloudy while he was asleep. Then, he finally found that familiar blue glow, which stuck out like a sore thumb in the black.

“Computer!” He called out again, but the glowing entity did not move an inch. It was pretty far away too, so perhaps his friend couldn't hear him. He did not relish the distance that he was going to have to run though, but he did want to get to the bottom of this.

With little else he could do, he raced off into the night, using Computer's glow as a beacon. There were surprisingly few obstacles that got in his way. No trees, no rocks, no thorny bushes or thickets. It was like the countryside had become a flat, featureless plane, but he was so worried about Computer that it barely even registered with him.

Finally, after thoroughly exhausting himself, he reached the glowing dog. Computer was hunched over with his back facing Courage. Something about this did not feel right at all and yet Courage knew that he couldn't just turn around and leave.

“Computer?” He gently asked, inching closer. “Are you okay?”

There was not even the smallest response out of the glowing dog. He was like a statue huddled over something unseen. Though Courage's nervousness only grew, he had to do something about this. He had to figure out why Computer was acting this way.

“Compute?” He all but whimpered out, slowly reaching a paw out to touch him. Every instinct he had was screaming at him not to do it.

Then, without warning, Computer flipped around, and Courage jumped back in terror. He was left screaming at the top of his lungs by the sight he was treated to. The glowing dog's entire face had been replaced with a mechanical one, the skin hanging loosely around it as though he had ripped the flesh off himself. A horrific screech, much like the one that had blared out of his speakers when that file had been opened, issued forth from his new robotic mouth. Said mouth with filled to the brim with massive, sharp teeth, chattering in time with the rising and falling of the screeching. A pair of glowing, red eyes fixated on Courage, and before he could turn tail and run, the machine reached a clawed hand out to grab him. He felt the sharp, cold metal rip into his chest.

“No, no!” He yelped, trying to escape the iron grip that was holding him in place. All he could do was frightfully snap his eyes shut when the mechanical monstrosity leaned in to chomp his face off.

….He awoke from his nightmare screaming about as loudly as he had been inside of it. Computer jumped up at the exact same moment too, looking just as horrified as Courage was certain he himself did. In a panic, the glowing dog grabbed his face, felt his teeth, then checked his paws before letting out a relieved sigh. He then turned to Courage with an accusing glare and pointed a finger at him.

“Stop dreaming about such creepy things!” He demanded. “I-I am NOT a creepy robot! I have no desire to screech like a drunken granny's screaming converted into dial-up or to chew people's faces off either!”

Courage allowed his ears to droop sheepishly. “Sorry...”

Clearly the dream had disturbed Computer quite badly. He continued to grab his cheeks and stretch them out as far as they would go, as if he were expecting the skin to rip off and reveal the machinery under it. While he was doing that, Courage rekindled the campfire, as it had dwindled down to just a few embers like in the dream. He then sat there for awhile, feeling numb as he watched Computer continue to try and discover any hidden machinery that might be lurking under his skin.

“You know,” He wistfully commented at the glowing dog, who was currently rapping on his forehead with a fist as though he were expecting it to make a metal clanging sound. “It's a bit silly that a robot is afraid of actually looking like a robot.”

“Oh, yeah sure.” His friend huffed. “That's like me telling you that you're afraid of looking like a dog when you just saw a horrible image of yourself as a rabid, sharp-toothed werewolf!” He then finally relaxed a little bit, assured that his dog body wasn't about to transform into a fanged, screaming robot. “You might as well go back to sleep, dog.” He grumbled. “Because there's no way that I'm going to fall asleep after seeing THAT. Now your nightmares are becoming my nightmares! Ugh, why does it not surprise me at all that that's how you see me?”

“W-what? No! I don't see you like that at all!” Courage quickly tried to amend.

“Then what the heck was that?” He exclaimed, placing a paw onto his hip. “You're expecting me to turn around one day, rip my face off, and then go on an evil robot rampage! I just don't get it with you flesh creatures! You always think that we machines are out to get you! I've seen all the movies and literature! You're biased against us!”

“Compute, that's not it. I don't think that you're evil and I know for a fact that you aren't out to get me either.”

Computer let out a huff, crossed his arms and then turned around completely before plopping back down onto the cold grass. Courage immediately crawled up beside him.

“It was just a dream, Compute. You saw both me and Nina as absolute monsters in your own nightmares and it obviously wasn't the truth or anything like reality. It was just your worst fears given life.”

“So you're afraid that I'm going to expose my evil robot insides and rip your face off. Same difference!” The glowing dog spat.

Courage closed his eyes and replied with, “You're as likely to become an evil robot as much as I'm likely to become a horrific abuser. It just isn't reality.”

“Hmph! I go on a rampage once! _Once!_ And now, even if it might only be on a subconscious level, you think that I'm one move away from going evil! What's the worst I did? I ran around in an old lady's body for a couple of days and did a few dangerous stunts! I mean, I wasn't even in full control of my faculties at the time! You try keeping sane after having so much power jolted into you! And besides all that, I've never once had any interest in becoming an evil, machine overlord!”

“You're putting words in my mouth, Compute. I didn't even bring up what happened with Muriel.” He gave his irate friend a small smile. “I think you just have an ax to grind.”

“Yeah, well, if all the humans started demonizing dogs like they do to us machines, you'd start to feel the same way! We improve your lives considerably and yet we still get called the bad guys time and again!” He placed a paw to his chest. “Speaking as the only sentient machine, of course. Someone has to speak up for my kind after all.”

“I'm not everybody else though. You know that I don't see you as anything less than another person. I can't help what I dream about and you must understand that. You can't help what you dream about either, and until the side effects of those rings go away, we're just going to have to live with whatever we see.”

“Alright, fine.” Computer relented. Some of the tension leaving him. “I'll believe you on this. Just, erm, don't dream about me like that again. It was exceedingly unpleasant to watch and,” He gave a small shudder. “absolutely terrifying.”

Courage chuckled. “I'll try not to.”

End Of Chapter


	13. Swamped In The Swamp

Chapter 13: Swamped In The Swamp

It was eventually decided that they'd take turns sleeping in order to avoid sharing anymore of their dreams. Though Computer did suggest that they use the dream catcher, there wasn't really anywhere for them to hang it up. Thus he took the first 'night watch' and Courage was the one who had to rather reluctantly try to fall asleep again. He thankfully had a dreamless rest and was soon awaken not long after that with a gentle shake.

“Your turn.” Computer yawned. “I'm assuming you didn't have any nightmares?”

Courage nodded and sat up. “Get some rest, Compute. We've got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Don't remind me.” He grumbled as he laid down.

Courage then took some time to stoke the fire once more, but it was running out of fuel to burn and he did not dare go out into the dark to look for more wood to throw in. After he was finished, he sat there for awhile beside Computer, staring into the flames. A couple of minutes later and he looked up to find that the sky on the horizon was beginning to lighten up. His mouth fell open, acutely aware that Computer must have let him sleep for a lot longer than he had realized. Soon the countryside was bathed in the morning sunlight, and a small amount of warmth return to the cold air. He let Computer sleep for another two hours before finally waking him and they then set out to complete the rest of their journey.

“I can't believe how hungry I already am.” Computer spoke, lagging behind Courage as they walked. “How on earth did you flesh creatures manage to survive before the advent of mass production? I don't see how you all found a way to live off the land when I haven't seen a single piece of edible food out here.”

Courage chuckled to himself at Computer's near endless complaining. “Just think of all the restaurants that town is going to have when we get there.” He replied, attempting to encourage him a little bit.

“Think about how far we have to walk until then.” He groaned. “We might starve long before that.”

Courage let out a laugh. “We can survive a whole day without food. Remember how long you'd go without eating back when you hated it?”

“Don't bring that up with me again.” He sighed. “The constant gnawing sensation in my stomach wasn't a fun thing to experience.”

And thus his complaining continued all throughout the day. It was when the sun had begun to reach the top of the sky that they finally got close enough to see the swamp on the horizon. They both climbed up a hill to get a better look at it and it was there that it became apparent that the swamp really did seem to stretch on forever in both directions.

“I'm glad we decide to not go around it.” Courage commented.

Computer squinted as he tried to gauge the distance they still had to go before they'd reach it. “It looks like it might take us another two hours to get there, give or take.”

“Maybe.” Courage agreed. “Who knows what could happen before we get there.”

“Probably nothing.” He huffed. “This has been the most boring, dull, and uneventful trip I've ever been on. At least when it comes to riding a bus, you don't have to walk everywhere! I'll take that kind of boring any day!”

“I wouldn't start talking about this trip being boring just yet. You're going to make something bad happen!” Courage laughed.

They made their way back down the hill and continued onward. The swamp was getting closer and closer with every step they took. Another uneventful hour passed, aside from Courage's own stomach beginning to rumble so loudly that half of the countryside could probably hear it. They did, however, hit a minor road block when they came across a small creek that cut between them and the swamp. Though it was only a few inches deep at most, and the water passing through it was mere trickle, the bank on both ends were surprisingly steep. Thankfully the creek was small enough that it would be easier to jump over it than to climb down and then back up again on the other side.

Courage took a few steps back and made the jump with ease. He landed on the other side, clearing the steep bank by a couple of inches. He then turned back around when Computer did not follow his lead.

The machine just stared. He did not need to speak a single word to convey how he felt about all this.

“C'mon, Compute!” Courage urged him. “If a sick dog can make that jump, so can you!”

His friend raised his arms for a moment and then let them fall to his side again. He was acting as though he were being asked to make an Olympian jump.

“If you don't get across this creek then I'm just going to have to leave you behind, in the wilderness...alone.” He teased.

Computer grit his teeth. “Ugh! I did not sign up for all this extreme hiking!” He spat. Finally, with a sigh, he took a few steps back. “This is going to end badly....” He muttered to himself.

“Yep, this is going to end badly.” He reaffirmed a second time as he checked the distance between himself and the other side of the creek. He took a few more steps back all while he continued to mutter out, “I'm going to fall in and somehow manage to drown in a few inches of water. A perfectly indignant end to my miserable existence. Why am I not surprised?”

“Stop complaining and jump!” Courage called out to him.

Computer rolled his eyes and put on a burst of speed. He jumped at the last possible second and landed just on the edge of the bank, right where it dropped off. He teetered there for a moment, his arms swinging wildly as he tried to maintain his balance, and then tipped backwards.

“Gotcha!” Courage exclaimed, grabbing him and pulling him forward before he could fall in. The glowing dog then collapsed onto the grass.

“I hate nature!” He spat, standing back up again and brushing himself off.

“No need to give up now.” Courage giggled. “You defeated the uncrossable, raging river and now we're almost there!”

“Must you mock me every chance you get?” He sighed. “Just because you're more athletic than me doesn't give you the right to make a big joke out of it!”

“I think saving you from being whisked away in a deadly current does!” He laughed.

It took about another hour and a half for them to reach the point of where the countryside began to turn into swamp. The boundary of where it really became swampland was still about a good ten minute walk away, but now they had begun searching for the road that the bus had been meant to take.

“Hmm, if the map was correct then it should be-” Computer mused to himself. He led Courage over to an opening between the now thickly packed trees. Unlike the countryside, this swamp was densely packed with the strangest assortment of gnarled trees. It was starting to remind Courage rather uncomfortably of Nowhere Forest, but unlike the forest, they had much less to fear here. Well, at least they hopefully did....

“Here!” Computer called out, pointing to the worn pavement that led into the opening. It almost didn't seem like a road at all. It was more like something you'd drive a horse-drawn carriage on.

“Well, let's get this over with.” Courage spoke as he took in a deep, nervous breath. “We don't want to get stuck out here overnight.”

Computer nodded in agreement. “Just remember all the food that's waiting for us on the other side!”

They took their first steps into the swamp and followed the straight path deeper inside. The trees became a little less numerous the farther they went in, but soon they could see that aside from the road they were traveling on, the rest of the land around them was now submerged in water. Water that was probably still very cold after the chilly air last night. There were a few sounds of animals here and there, but aside from that, it was surprisingly quiet.

“And just what is making that sound?” Computer asked. Every once in awhile they'd hear the loud chattering of some creature that could not be seen.

“A swamp squirrel?” Courage replied, half jokingly.

“Bah! I hate squirrels!” The machine huffed. “ _Of course_ they'd be in a place like this!”

Several frogs could be heard croaking as well. They'd sometimes come across one floating in the water near the road and there would, at times, be a loud splash as a frog went off to do whatever frogs did somewhere else.

“I thought this place would be dead.” Computer said in a small voice, as though speaking too loudly might disturb some sleeping monster that they could not see. “Don't these creatures, you know, fly south for the winter or something?”

“Well, if there is such a thing as a swamp squirrel, I'm sure they do whatever squirrels do in the winter, and as for everything else, I'm not sure. It isn't winter just yet after all. They might not be ready to leave until later.”

“All these frogs are going to get stuck in ice at this rate if keeps getting colder.” Computer went on. “At least it hasn't been as cold as it was last night. I can't wait to get back on a bus that has its own heating system.”

“Poor, Compute. He's been away from his fellow technology for far too long.” Courage joked. “If you see any machines out here, don't go to them, it's probably a mirage.”

“Ha, ha, very funny.” The glowing dog grumbled under his breath. “I'm not about to start hallucinating, thank you very mu-.”

_**BANG!** _

Upon a gunshot ringing out from deeper within the swamp, both dogs jump off the road and into the freezing water to take cover behind a tree. The both waited with their breaths held for something else to happen, but nothing did.

“What on earth was up with that?” Computer whispered.

“Hunters, maybe?” Courage answered in an equally quiet voice. “Come on, we've got to keep moving or else we're going to get stuck out here tonight. We can't hide all day just because there's a hunter or two out there bagging a few kills.”

“Yeah, and what if these hunters, if they _'are'_ hunters, decide that they want to bag a few dogs wandering around the swamp?”

“Do you want to go another day without food?”

“I'd like to make it through this without my head getting mounted on a wall, for starters.”

Courage ignored his quip and slogged through the muddy swamp water until he was back on the road. Computer warily followed after him. A few more shots rang out as they continued down their path, but whoever was firing them off wasn't getting any closer. Neither of them spoke as they walked, fearful that it might attract attention to them.

They hit their newest problem not long after that. The road was started to degrade and it was beginning to erode to such a point that it was steadily dipping further and further into the water the farther they went. It soon got to a point of where the path in front of them was completely submerged and they could not see it resurfacing anywhere up ahead. Nothing but swamp lay before them.

“That can't be right.” Computer muttered to himself. “This road is supposed to take us all the way through. Nothing on the map suggested that it was in such a state of disrepair.”

“We should keep going.” Courage suggested. “It's only a little water and I bet the road resurfaces somewhere up ahead.”

“Are you sure about this?” His friend hesitantly asked. “I know that there isn't any other way if we want to get through here before nightfall, but-”

Courage nodded, hoping to himself that this wouldn't end badly. “Let's just keep moving. We can always turn back if we need to.”

Computer gave a somewhat hesitant shrug. “You're the boss.”

They stepped into the water and continued onward. The once firm road under their feet became thick, gooey mud and it quickly became a slog just to keep walking forward. Their feet kept sinking deep into the mud and they would have to struggle just to get them back out again. The water that at first had only gone up to their knees was now reaching all the way up to their mid torso. If the muck got any deeper, they'd have to start swimming through it.

Courage took a step forward and his feet sank into the mud for what felt like the millionth time. It did not help at all that the water was freezing and his limbs had started to go numb because of it. He stared down at the murky water, wondering how they would ever get to the other side of the swamp like this, especially before it got dark. He then tried to free his feet, but they were stuck tight.

“Compute, I could use a little help.” He called out to the glowing dog, who was already slogging on ahead of him.

Computer turned back around and assessed the situation with a grim sort of annoyance. He too must have realized how much this setback was slowing them down and that it was becoming more and more likely that they'd never be able to make it to the other side of the swamp before nightfall. They could not afford to find themselves stuck in the water when it got dark out or else they really would freeze to death.

He grabbed Courage around the torso and tried to pull him out. Though he did eventually come free, it caused both of them to topple over into the muck. They quickly surfaced only to find themselves covered in the nasty, foul smelling mud.

“Ugh, nature is so disgusting!” Computer exclaimed as he tried to rub some of it off his face to no avail. “Why can't things just go right for a change?” He yelled. “Everything that can go wrong for us does, and it's really starting to grate on me!”

“I know, I know.” Courage agreed in a weak voice. He attempted to get a better look ahead of them, hoping to see that the road would soon re-submerge, but there was nothing aside from more swamp. “Maybe we really should turn around.” He suggested. “We'll never make it to the other side like this.”

“You do realize how long it's going to take for us to go around?” Computer warned. “And we can't risk going back for supplies either. We are-” He was interrupted by the loud roar of an engine from somewhere deeper inside the swamp.

“W-what is that?” Courage yelped.

His friend raised an eyebrow. “It appears that there's a truck of some kind heading this way.”

“Is it the SCC Organization?”

“It doesn't feel like them.” He answered with a reassured nod. “Although, there's no telling who else might be driving that truck.”

“S-should we hide?”

“No, let's see if we can get their attention. They might be able to help us get out of this swamp. If they won't stop for us then I'll force them to stop instead.”

Courage, acutely aware that they might be attracting the wrong kind of attention to them, stammered out, “But, but-”

“Do you _want_ to get stuck out here for another two days? Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“But what if this is the person who was letting off all those gunshots before?”

“As long as I can sense their gun, they won't be firing it off in my presence.”

The truck in question then burst into view. It was bright red with heavy set wheels that were just overly large enough that it could blaze through the mud without issue. It was spraying the muck several feet into the air and splattering the trees with it.

Computer stepped out in front of it as it zoomed ever closer to them and as soon as it was near enough, it slowly came to stop. Its door swung open and out stepped, much to both dogs surprise, a massive grizzly bear. Computer, even after not having been particularly concerned about doing this to ensure they'd make it out of the swamp alive, stepped back in shock at the sight of the gigantic bear. Said bear was clothed in a pair of overalls and a plaid shirt. A hunter's hat sat atop his furry, brown head and a gun as equally large as himself was strapped to his back. He stood there for a moment, sizing up both speechless dogs.

Computer finally worked up the courage to say, “We, uh, are-”

The bear's lips peeled apart to display a large, _sharp_ , toothy smile. “Well, looky what we got here. A pair of wanderers in my swamp! Ya got lost, didntcha?”

He spoke with what Courage would only call a 'hillbilly' style accent. Every word that came out of his mouth seemed to rumble in his throat, as though he were growling even when he wasn't trying to.

“We ain't had no visitors around these parts in years!” He went on.

“I wonder why...” Computer muttered out under his breath.

“Don't look so pale faced, you two. I ain't one to bite...much.” He let out a loud, booming laugh that seemed to shake the entire swamp.

“Look, we need to get to the other side of the swamp.” Computer interjected. “Can you help us out?”

“Oooh, yer one of those fancy city folk, aren't you?” The bear asked. He was directing the question at Computer himself. “You sound like one of them tea drinking, wig wearing, fancy upper class types.”

Computer did a double take. “Er, what?”

The bear ignored his exclamation. “I bet yer both worn out from yer travels, so why don't I take ya back to my place? I'll feed ya and let ya stay for the night. Tomorrow I'll have you out of my swamp before you even know it! Besides, my family would love the company! We don't leave the swamp much and we don't get many travelers either.”

Courage gave Computer a quick glance, wondering what he thought of all this. As wary as this bear was making him, he was pretty tired and ' _very'_ hungry. He suspected that Computer was feeling the same way too.

“What do you want to do, Courage?” The glowing dog asked him in a low voice. “Can we trust this guy?”

“You're the one who was so insistent that we stop him and get a ride out of here.”

“A ride is one thing, but a sleepover at place we've never even seen before?”

“He's going to feed us, that's one thing. I'd rather do that than starve.”

“Well, he does seem, erm, _mostly_ harmless. I guess we could take our chances.”

They both looked back up at the bear. “We would be glad to spend the night at your place.” Computer spoke up.

“Wonderful!” The bear boomed. “Hop on in to my truck and we'll be gettin' on our way!”

He ended up having to lift both of them up inside and when he himself sat down, he took up almost all the room there was. The truck obviously wasn't meant to carry such a massive creature and it seemed to groan from the weight being put on it.

“Here we go!” The bear laughed, bringing a claw down onto the radio. The most obnoxious banjo music began to blare out of the speakers. The bear then slammed his foot onto the gas pedal and they were speeding off into the swamp. “Oh, and by the way, folks call me Papa Grizzly around these here parts. You two can just call me Grizzly if ya like.”

Both of them were too busy being squished to really take note.

End Of Chapter


	14. The Bear Family

Chapter 14: The Bear Family

It was surprising to see that even as the truck zoomed ever deeper into the swamp, they were soon back on dry land. Wherever this bear lived, it had to be on higher ground. Though the muck filled part of the swamp still came into view here and there, Papa Grizzly seemed to be sticking to a certain path now and wasn't making any effort to go near the water again.

A huge scrapyard flew past them, one of which that was filled to the brim with rusting machinery parts. Computer, who wasn't very fond of the concept of junkyards to begin with, questioned why such a thing existed in the middle of a swamp. Papa Grizzly merely grinned at the question and then went into a long winded explanation.

“I'm a bit of a tinkerer, ya see. Actually, tinkerin' kinda runs in the family. My great, great, great, great grandpapy started that big ol' pile of scrap when he settled down in this here swamp. Always used to say nutt'n should ever be wasted.”

To say that Computer looked mortified would have been an understatement. “How on earth do you expect to use any of those parts when they've all rusted to near uselessness?”

Papa Grizzly let out one of his ever characteristic booming laughs. “A little bit of rust ain't never hurt nobody!” He patted the dashboard of his truck. “This here girl has been in my family for seven generations! Built her back up into the beauty you see here myself! Ol' Grandpa Grizzly wrecked it back in his day. He picked it up and threw it at some silly city boy who was courting my mamma without his approval!”

Neither dog had any comment to give on Papa Grizzly's story, so he then went into another tale about how his grandpapy had gone hunting for the 'Great Bogman of The Swamp', but the story was cut short when he stopped to announce that they were almost home.

The truck soon drove into a clearing and both Courage and Computer were treated to the sight of one of the most lopsided houses they'd ever seen. It looked as though a fairly modest, if not slightly disproportionate wooden home, not unlike Muriel and Eustace's, had had another house built right on top of it, and then another. It seemed as though every person who had added to the house hadn't bothered to get the proportions right and it now looked like a massive stack of cards just waiting to topple over.

“Home sweet home!” Papa Grizzly exclaimed. “It ain't the prettiest homestead around, but it get the job done!”

He hadn't even pulled up to the house before a pack of equally large grizzly bears piled out of the rickety house. One even climbed down from one of the highest windows in a rush to greet his papa. As soon as the truck slowed to a stop, Courage opened the door and both he and Computer flopped out onto the ground.

“I'm home!” Papa Grizzly announced as his family gathered around him. “And I've brought us pair of visitors as well!”

Before either dogs even had a chance to stand back up after toppling out of the truck, they were surrounded by the curious grizzly bears.

“Why does that one glow?” One voice whispered.

“They're awfully weird look'n for dogs.” Another one said. “They don't look nuttin' like Stump.”

“Alright, alright!” Papa Grizzly interjected as he pushed his way into the tight circle and dispersed his family. “Don't go crowding 'em! Give 'em some room to breathe!” He grabbed both dogs by the scruff of their necks and stood them up. “Well, don't be shy. Introduce yourselves to my family! They love having visitors!”

Courage glanced around. No matter where he looked it seemed like there was a pair of bear eyes fixated on him. “I-I'm Courage.” He said in a small voice. “And h-he's, well, his name is-” He slowly trailed off. He honestly didn't know what he should tell them. They probably didn't even know what a computer was and likely wouldn't take Computer's current name as a weird one, but it still didn't feel right to introduce him like that, not anymore at least.

Finally, when he couldn't decide what to do, Computer took over for him. “My name is a bit of a, uh, debatable subject, but for now I prefer to be called Computer.”

“You don't have a name?” One bear asked. “Didn't yer momma give you one?”

That was enough to throw Computer off. He must not have expected such a question. “Well, no.” He answered. “I don't even have parents to begin with.”

A gasp ran through his audience and then a stream of questions was thrown his way.

“You don't got no parents?”

“Are they dead?

“Did they abandon you as a puppy?”

“Who raised you then?”

He was starting to become more than just a little flustered. “It's not quite like the way you're all thinking. When I say I don't have parents, I mean that I wasn't-”

Courage quickly interjected, figuring that it would be best if he didn't let Computer tell them what he really was. “H-he lost his parents in a nuclear explosion! T-that's why he glows like that! He's radioactive!”

Another gasp ran through the bear family. The unamused look Computer gave him told all that needed to be said on how he felt about his new origin story. Despite that, more questions were thrown his way.

“Why are you called Computer then? Those are them fancy machines city folk use and you don't look nuttn' like one.”

...So these bears weren't quite as backwards as they seemed.

“Oh, he's just r-really good with them!” Courage answered. “Since he doesn't have a name, that's what I nicknamed him!”

“What about you, Courage? Where do you come from?”

Computer was the one to answer this question for him. “His parents were shot off into space by an evil veterinarian who wanted to breed a group of super dogs. He was adopted by an old couple and now lives on a farm in the literal middle of nowhere. Oh, and he also fights off supernatural beings on a day to day basis. From living shadows to scheming cats, he's seen it all.”

Papa Grizzly broke out into a massive grin. “Naw, now you're just kidding with us!” He mirthfully laughed.

Courage and Computer exchanged glances. These bears would buy a nuclear explosion, but they wouldn't take the real backstory as truth, despite how equally weird it sounded?

“Alright, you got us.” Computer replied, trying to give a convincing laugh and failing. “He was abandoned by his parents and adopted by an old couple, just like I said, but the rest was a joke.”

The bears all laughed in unison, as though they had just been told the greatest joke in the history of the universe....

“Well, then! With that out of the way, why don't I introduce you to my family now!” Papa Grizzly exclaimed, clapping his paws together. As if on cue, the bear family lined up.

“My oldest son, Johnny, is out in one of them big cities work'n under one of those bigwigs.” He then pointed to the first bear in line. “That's Bubba, and these two are the twins Billy Joe and Billy John,” The next bear to come up was the only girl in the group. She was notable for her much lighter brown fur and bright, blue dress. “This is my only daughter, Jenna. That trouble maker next to her is Dale, and last but not least, my little grizzly bear himself!” He opened his arms up and the smallest bear of the group jumped into them. “This here is Grizzly Jr., a rascal like no other!” He ruffled the fur atop the bear's head.

“I'm only four years old!” The kid announced.

“Be careful around him though, unlike me, he _'does'_ bite.” Papa Grizzly warned. Jr. gave a wide smile, putting all of his sharp, shiny teeth on display. “Little scamp will take your fingers off!” Papa laughed.

“Daddy, yer fergittin' Granny.” The bear called Bubba spoke.

“Dangit Granny, you still ain't out here?” He called out towards the house. “Oi, Granny! Wake up! We got visitors!”

A couple of seconds later and an old, withered bear shuffled out onto their porch. She looked an awful lot like Muriel in bear form. She wore a bright green dress with an apron tied around it along with a pair of worn, murky glasses sitting atop her muzzle. The old bear needed a cane just to walk.

“Stop yer yell'n! I'm comin', I'm comin'!” She called out. “Yer gonna wake the dead with all the hollering you do!”

“Ah, yes, and there's also...” Papa Grizzly went on, placing Jr. back onto the ground. He reached up and pulled out a picture from the inside of his hat. “Can't forget about Momma Grizzly, bless her dearly departed soul.” He showed the two dogs her picture as he wiped several tears from his eyes. Clearing his throat, he then pointed to a small, shaggy, gray haired dog who had been sitting beside the female bear, Jenna, the whole time. “And that there's Stump, the most useless dog in all the country. He comes from a long line of proper huntin' dogs, but he ain't never been good at that. All he's good fer is watching over Jenna. He's always been so protective of her, but he ain't very fond of the rest of us. If he knew what his grandpappy did as my grandpappy's huntin' dog, he'd try to live up to his legacy a little more!”

Stump merely rolled his eyes and turned his head away rather indignantly. If he cared at all that there were two new dogs around, he didn't exactly show it.

“Alright, you lot!” Papa Grizzly yelled. “Get a fire goin' cause we're eating outside tonight! Let's show our guests what the Bear family hospitality looks like!”

There was a flurry of motion as everyone ran this way and that to prepare dinner. Even Grandma Grizzly was shuffling about at a quicker pace as she barked orders to anyone who passed her by. Papa Grizzly went to the back of his truck and returned with a whole load of dead squirrels and frogs. They had to have been what he was hunting before. He stopped the twins and had the two of them take his kills to be prepare them for supper.

“There really is such a thing as a swamp squirrel?” Computer asked, surprised.

“Nasty little critters.” Papa Grizzly answered. “I'd love to eradicate every last one of 'em from my swamp if I could.”

Computer crossed his arms. “I hope you do! As far as I'm concerned, the only good squirrel is a dead one!”

Courage merely glanced between the two of them. “W-we're having squirrels and frogs for dinner?” He asked, suddenly feeling a lot less hungry.

“Yes sir!” Papa Grizzly laughed. “They are delicious! Although I don't expect city folk like you to enjoy our simple tastes when yer used to all that fancy food you've got. Had you two not shown up on such short notice, we would have had a right good feast going fer ya.”

“I'm more than willing to find out what these squirrels taste like.” Computer replied. “I'm always ready to try new and exotic foods. You can't call me a picky eater.”

Papa Grizzly let out yet another booming laugh. “I wouldn't call our eatin' exotic, city boy!”

Courage ultimately kept his thoughts on the matter to himself. All he knew for certain was that supper was suddenly looking a lot less appetizing to him, but who knows, maybe he'd come to like it. As the clamor continued all around him and as Papa Grizzly left to go help his family out, he leaned over to Computer and said,

“We really need to hurry up and find an actual name for you.”

“No kidding.” His friend agreed. “Perhaps back in Nowhere being called Computer wasn't such a big deal, but outside of there it's obviously going to raise a few eyebrows. Especially when even a pack of backwards grizzly bears know that something is up. I already attract enough unwanted attention as is with my 'radiation poisoning'.” He crossed his arms upon saying that. “And seriously, dog. Could you have picked a more idiotic story to give me?”

“I had to explain why you glow somehow.”

“I can't believe they actually bought that but still thought that your own past was farfetched. At this rate you might have been better off just telling them that I'm a machine walking around in a dog body.”

They both fell silent when Papa Grizzly tromped back up to them again, this time with his daughter in tow. The lightly colored grizzly bear smiled down at them and waved. Computer, who was never the most sociable to begin with, especially when it came to people he did not know or care about, made an effort to pretend that there was no attention being given to him. Apparently he'd had enough of these bears already. Courage on the other hand, with most of his fears about these people having been alleviated, stepped forward to talk with them. They felt like they could be trusted, and after years of having dealt with people who had bad intentions, he was pretty good at telling when someone was putting on an act. Though this ability of his was far from infallible, these bears seemed genuine enough.

Papa Grizzly thumped Jenna on the back. “My daughter here has offered to show you two around while we get dinner cookin'.”

Courage nodded. “Okay.”

Computer on the other hand wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. “I think I'll pass.”

Jenna knelt down so that she could get a better look at the strange, glowing dog. “No need to be shy, darli'n.”

Computer finally glanced up at her. “Don't call me that, and I'm shy either, thank you very much.”

“Don't you wanna see where you'll be sleepin' tonight, at the very least?”

“Courage can tell me once you've given him the tour. I'd rather just sit out here and wait for-”

Jenna let out a whoop of a laugh, scooped him up, and then very nearly crushed him in a hug. “Well, aren't you just the cutest, shyest thing around! And you've got yerself the fanciest way of speakin' I ever did hear! You and I are gonna get along real fine! I just love fancy talkin' city folk like you!”

Stump, who had largely ignored both Courage and Computer since they showed up, looked on in shock with his mouth hanging open. Papa Grizzly didn't appear to be all that amused with Jenna's 'affection' for Computer as well.

“I am NOT-” Computer choked out, as Jenna was still squeezing himself half to death. “cute or shy! Now would you please stop crushing my spine!”

Papa Grizzly cleared his throat. “Jenna, I know how you feel 'bout city folk, but these are our guests and not-”

“I know, I know.” The bear relented, and although she immediately stopped crushing Computer, she did not let him go. “C'mon, you two! There's a lot fer me to show ya!”

She bounded off over to the house with her new 'friend' still in her arms. Courage, unsure of what to think about all this, followed after them.

End Of Chapter


	15. A Crushing Crush

Chapter 15: A Crushing Crush

Stump padded alongside Courage on all fours as they entered the Bear family's rickety home. Courage noted that the shaggy dog never seemed to take his eyes off Jenna, not even for a second. He didn't seem dumb, unlike Computer's dog who always displayed an incredible lack of awareness of anything whenever Computer wasn't controlling him, but despite that, Stump made zero effort to talk or to even acknowledge the new dogs in his midst. Courage kept trying to catch his eye, but he kept his sights only on Jenna.

“Hello?” He finally spoke, making one last attempt to get the dog's attention. Stump only looked his way once before rolling his eyes and returning his attention to Jenna.

Speaking of Jenna, Computer was still loudly demanding to be put down as he flailed around in her arms like a fish caught on a hook. Try as he might, he couldn't get the bear to let him go. Jenna was still having a one way 'chat' with him, oblivious to the fact that her new friend wasn't listening to her at all.

“Courage!” He called out, his head just barely able to peer over the massive grizzly bear's shoulder. “Do something!”

He laughed out in reply, “It's not going to kill you to make a new friend!”

“This is not friendship, it's torture!” He cried out. “Help me out here, dog!”

Though he was considering tugging on Jenna's leg to at least try and get her attention, for Computer's sake, he didn't have to do anything at all because Stump suddenly let out a loud bark, causing the grizzly bear to turn around.

“Oh, Stump.” She chided him. “I haven't forgott'n about you, ya ol' attention hog.” She placed Computer back down onto the floor, much to his relief, to scratch Stump behind the ears. “Yer gonna have ta get along with these dogs til tomorrow, you got that?”

The shaggy dog gave Computer a brief glare before turning back to Jenna to let her finish scratching him. The machine simply stared, confused by the other dog's hostility.

“What was up with that?” He whispered, leaning in closer to Courage.

“I don't think he likes other dogs taking Jenna's attention away from him.”

“Bah! He can have all the attention he wants from that grizzly bear! I want nothing to do with her, not after how she manhandled me like that!”

Courage let out a soft chuckle and moved forward. They were standing in a living room that almost seemed to mirror the one found back on the farm in Nowhere. There were several key differences though. The TV they owned seemed to be even more old and more retro than Eustace's, a huge, beaten up couch took up the majority of the room, and a single, equally massive chair sat off to side with many, many animal heads mounted on the wall behind it. That had to be Papa Grizzly's chair, without a doubt.

Jenna then went into a long winded explanation for everything in the room. There wasn't a single item to be found that didn't have a history behind it. By the time she was done, nearly twenty minutes had passed. While Courage tried to fake at least a little interest, Computer made no effort to mask his boredom. Jenna was quick to take notice of it.

“Our humble history just ain't all that interesting to a city dweller like you, huh, darli'n?”

“Don't call me that.” Computer grumbled. “And, yes, I don't have any interest in-”

Courage elbowed him in the gut before he could continue. “Don't get on the grizzly bear's bad side!” He whispered between grit teeth. “Remember where we are and what will happen if we lose Papa Grizzly's good favor!”

“Well, I'm one to agree with ya.” Jenna interjected. “I hate this dern place! It's just so borin', but daddy ain't one to let me leave. I gotta get married and live in this swamp like he's expectin' me to. I ain't ever been allowed to go out into the cities like I want. He worries what it might do to a simple swamp girl like me.”

Both dogs hadn't expected her to say anything like that and thus were left staring up at her in stunned silence.

She turned to Computer. “And that's why I wanna hear everythin' you've got ta say about the outside world. A radioactive dog who's good with technology must have alotta interestin' stories to tell.”

Computer blinked with surprise and opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to find any words. Finally, he shook his head and shrugged. “I'm not much of a conversationalist. Why don't you ask him?” He pointed to Courage. “He's far more experience with the outside world than I am.”

She knelt down so that she was was almost at eye level with him. She was so big that she would have had to lay down on her stomach if she really wanted to be eye to eye. “I wanna hear your story, darli'n.”

Computer's eyes widened as he stared up at the grizzly bear. Finally, he quickly stammered out. “D-don't call me that!” He then glanced around and began to fidget rather nervously. “Well, I, uh, um-”

Courage, unable to bear anymore of the sheer awkwardness that was practically radiating out of his friend, interjected with, “Why don't you show us the rest of your house and then you two can talk afterwords?”

Computer winced. “H-how about we never speak again! That's certainly something I can get behind!”

Jenna give him one of those toothy bear grins and leaned in closer. “Ya know, you really are cute fer someone so short....”

Courage's eyes stung with tears as he tried to fight back his laughter. She was flirting with him! That explained why she had taken such a liking to him instead! Well, judging by the deep shade of red that was now quickly spreading out across the glowing dog's face, he obviously wasn't taking it very well.

He took several steps back, stammering out a few incomplete words as he did so, and immediately took refuge behind Courage. He only peaked over his shoulder once to whisper, “Get that grizzly bear away from me!”

Courage chuckled and whirled around to face his terrified friend. “C'mon, Compute! You've only got to put up with her for the rest of the night! Don't be so shy!”

“I-I am not shy!” He shot back in a harsh whisper. “For starters, I have no interest in a grizzly bear! Secondly, I don't do romance! And number three, I don't even know anything about romance to begin with! I want nothing to do with this!”

Well,” Courage giggled. “Here's your chance to learn more about romance. We'll be leaving tomorrow anyway so you don't have to worry about messing up or breaking her heart!”

To say that Computer looked horrified would have been an understatement. “N-no! J-just keep that bear away from me before something bad happens!” He glanced around again, as though he were looking for an escape route. “I-I don't want to fall in love!” He pleaded.

Courage couldn't help it, he burst into laughter. The glare that Computer gave him could have killed.

“Work some of that charm on her, Compute!” He continued to giggle. “You've already roped her in!”

“C-charm?” He exasperated. “Please tell me that you're joking, dog.”

“Whatever happened to Nina, huh? I thought she was your true love?”

Computer grit his teeth.”I hate you so much!” He growled. “You never help me when I actually need it! This isn't a joke just because you think it is, idiot!”

Jenna cleared her throat. “Are you two done mutterin' to each other? Are we ready to continue?” She asked. “Don't worry,” She added, glancing down at Computer. “You and I will have time ta talk some more at dinner.”

He looked just about ready to faint.

Stump pushed past both dogs on all fours, giving Computer another hateful glare as he went by. It seemed that his dislike for his new rival had only increased tenfold. He padded alongside Jenna without looking back even once.

Courage and Computer followed after them and they soon found themselves standing in the middle of a massive kitchen. It was bear sized indeed. The rectangular room could have fit a whole pool inside of it. Off to the right, on one end of the kitchen was the oven, refrigerator, sink, and shelves. To the left there was a storage room, a backdoor leading outside, and a strange contraption of some kind set up in a corner. Spanning the length of the room was also a large, rectangular, wooden table. It could have easily seated at least twenty bears, if not more. Jenna was quick to point out that they often had family reunions and needed the extra room for those occasions. After going through the long history of the kitchen and everything inside of it, she led them over to the strange contraption. The thing was so convoluted with all of its tubes, metal chambers, and wiring that it was almost impossible to describe what it really looked like. The only that was certain about it was that it had a faucet sticking out of the main chamber and a cup laying below it.

“And just what is this monstrosity?” Computer asked. It was the first thing he had spoken since entering the room. It appeared that some of his bravado had returned now that Jenna wasn't focusing solely on him for the moment.

“Yer a machine guy so I bet yer gonna love this!” She laughed. “I'm a bit of an inventor m'self! I slaved over this dern thing fer months! Finally got it workin' a few weeks ago! Believe it or not, it's a coffee machine!”

Computer blinked. “Coffee?” He asked.

Apparently his fear of romance could not override his love of coffee. He inched a bit closer to the machine to get a better look at it. Jenna couldn't have been anymore delighted. If Courage didn't know any better, he could have sworn that he saw hearts in her eyes.

“It's crude.” She admitted to her new 'friend'. “Prolly nuttin' like the things you city folk see from day to day, but I hope ya like it. I made it to help ol' granny out. It uses her secret recipe and keeps her from havin' to make it herself! It converts all that nasty swamp water into the best dern coffee around!”

“Well, what are you waiting for! Show it to me!” Computer spoke, eager to try this 'swamp coffee' out.

Courage glanced over at Stump who was once again glaring viciously at the glowing dog. When he realized that he was being looked at, he let out a huff and walked away. He flopped down onto a doggy bed situated near the backdoor and watched Jenna from there.

Speaking of which, Jenna was already firing the strange machine up. Puffs of smoke radiated from it and it made a weird whirring sound, but soon a thick, black substance was winding its way through the tubes and down towards the main chamber. She then turned a valve and a nasty, brownish, black mud slowly slid out of the faucet and into the cup. The 'swamp coffee' didn't even smell all that good for how gross it looked.

Computer immediately grabbed the cup and down the muddy coffee in a few quick gulps. Courage had to fight back the urge to gag. Surely it wasn't any good?

“Well, how is it?” Jenna asked.

Though Courage had been certain that even someone like Computer wouldn't have enjoyed the nasty sludge, he instead grinned and exclaimed. “This is indeed the best coffee I've ever tried! You have no idea how much I've been missing caffeine ever since we got stuck out here!”

Courage shook his head in disbelief.

“You wanna try some too?” Jenna offered him. He winced and shook his head once more.

“Forget about him.” Computer chuckled. “He's too much of a simpleton to have the refined tastes necessary to enjoy coffee.”

Jenna let out a wistful sigh and almost seemed to swoon “Oh, darli'n, you have such a way with words. Don't stop talkin'. I love hearin' all that fancy speak.”

Computer's eyes widened in horror and he let his cup clatter to the floor. He immediately rushed to safety behind Courage yet again. This only caused Jenna to laugh with joy.

“Oh, you really are a shy one, aintcha? It's so adorable!”

“I-I am NOT shy!” He argued, only peering out from behind Courage just long enough to say that.

“Here,” She offered, grabbing the cup and pouring him another round of 'swamp' coffee. “I'll even tell ya granny's secret recipe if you stop bein' so shy.”

Courage, biting back a laugh, stepped aside and left his friend standing out in the open. The glowing dog looked just about ready to murder him but relented when Jenna knelt down to hand him the cup of coffee. He glanced up at it for a moment and then looked away, partly embarrassed and partly trying to reject her. It was no use though, she instead reach down and in a kindly gesture, place it into his paws. His face once again turned bright red.

“There, now let's get upstairs and I can show ya the rest of the house.” The flirty grizzly bear spoke, giving him another toothy grin.

He shook his head, trembling somewhat as he did so. “I-I think I'd prefer to stay down here and content myself with this coffee.” He grabbed Courage and pushed him forward with one paw. “H-have fun you two!” He nervously laughed, whipping around as fast as he could and seating himself at the table.

Jenna blinked. “Dontcha wanna see where yer gonna be sleepin'?”

“Uh, n-no, not really.” He answered without turning back around.

“If ya say so.” She replied with a shrug. “We'll be back in a little bit. C'mon, Stump!” She gestured towards the shaggy dog and he couldn't have looked happier to have Computer out of his fur. He trotted up beside the grizzly bear with his tail wagging.

Before leaving, Courage tapped the glowing dog on the back and he twisted around in his chair. “What do you want, you unhelpful ingrate!” He huffed.

“Don't fall in love while we're gone!” He joked, making a kissy face to which Computer rolled his eyes.

“You truly are unbearable!”

End Of Chapter


	16. Unbearable Bear Problems

Chapter 16: Unbearable Bear Problems

Jenna's tour of the upper levels of the house went without issue. Just like how it had been downstairs, everything seemed bigger than normal to accommodate the massive grizzly bears that dwelt there. Courage was surprised to see though that the Bear family only had one surprisingly small bathroom in the whole house. Jenna was quick to warn him that it often turned into a war zone in the mornings and that if he needed to pee after waking up, he was probably better off holding it in. Papa had apparently been planning to add a few extra toilets to the house, but hadn't gotten a chance to get around to it. Though they did have an outhouse, for reasons that Jenna wouldn't go into, none of them dared to use it anymore. The only hint she gave was that her grandpappy had lost his 'buns' in the 'incident'.

The entire third floor of the house was dedicated exclusively to guest rooms. They were needed for the massive family reunions that happened every couple of years. There were six in total with each holding anywhere between three to five beds, depending on the size of said beds. The room Courage and Computer were going to be sleeping in had four. The beds in question were king sized when it came to what humans were used to, but they were practically giant sized for a dog. Muriel and Eustace had their own bed that was equally as massive as these, and Courage knew for a fact that even with them there, he had always had plenty of room to snuggle in between them. Knowing that he was going to have a bed that big all to himself seemed kind of lonely. Given how things were going for Computer, he was probably going to get dragged off to Jenna's room for the night and that meant Courage's stay was likely to become even more lonely. Perhaps he'd have to rescue his friend from his terrible fate if that was what it came down to.

Speaking of Computer, the only problem that Courage was having with Jenna's tour was that she would not stop asking questions about him. As much as he enjoyed teasing his friend, the questions that the infatuated bear were throwing at him were ones that he didn't feel at liberty to answer. The few brief answers he did give to her practically had the bear fluttering through the air in joyous glee. It was just starting to get to the point of annoying him when they finally reached the last staircase leading up into the attic.

“It's gonna be supper soon so we should prolly finish this up.” Jenna spoke, gesturing at him to go up the staircase. He suspected that she just wanted to get this over with so that she could get back to swooning over Computer in person.

He let out a weak sigh and climbed up the first few steps. All this walking around and going up staircases was seriously tiring him out. All the walking he and Computer had done today wasn't helping either. The strain that it was putting on his body couldn't possibly be good for his health and he was seriously beginning to worry that he'd have an attack soon. For Computer's sake, he hoped that he wouldn't end up getting knocked out for several days again. He'd probably wake up to Computer and Jenna getting married if he subjected his hapless friend to a whole week of these bears all by himself.

The attic turned out to be nothing like what he was expecting. On both the left and right sides there were several bookshelves filled to the brim with, well, books. Cutting down the middle of the room were two rows of desks, five on each side. At the other end of the room stood a stage with a podium set up and a large, circular window sat above it, shining in orange light from the setting sun.

“Papa's always made sure that we get proper schoolin'.” Jenna answered his unspoken question. She glided past with Stump on her heels. “He's never taken kindly ta uneducated fools.”

Courage looked on in amazement. These bears just kept surprising him. He had expected a bunch of swamp dwellers to be a pack of illiterate idiots, but these bears certainly weren't anything like that. A little bit weird and hillbilly like, yes, but far from stupid.

“Only Jr. and Dale are bein' taught right now.” Jenna went on. “But it was a right good riot in here when me, Bubba, and the twins were bein' taught.”

She made her way up to the podium, Stump still trailing behind her. He was suddenly keeping very close to her, even more so than he had already been doing. Courage followed after them and climbed up onto the stage too. He looked up at the podium and gasped. Sitting there was one of the most strange and yet beautiful books he had ever seen. It was outlined with gold trimming that sparkled in the sunlight. The trimming weaved onto the cover to make an unusual and intricate pattern like no other. Purple, blue, and white colors filled the gaps between the gold trimmings, giving it an almost regal appearance. It had no title, and as far as it could be seen, the patterns running across its cover wasn't meant to be anything other than decoration. Courage wanted nothing more than to reach up, grab it, and find out what could possibly be held inside of its pages that would justify it having been made to be so beautiful. Why on earth did a family of bears have a book that looked more like it was meant to be in the library of a king?

Jenna took the book off the pedestal. “This is-”

She was cut off by several loud, angry barks from Stump. He continued to growl until she placed it back down.

“Oh, Stump.” She sighed before clearing her throat and continuing. “This is one mystery of a book, yes indeed. Stump brought it in from the swamp a couple of years ago. He ain't one to let anyone touch it though. I guess he considers it his own personal treasure. I can't blame him fer being protective, it looks like somethin' you'd find in an emperor’s palace.”

Courage nodded in agreement. The way that the book sparkled in the sunlight almost seemed to give it a mystical quality. It was difficult to tear one's eyes away. Courage practically felt entranced by the thing. He shook his head and turned away when he noticed the hateful glare Stump was giving him. He dare not mess with the book while its guardian was around.

“Let's go on back downstairs.” Jenna trilled, gleeful to get back to Computer. “I've shown ya just about everything there is ta show!”

He was all but dragged all the way back down into the kitchen by the impatient bear. Jenna couldn't have moved any faster and displayed a level of speed that nobody would have expected out of a grizzly bear. Computer was still at the table when they arrived, downing what had to be at least his twentieth cup of coffee. He let out a hapless groan when Jenna started to eye him up.

The grizzly bear practically jumped clean over the table to get to him. When she sat down in the chair beside him, he transferred himself over to the next chair in line. It was no use though, the flirty bear simply kept following him until he finally gave up. They now sat almost elbow to elbow and the expression that remained upon Computer's face was one of sheer annoyance.

And thus the slew of questions began all over again. The bear seemed to never run out of things to ask and many of her questions were of the kind that Computer had no answer for. A machine with only a second hand knowledge of how the organic world worked couldn't exactly explain what city life was like.

Courage had made himself comfortable on the opposite side of the table. He was just glad to be off of his feet for a little while. Now he'd have a chance to regain at least a little bit of his strength. He was so hungry at this point that it only helped to make him feel even more tired.

“You know, “ He told Jenna. “Compute jumped off the Empire State Building once.”

She gave a startled exclamation and turned towards the glowing dog. “Why'd ya do that fer?”

He gulped his muddy swamp coffee and answered rather simply with, “Because I wanted to.”

“Well, what was it like?” She continued to probe.

He took another gulp and shrugged. “Windy.” Was his only answer. He couldn't have sounded anymore unenthusiastic about this conversation if he tried.

“So, Courage calls ya Compute then?” She giggled. “I think that's a perfectly cute nickname fer ya, Compute.”

The glowing dog nearly choked on his gulp of coffee. “Don't call me that!” He hissed. “I don't even like it when he calls me that!”

Jenna laughed. “Yer so funny! I like ya a lot, Compute. Yer just the shyest, cutest, fancy talkin', glowin' fellow I ever did meet.”

Computer shifted around in his chair rather uncomfortably, looking about as tense as he ever had. “I-I am not any of those things!” He tried to argue.

“Ya know what? How about we turn dinner tonight into a date?” The flirty grizzly bear went on.

“WHAT?” He yelped. “N-no! How about we don't? I-I'm not, I don't-”

He continued to stammer out half formed sentences to which Jenna only laughed.

“C'mon now! Don't be shy! It's like daddy says, we grizzly bears don't bite!”

“It might be a nice learning experience, Compute.” Courage giggled.

“Absolutely not!” He exclaimed, standing up in his chair. “I will not date anyone under any circumstances, understand? Both of you need to stop teaming up against me!”

“Yer gonna have so much fun, darli'n. I'm gonna make this date one yer never gonna ferget!”

Computer slapped his forehead. “Does 'no' mean 'yes' to you or something?” He huffed. “It's like everything I say passes right through you!”

Jenna giggled as though he had just told her a joke.

“Ugh...” He groaned. “Fine! If no means yes then how about this? Yes, I do want to go on a date with you!”

The flirty grizzly bear let out a whoop of joy and scooped him up into a crushing hug. “I knew you'd come around eventually, ya silly little, glowin' ball of shyness!”

Another muffled groan emanated from the hapless, crushed dog.

End Of Chapter


	17. On The Issue Of Love

Chapter 17: On The Issue Of Love

Full twilight had fallen upon the swamp by the time supper was ready. Only a dull orange remained on the horizon of what had once been daylight. Papa Grizzly was the one who had tromped into the kitchen to let his guests know that dinner was cooked up and ready to be served. They exited through the kitchen's backdoor and were greeted by a massive cooking fire out in the middle of the backyard. Huge logs had been moved to encircle the fire so that everyone had a place to sit.

As soon as he got over there, Computer made an effort to sit at the end of one of the logs, all while forcing Courage to sit beside him, thus insuring that there was no room for Jenna. Unfortunately, this did not deter the love-struck grizzly bear at all. She simply sat down beside him anyway, forcing Courage to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed. Though she did apologize afterwords, it was obvious that she had meant to do what she did.

Courage decided to settle in on the other side of the log, ignoring the pleading glances that Computer kept giving him from behind his grizzly bear admirer's back. It wasn't like there was much that could be done anyway. Jenna was dead set on going through with this 'date' whether either dog wanted it or not.

Papa Grizzly came around with plates filled with food. The moment he was handed his plate, Courage grimaced as he stared down at an assortment of frog legs, frog eyes, and roasted squirrel. He couldn't help but look into the unseeing eyes of some poor frog and feel his stomach lurch uncomfortably. Perhaps he would rather go hungry after all. As much as his stomach was begging for food, he didn't think he could chew a pair of slimy eyeballs between his teeth without throwing up.

Computer, of course, was scarfing down dinner by the mouthfuls. Papa Grizzly almost couldn't keep up with his ravenous appetite, although Courage was fairly certain that he was intentionally trying to keep his mouth full so that he wouldn't have to talk to Jenna.

Stump, much to Courage's surprise, wasn't anywhere near his beloved grizzly bear. He was keeping his distance and sitting closer to the house, but despite that, he never seemed to take his eyes off of Computer. The hateful expression he held spoke all the words that needed to be said. Courage was a bit glad that they'd be leaving tomorrow before Stump could take any action against his hated rival.

“Yer not eating.” Came Papa Grizzly's voice.

Courage turned back around to find the massive grizzly bear standing over him, sizing him up with a quizzical expression. Courage grinned and shoved a piece of roasted squirrel into his mouth, since that was the only thing on his plate that seemed even remotely eatable. He quickly swallowed it without even taking the time to chew.

Desperate to get Papa Grizzly's attention onto something else, he asked, “So, uh, why is Stump called Stump anyway?”

Papa Grizzly frowned and waved a dismissive paw towards the shaggy dog. “It's a name that gets passed down from father ta son. Ol' Stump here has never done anythi'n to earn his name though! When my great, great, great granpappy was first scoutin' out fer a place to live in this here swamp, an alligator attacked him. Just when he thought he was a goner, a stray dog jumped outta seemingly nowhere and fought the alligator off, but not before it took one of his legs. Grandpappy adopted em' and named him Stump after his missin' leg.”

Computer leaned forward so that he could look past Jenna. “Alligators?” He asked. “There's alligators in this swamp?”

“Yessir!” Papa Grizzly laughed. “I'll admit, I was pretty surprised to come across the two of ya ta begin with! I would have thought that the alligators would have long since made a meal out of two dogs flounderin' around in the water!”

There was a clang as Computer's plate slid onto the ground. “Wait, so w-we almost got eaten b-by a-alligators?” He stammered.

“'Fraid so!” Papa laughed. “Didn'tcha see them eying you two up in the distance? They always wait to attack when ya least expect it. Always gotta keep yer eyes open out there or else you'll end up like great grandpa Stump!”

Courage and Computer exchanged fearful glances. Part of Courage seriously hoped that Papa Grizzly was just pulling their leg with a tall tale. He was almost certain that he had not seen a single hint of an alligator out there, and yet-

The rest of their dinner went without issue. The Bear Family chatted amongst themselves while Jenna tried get a proper 'dating' conversation going with Computer. Courage was more or less left to himself, which he was partly glad for because nobody noticed that he wasn't eating, but on the other hand, it was a bit lonely. Poor Computer was still chowing down on frogs and squirrels to avoid continuing any sort of conversation with Jenna, but even he was starting to look full despite his seemingly endless stomach.

After failing to get the date to go anywhere, Jenna let up a little bit with the conversations she was trying to have, to which Computer looked relieved. Only a single frog leg remained on his plate and he turned away from the flirting grizzly bear to eat it in peace. Courage was the only one to bear witness to the event that occurred next. As Computer picked up the leg and opened his mouth to eat it, Jenna slowly reached a paw down to clasp one of his own. His eyes widened in horror when their paws met and he sucked in a surprised gasp of air, accidentally inhaling the frog leg with it. He immediately clutched his throat, unable to get a single word out. It took only a few second to realize that he was choking on the frog leg. It must have gotten jammed into his throat.

Courage leaped off of the log to go help him as his friend too also slid down the log and onto the ground, still struggling between sheer panic and attempts to get air into his lungs. Jenna was already on it long before Courage was able to get to his side though. She forced him to lay down onto the ground and then balled her paw up into a fist. Courage winced as he watched her punch Computer clean in the stomach with every last bit of force a grizzly bear could manage. She'd probably just broken every last bone in the poor machine's torso, but the frog leg did come out. It exited the choking dog's mouth with such speed that it was flung high into the trees and vanished into the night.

Computer coughed and sputtered for several moments as he took in every last breath of air that he could manage, and even though it clearly wasn't needed, Jenna grabbed his head, screamed, “LIVE!” and proceeded to kiss...er, 'administer' CPR on him.

Several flailing limbs later and she finally removed her lips from the struggling dog. He immediately crawled away from the campfire, looking more than just a little traumatized. Courage, feeling pretty bad about all of this, went after him and found him huddled up beneath a tree, eyes wide and trembling.

“Er, are you going to be okay?” He asked.

The glowing dog continued to stare, wide eyed, at nothing in particular. The only reply he gave was, “I'm _never_ eating again!”

…............

Both Courage and Computer stepped into the guest room, Computer slamming the door behind them and deftly locking it.

“If she knocks, don't open it!” He exclaimed. “Actually, don't open the door for any reason! She'd find a way to sneak in, I'm sure! And if she tries to climb in through the window-” He stopped halfway through that sentence and shuddered. “L-let's just hope that doesn't happen.” He gulped.

After having bid the Bear family goodnight, and after somehow managing to avoid Jenna in the process, they had made it up to the guest bedroom without incident. Both of them were more than just a little tired and perfectly ready to sleep off a day's worth of exhaustion.

Computer hobbled over to a bed and climbed up onto. “Can't we just leave now instead of waiting until tomorrow?” He complained. “I think I'd rather fight off the alligators than endure another moment of that bear.” He flopped down onto the bed and pulled the pillow up over his head.

Courage climbed up after him. “You know, you really are really, ' _really'_ bad at the whole romance thing.”

“I'd like to see you do better!” Came his muffled voice from under the pillow. “And it's not like I was built for any of this nonsense to begin with!”

Courage chuckled. “Well, maybe if you wouldn't fall apart every time you're shown even the slightest bit of affection, you'd be doing a little better...and you wouldn't accidentally be inhaling frog legs either.”

The glowing dog sat up, letting the pillow fall away. “Excuse me?” He huffed. “You're officially more single than I am right now! You have no place to be giving me romance advice, especially when you've never dated anyone in your entire life! And for the record, I don't like that bear even slightly! I'd rather be bad at this nonsense than continue with these nightmarish mating rituals! Besides,” He went on, turning away. “I seriously doubt that I can fall in love in the first place!”

Courage blinked, somewhat surprised that he would say such a thing. “And why is that? You're able to do and feel everything else a person is capable of, so why wouldn't you be able to fall in love?”

He shook his head rather regretfully, as though he'd rather not bring up such a topic. “Masculine personality or not, at the end of the day, I'm still neither male nor female, and I'm not this dog either, I'm just controlling him. I can see through his eyes and feel what he feels, but I'm still just a stranger inside this meat brain. There is a disconnect that I cannot overcome. Besides, the whole point of love is to find a suitable partner and then make more of yourself, but I'm not capable of reproduction. Even if I knew how to build another machine with sentience like myself, I wouldn't need a partner for such a thing. Love is not a necessary function for a machine like me and thus it is out of my grasp. It's nothing like how I had to learn how to be more human or how to fake emotions for the sake of better interacting with the people outside of my screen.” He shook his head. “I was not programmed for such things and I think I'd prefer to keep it that way. Why would a flesh creature even want to partner with a machine masquerading as a dog anyway? One that is dying for starters and one that cannot reproduce, thus negating the whole point of love in the first place. If Jenna knew the truth, she wouldn't be so keen on what she's doing now.”

Courage gave him an empathetic smile. “You've always got to look at these things from a machine perspective, huh? How about you start thinking with your human side? Love isn't just about reproduction. There's plenty of people out there who don't have children or can't have children to begin with. Lot's of people get together just because they love each other, not because they want kids. I'm pretty sure love goes a lot deeper than what you're thinking, Compute.”

“Coming from a dog who's never dated once in his life?” The glowing dog grumbled out in reply.

“As a flesh creature who's been living in this flesh creature world for as long as I've been alive, I think I have a little more experience on this topic than a machine who's been stuck up in an attic for who knows how long.”

“If you say so.” He dismissed with a sigh. “But I'm still not hooking up with a grizzly bear!”

Almost as if on cue, there were several loud knocks on the door. Computer cringed as Jenna's muffled voice reached his and Courage's ears.

“You in there, darli'n?” She asked.

“Why won't that bear leave me alone!” He hissed out in a low whisper, teeth grit.

“C'mon out, dear! My boyfriend shouldn't be hidin' from little ol' me.”

“Boyfriend?” Computer exclaimed. He jumped off the bed and went over to the door. “Woman! I've only just met you like three hours ago! Don't you think you're taking this romance thing a little too fast?”

“Don't be gettin' all shy on me now, darli'n. We gotta finish up this date since you almost choked to death before.”

“Do you not hear a word that I say?” He yelled, pressing his muzzle up against the door. “This five second relationship is over! Now go away so that I can get a decent night's worth of rest!”

Jenna giggled. “Oh, you are always such a kidder! Stop makin' silly jokes and come out here!”

There was a thump as Computer slammed his forehead up against the door....

“I give up...” He sighed, walking back over to the bed. He climbed up and flopped his head down onto the pillow. “Wake me up if she breaks the door down or something.”

Courage jumped off the bed and made himself comfortable in the one beside Computer's. He was forced to listen to Jenna's continuous attempts to get Computer's attention until she finally gave up about ten minutes later. He hoped that she wasn't actually planning on climbing up through the window after all.

He snuggled himself in, enjoying the oversized yet warm blankets. “It's nice to have a bed to sleep on for a change, isn't it Compute?” He sleepily sighed out.

He didn't get a response as Computer had already fallen fast asleep himself. He glanced over at the exhausted dog and smiled. Sometimes he couldn't help but admire his friend. It really should have been expected that he'd have such a mechanical outlook on love. Maybe there would come a day where he really would fall in love with someone and Courage hoped that it would happen. He wanted his friend to be happy.

Come to think of it, he'd never thought too much about romance either, especially when it came to himself. Computer's various quips had gotten him thinking though. He'd never really been attracted to anyone, not that there were many animals around Nowhere for him to take notice of. Living on a farm in the middle of Nowhere meant that he didn't exactly meet a whole lot of new people to begin with. Well, people who weren't out to harm him or his family. He'd never really had a chance to find a person to fall in love with. There had been that female dog who had helped him out after they escaped from the veterinarian office, but Computer was right, there had been something off about her. Though he had practically been entranced by her at the time, now whenever he thought back to it, something about her really creeped him out. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about her that seemed so strange, but even now he couldn't help but get an eerie feeling every time he thought about her.

He gave Computer one last glance before closing his eyes. Hopefully neither of them would be plagued by nightmares tonight and they'd finally have a chance to get some decent sleep for a change. If it came down to it, they could probably find a way to hang the dream catcher up on the wall if the need arose.

With a yawn, Courage almost immediately fell asleep.

…..............

In a surprising turn of events, the only dreams Courage had were good ones. He awoke with a stretch and slowly stood up...only to let out a startled cry when he realized that Jenna was standing beside Computer's bed with a tray in her paws.

“Uh, C-Computer?” He spoke, trying to wake his friend up.

The glowing dog opened his eyes, looked around, and practically jumped out of his skin when he too noticed that his admirer was standing right there beside him.

“I made ya breakfast!” The grizzly bear happily announced.

“H-how on earth did you get in here?” He asked, glancing over at the open door.

She raised a paw and displayed one of her long claws. “I picked the lock.”

Then, without letting him get another word in, she placed the tray down onto his lap. Aside from the bacon and eggs, the tray also held a pancake in the shape of a heart....

Computer stared. “I'm not hungry...” He muttered out, completely and utterly unenthusiastic. He shook his head and asked, “Wait, so just how long have you been standing there anyway?”

She gave him a big, toothy grin and slowly leaned in closer. “Alllll night...”

With that Computer flung the blanket off of himself, taking the tray it, and hopped out of bed. “O-kay, I may not know a thing about romance, but even I can see that this is officially veering off into creepy stalker territory. This is where I call it quits. Me and Courage are just going to leave now and it was _not_ nice knowing you!”

He went over to Courage's bed and practically dragged him out of it. Jenna simply stared at the two of them in confusion. Courage honestly felt a little bad for her, despite everything.

“Er, sorry about your breakfast.” He tried to say, but Computer was already pulling him out the door.

“Let's hurry up and find Papa Grizzly before my stalker girlfriend can decide to go and do something drastic.” He said as soon as they were out of earshot of the dejected grizzly bear.

“Y-yeah,” Courage agreed. “He's got to be getting ready to leave by now. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

As they reached the final flight of stairs, they heard the heavy footsteps of Jenna following after them. They raced down into the living room and made their way out the front door. When they went over to Papa Grizzly's truck, they found the hood standing open and the bear himself hunched over it.

“Is something wrong with the truck?” Computer asked.

“I'm sorry ta say so, but yes. Gimme an afternoon and I'll have her up and runnin' again. It just ain't safe ta go out into the swamp without her.”

Jenna came running up beside the two dogs. “So they're stayin' a little while longer?” She asked.

“Yes indeed.” Papa Grizzly answered. “It looks like some critter got into the engine last night and seriously messed it up.”

Judging by the large claw marks raked across the engine, Courage was almost certain that this was a deliberate attempt at sabotage in order to keep them from leaving....

Jenna threw her paws up into the air and let out a whoop of joy. “YES!”

Computer in turn let out a frustrated groan. “Son of a-” He huffed under his breath. Hanging his head, he slowly walked past Courage. “If you need me, I'll be drowning myself in the swamp.” He sighed.

Jenna gleefully bounced after him.

End Of Chapter


	18. The Book

Chapter 18: The Book

With Computer currently 'occupied', and with little else for him to do, Courage took to wandering about the Bear family's house. He'd run into one of the bears every once in awhile, but they were too busy with their daily tasks to really strike up any conversation with him. He was just starting to consider going back to the guest room to take a nap when a better thought struck him. With everyone so busy right now, what was stopping him from going up into the attic where he could get a better look at that book? The only problem was Stump, who he hadn't seen since last night. The shaggy dog had, for whatever reason, stopped trailing behind Jenna everywhere she went.

Resolute in his desire, he tip toed up into the attic, keeping an eye out for both the Bears and Stump. It appeared that the way was clear however as the attic was deserted. He made sure to check every corner just to make sure that Stump wasn't waiting to sneak up on him though. The book itself remained where it had been yesterday, sitting atop the podium looking like a king among peasants. Courage honestly could not get over just how regal it looked. It seemed almost otherworldly to him, like it wasn't actually made out of any earthly materials.

He climbed up onto the stage and pulled a chair over to the podium so that he could reach the book more easily. Though he did want to know what was inside the book, he was already bracing himself for disappointment as he figured that the words inside were probably written in an ancient language that only someone like Computer would be able to translate. Sucking in a breath, he picked the book up and was surprised to find that it was exceedingly light. The thing was almost as big as he was and it was equally as thick too, though its weight could have easily been compared to that of a feather. He immediately opened it up, fearing that Stump would come walking in at any moment, and was just as surprised to find that the words inside were English. Well, no, perhaps not. It seemed that as his eyes fell upon each letter, it would shift into a shape that he knew and could read.

Then, as he was attempting to figure out what had been written on the page he had opened up to, he got the shock of his life.

“A new person seeks the knowledge held inside of my pages? I am quite surprised, if I do say so myself. You are one of the few people to have sought me out ever since I was brought to this place.”

A clear, brisk voice was speaking from within the book. Startled, Courage let out a cry of surprise and accidentally dropped the book onto the floor. For a moment he could have sworn that it was Computer speaking to him, but the voice coming out of the book was quite a bit higher pitched and somehow...more snooty sounding.

“Y-you can talk?” He stammered out when the book did not speak up again. He was too stunned at the moment to reach down and pick it back up.

“Your best friend is a talking computer and yet _'I'_ surprise you?” It quipped. Its voice was still as clear as if someone was actually standing there, despite the fact that it was now laying page down on the floor.

Courage swallowed. “How do you know that?”

“I know everything!” It proudly announced.

…........

Computer was seriously beginning to consider finding the nearest tree and just bashing his head into it over and over again until it knocked him out cold. That grizzly bear would just not leave him alone! And she would not shut up either! He was currently sitting outside the Bear house, watching Papa Grizzly work on the truck, as he attempted to tune out Jenna's endless 'flirty' chatter. He had long since gotten past the whole embarrassment phase of this relationship and now it was just annoying him to the point of where drowning himself really was starting to look like a better option than this.

“Since yer bein' all shy again, I'm gonna go get ya summtin' that I know will getcha talkin' to me again.” Jenna said as she stood up and straighten out her dress just before turning to leave.

Computer, having not registered a single word that she had said, could not have been any happier to see her go back inside. Hopefully whatever she was doing would take her a little while. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case. She soon returned with a cup of coffee in her paws.

“Here,” She offered, trying to hand him the cup. “Fer my little darlin'.”

Computer stared. “Have you given me any reason to believe that you haven't spiked that with something?”

Thankfully, he was saved when Courage came crashing out the door, panting for breath as he did so.

“Computer! You've gotta come see this!” He gasped.

More than a little glad to have an excuse to get away from Jenna for a little while, he told the bear that he'd be back in a bit and she mercifully did not follow after him. As soon as he and Courage were inside, he asked,

“What's with all the rush? Don't tire yourself out when we're just about to leave. Wait,” He skipped a beat as a terrible thought passed through his mind. “Please don't tell me that you've found out these guys are secret cultist or something. Are they about to sacrifice us to their evil god and the whole truck being broken thing is just a way to keep us here until they're ready to do the deed?”

Courage shook his head. “No, no! It isn't anything like that! C'mon, I'll show you!”

The dog raced up the staircase, beckoning at him to follow. He had to fight the urge to tell him to slow down, lest he aggravate his condition, but now he was curious to find out what had gotten his friend so worked up.

Courage led him upstairs to the guest room that they had slept in overnight. Once inside, the pup slammed the door and locked it before turning back around.

“Look!” He exclaimed, pointing over to one of the nearest beds.

On it lay and unusually ornate book. Computer was surprised to see such a beautiful object in a nasty, backwater place like this. It looked like it belonged in a museum, or in some crazy hobbyist’s collection.

“That's quite a strange book you've found.” He commented, taking a few steps closer. “Where on earth did you come across something like that? Surly those bears don't keep something like this around?”

“They do!” Courage laughed, walking past him and climbing up onto the bed. “I found it in the attic before. Actually, Jenna showed it to me yesterday, but Stump wouldn't let me get near it so I had to wait until he was gone to pick it up.”

Computer climbed up into the bed after him. “How can they keep what's obviously a rare and valuable book up in a dusty, old attic like that?”

Courage opened the book and a voice immediately spoke up. “I agree! A great and powerful book such as myself deserves far better than a dark and damp attic to dwell in!”

“It talks!” He exclaimed. For a moment he couldn't even believe what he had heard and thought that maybe he had gone insane. He'd sooner believe that Jenna really had driven him mad.

“Oh, what is this?” The book huffed. “Even the talking computer is surprised by the talking book! I don't believe this!”

He blinked down at the apparently sentient bundle of paper. “How on earth could you possibly know that?”

“I know everything!” It answered in an obnoxiously 'snooty' tone.

Courage grinned. “I've found your long lost brother, Compute!” He laughed.

“Brother?” The book exclaimed. “Unlikely! That hunk of junk standing before you is yet another bastardization of life, no doubt! The product of yet another fool who decided that they wanted to play god! I've been in the possession of several such fools and they all came to regret their creations!”

Computer raised an eyebrow. “Gee, thanks.”

“Unlike me, of course.” The book drawled. “I was crafted through many carefully placed spells and enchantments. I was made to be the best book ever bound after all. Everything that has ever been written is contained inside my pages. From the greatest spells ever invented to the simplest cooking recipes put down on paper. I can recall them all.”

“Uh, yeah,” Computer replied. “I hate to break it to you but there is this thing called the internet now. Just about everything that's ever existed is on it and then some. You're obsolete.”

“Ha! Coming from you!” The book chuckled. “You're as dumb as a brick when you're not hooked up to that monstrosity of information! You're an outdated, ugly, oversized machine! One that guzzles down electricity like a teenaged girl guzzles down ice cream after she's been dumped at a prom! Hahaha!”

Computer stared. “This book is just a tad obnoxious, don't you think?” He asked Courage.

The dog shook his head and laughed. “You don't have any right to talk.”

“I was never _'this'_ bad.”

“Oh yes you were.”

“Look at me!” The box exclaimed. “I'm still the most beautiful book ever crafted even after thousands of years and yet here you are, a dinged up, outdated piece of junk that's running around in a body that isn't even your own!”

With a shrug, Computer let out a huff. “If you're trying to get a rise out of me, it's not working. As if I'd ever be bothered by such juvenile insults coming from a prehistoric book that doesn't even realize that it's more outdated than I am!”

“Coming from one of the most insecure beings I've ever had the displeasure of coming across? Don't make me laugh! I bet you're going to cry yourself to sleep tonight, wimpy!”

Computer grit his teeth. “You know what? If you're so smart and if you actually know everything like you say then why don't you tell me where I come from and why I can't remember anything?”

“Oh, I certainly do know where you come from. It's right here, locked away in one of my pages, but I'd never actually tell you! Hahaha!”

What had started out as mild annoyance was now turning into genuine anger. Gripping the bed with his paws, he hissed out to Courage, “Dog, go get me a lighter.”

“Don't go getting any bright ideas, you brainless pile of microchips! I don't burn as easily as any old regular book!”

“Well, we'll just have to see how much fire it takes until you do burn, you overgrown paper cut!”

“Shall I give you a hint since your memory is so bad? I'd hate to spoil the whole story when there's so much drama to be had!”

Even though he really didn't want to give the book anymore reason to gloat, he relented to its mocking, if only to get some idea of what knowledge it held about his past. “Alright, tell me what you know.”

“You are a horrible successor!” It giggled, as though it had just told some hilarious joke that only it understood.

“What?” He exclaimed. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”

“Ah, but perhaps calling you a successor is too strong of a word. You were an accident after all! Hahaha!”

Computer ripped the book out of Courage's paws. “Enough with the cryptic nonsense!” He yelled, shaking the giggling book with all of his might. “You're going to tell me everything you know about my past! I want the whole story!”

“My pages are sealed!” The book cackled. “You won't get any information out of me that I'm not willing to give!”

Frustrated, he tossed the book back to Courage. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get anything useful out of that smart ass paperweight, and he equally knew that any other attempts to convince the thing to give up its secrets would only result in more mocking from it. It just wasn't worth letting that thing goad him anymore than it already was.

“Have fun with your stupid book!” He spat out at Courage, coming off as a lot more spiteful towards his friend than he had meant to. Regardless, he slipped off the bed and stomped out of the room, glad to get as far away from that book as possible.

A successor? An accident? What did it all mean? There was just no way to figure it out without more information to go off of. What the book had spoken about meant nothing without any actual context to go along with it. If anything, it had only made him more confused than he already was.

“That was what it was probably going for.” He grumbled out under his breath.

He stomped downstairs, grinding his teeth together as he went. He was already thinking of all the awful things he could do to that stupid book to get it to talk. If it had all the answers to the mysteries that plagued him then this was too good of an opportunity to pass up just because it was being stubborn. He'd find a way to get his past out of the book, somehow.

As he reached the end of the staircase leading down into the living room, he was unhappy to find that Jenna was already there, having been about to go up the staircase herself.

“There ya are!” She gasped. “I was wonderin' what was takin' ya so long.”

In no mood to deal Jenna's antics right now, he walked right past her. All he wanted at the moment was to get some coffee, preferably a cup that he could be certain hadn't been tampered with by a loved crazed bear, and also some time to think about all the nonsense that had just been piled onto him. To think, he and Courage had actually come across a sentient book in a place like this! While it certainly felt like he should be a little more exited to have come across another 'living' object like himself, regardless of its attitude, it honestly wasn't all that unimaginable to him.

While certainly rare, objects enchanted with sentience are a known phenomenon. Many warlocks practically mass produced them back in the dark ages. Computer had come across the information in one of his many searches on the supernatural for Courage. He had taken a particular interest in the topic for obvious reasons, but he was almost certain that he was not an enchanted object himself. There were many telltale signs one could look for that proved if the object in question had been enchanted, aside from the obvious fact that it could talk, and though he had looked for such signs in himself, he had never come across any evidence that magic was responsible for his existence. Give him another computer that was alive without any enchantments and maybe then he'd find it a little more interesting.

“Where ya goin'?” Jenna called out, rushing up beside him before he could make his escape into the kitchen. He tried to ignore her, but it was hopeless. “Ya know, I've been thinkin' a bit. We should get married before ya go.”

This, of course, stopped him in his tracks. “Excuse me?” He asked, slowly turning around to face her.

“Let's get married before ya leave!” She exclaimed. “Then I can come wit ya and I'll finally be able leave this swamp forever! We're meant to be together, you and I!”

“Yeah, no.” He answered, turning back around without another word.

Jenna began to quaver. “It's fate that yer here! We're soul mates, darlin'! Ya can't deny it!”

“I'm not marrying a grizzly bear, thank you very much, or anyone else for the matter!” He exclaimed before finally making it to the kitchen. Thankfully, Jenna didn't follow after him. He could only hope that this meant he had successfully blown her off.

“I've just got to make it a little while longer and we'll soon be leaving this godforsaken swamp.” He whispered to himself.

Marriage? With a grizzly bear? As if he'd ever go along with something like that! How stupid! Although, much to his surprise, the thing she'd said about soul mates was honestly starting to make him think a bit. He understood the concept somewhat. Flesh creatures were all made to have a second half in the form of another person, and they weren't considered complete without them. He'd downloaded enough movies to have at least a basic understanding of all that mushy stuff, but the question was still an obvious one. Was he not whole without all that romance nonsense? He'd never considered such a thing before as he had always assumed that he was exempt from such a human matter. If he could not fall in love, if he was not of any real gender, and if he was not an organic being, would he even have a soul mate then? Was he not outside the process?

Perhaps he'd consult Courage about the topic later, although he suspected that the dog knew as little about such matters as he did. He truly was surprised at how much this was all suddenly bothering him though. Could he really not fall in love as it seemed to him? If Courage was right about one thing it was that, even as a machine, he was perfectly capable of experiencing every other emotion. The thought of falling in love was still an unpleasant one to him, but if he was planning on getting as much of the human experience down on this trip then perhaps it would be worth at least trying to find this supposed soul mate that every living being apparently had.

That, of course, brought on any even more horrible thought. What if Jenna really _'was'_ his soul mate? He could not bear to consider such a possibility and he'd gladly never fall in love if that were the case!

End Of Chapter


	19. The Challenge

Chapter 19: The Challenge

Successor...

The word continued to take up the majority of Computer's thoughts as he sat at the table drinking coffee. To whom or what was he meant to be the successor of? If only he could find a way around the corruption of his memory banks, all the answers would finally be revealed. It seemed so strange to him that it was almost impossible for him to forget anything, no matter how many times he tried to delete it, but if a memory found a way to become corrupted outside of his influence, it became impossible for him to recall, despite his seemingly infallible memory. Of course, ever since he had jumped into this dog body it seemed that his memory was as fallible, if not worse than most flesh creatures. He chalked it up to the dog's inferior brain with which he was forced to dwell in and the fact that flesh creature memory was not the greatest to begin with.

“But how can I possibly lose certain memories to corruption when I normally cannot forget anything in the first place?” He whispered to himself. “There must be a way to get myself to remember.”

The majority of his memory bank corruption came from back during a time that he obviously could no longer remember. It seemed to have happened rather rapidly, and if he were to describe the damage in human terms, the area looked like a massive scorch mark to him. It was as if it had been hit by a huge surge of electricity, causing unrepairable damage. The rest of his missing memory could be attributed to 'Him'. The damage was characterized by the obvious claw marks that raked across his memory. Though 'His' damage was relatively minor compared to the rest of the corruption, due to the fact that 'He' would restore a backup whenever the damage became too great, some of the continual memory loss could also be blamed upon the endless system degradation and all the effort that was required to keep it running. His near death back at Nina's place had lost him several of his memories because of such issues.

“I need to find a way to remember before-” He clutched his cup of coffee as hard as he could, as though it would alleviate some of his frustration. “before it's too late.” He shook his head and sighed. “I'm running out of time. Memory loss will be the least of my concerns soon enough.”

And of course, the thought of their journey almost being over with sunk his spirits even harder than any of his lost memory was. There was still so much he wanted to do, to try, and yet-

“Bah!” He spat, slamming the cup down onto the table. “I can't just go and change my mind on this! Courage's life is too important! I've always known how this was meant to end and I can't lose my nerve now! Especially not over my own selfish desires! What good would it do me to experience more of the flesh creature world if it results in Courage's death? I have to put what he needs above what I want! There's no point in having regrets or being selfish when I'm living on borrowed time to begin with!”

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, it just wasn't enough to quell his unhappiness. He was left feeling much too depressed for his tastes and thus continued trying to convince himself that everything was going to be alright, somehow. There was still a little time left for him to experience the rest of the human world. As long as it didn't involve another hiking trip, he'd find a way to enjoy it. There was no point in agonizing himself over the extra time that he was never going to get. He'd just have to find a way to make do with what remained.

“At least there's that dumb book now.” He sighed, closing his eyes at the headache the mere thought of that book brought on. “And there's certainly enough time to get some answers out of it. I'll find a way to get it to talk, no matter what it takes.”

Well, that was at least one thing to cheer him up, not that he was looking forward to the snarky battles that would no doubt ensue in his quest to get the book to give up its information. He wasn't even sure if Courage was planning on taking the book with them, as it would technically be stealing from the Bear family, but he figured that he could probably find a way to convince the dog to go through with it. A chance to find out about his past was too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if it meant doing something a little unsavory in the process. It didn't seem like the Bears were going to miss the book much anyway if they were uncaring enough to leave it sitting unguarded up in the attic. While Computer did not like the book even slightly, he did sympathize with the unpleasant conditions it had been forced to live in. He knew all too well what it was like being stuck in an attic.

Having had his fill of the 'swamp' coffee, he set out to see how the truck repairs were coming along. As he made his way outside, he came to a stop when Grandma Grizzly came shuffling by.

“I heard the good news!” She said to him, giddy with joy. She was beaming down at him as though she had turned back into a little girl. Like the rest of her family, she was able to sport a massive grin, though she lacked the unpleasantly sharp teeth that the rest of them had due to the fact that only her gums remained. It was not unlike Eustace and his own toothless smiles.

Computer raised an eyebrow. “What good news?”

The ancient grizzly bear ignored the question. “I'll bake the cake fer ya! I ain't gone so blind that I'd miss bakin' a proper cake fer my granddaughter’s weddin'!”

“W-wedding?” He choked out. He almost couldn't believe his ears. Though he did try to find the words to protest, he just couldn't spit any of them out. His mind couldn't process how this had somehow happened. Hadn't he explicitly said no to the marriage thing? What had changed in such a short amount of time?

“I need ta go dig out an ol' recipe book that my grandma's grandma wrote about cake bakin'!” Grandma Grizzly exclaimed. “Don'tcha worry, little guy! I'll have perfect miniatures of you and Jenna made ta put on the top of it!” She then shuffled off into the house as fast as her old legs would take her.

Computer just stood there, too stunned to process any of this. Finally, it all hit him at once.

“S-she...she did NOT-” He exclaimed, suddenly so furious that he was ready to go give that bear a real piece of his mind. He didn't care what he would have to do or say but he was going to make his obnoxious, love-crazed grizzly bear of a 'girlfriend' call this apparent wedding off. He already had more than enough unpleasant things that he wanted to say to her and if it required getting forceful then so be it! He was NOT getting married to anyone! _Especially_ not her!

He didn't have to go looking for the bear either. A quick glance over at where the truck was sitting revealed to him that Papa Grizzly was stomping his way across the yard with Jenna trailing several steps behind him.

Relief struck Computer, as it appeared that his salvation had arrived. He raced forward to meet the two bears halfway, but once he got there he suddenly found Papa Grizzly looming over him like a mountain. He had barely gotten the sentence, 'Is the truck finally fixed?' out before a massive paw reached down and wrapped around him. Before he even knew what was going on, he was suddenly nose to nose with a very angry Papa Grizzly, who's once toothy grin was now a toothy _snarl_. Computer was so much smaller in comparison to him that the bear's paw was easily able to encompass his whole body. Only his head was free of Papa Grizzly's iron grip.

The bear's entire body trembled with rage. He poked a claw at Computer and in his fury yelled, “YOU!”

Computer, of course, was once again too stunned to find any words to speak. He was still having a very hard time trying to process all of this insanity.

Papa Grizzly's claw came within mere centimeters of his nose. “You've been tryin' ta woo my daughter without my permission, haven't you, city boy? You been usin' all that fancy talk to charm yer way into her heart!”

“W-what?” He finally managed to squeak out. His eyes remained focused on the bear's massive claws, which were almost twice as long as his muzzle and head combined. Papa Grizzly was more than capable of ripping his face off, or impaling him, or just outright squeezing him to death until his head popped off like a balloon...

“She told me that you proposed ta her! You have no idea how much trouble yer in, city boy! I don't take kindly ta slimy, fancy talkin' fools sneakin' around behind my back and dottin' on my daughter without comin' ta me first!”

Computer, having finally had more than enough of this, said, “For goodness sake, I do NOT want to marry a grizzly bear, especially not _her_! Whatever she said to you, it's a load of-” He wasn't able to finish his sentence as Papa Grizzly's paw was slowly constricting around his body so tightly that it seemed to press all the air out of his lungs.

“You callin' my daughter ugly, city boy?” He asked in a deathly quiet tone.

“W-what, n-no, no, of course not!” Computer choked out, huffing for what little breath he could get through his crushed airways. “I mean, s-she's obviously the p-pinnacle of b-bear beauty! L-look at those claws, a-and ripping, shredding teeth, a-and c-crushing g-grip, now please s-stop squeezing t-the life out of m-me!” He looked over to find Jenna, of course, swooning over all the compliments.

“Ugh...” He groaned, turning his eyes back onto Papa Grizzly. “Kill me now.”

The oversized bear seemed to have calmed down somewhat, as he wasn't working to pulverize every bone in Computer's body anymore, but anger still seethed behind his controlled expression. “Well then, city boy. Ya seem to think yer worthy of my daughter, but I don't see no scrawny, radioactive dog providin' for her like a proper bear! There's only one way we're gonna settle this and we're gonna settle it like real men!” A toothy grin spread out across his face, one that was far more malicious than any he had given before. “I challenge you to a mud wrestlin' match, city boy! I'm gonna rough you up real good 'cause ain't no wimpy dog marryin' my daughter!”

End Of Chapter


	20. Bear Brawl

Chapter 20: Bear Brawl

Regardless of what Computer wanted, and no matter how hard he tried to get it through Papa Grizzly's thick skull that he didn't want to get married or fight for the right to do so, he was taken over to a pit in the backyard where the two bear twins were already wetting the mud down into a sloppy mess. He was left sitting there upon Papa Grizzly releasing him from his iron grip and could only watch in stunned dismay as his doom was being made for him right before his very eyes. Papa Grizzly continued to give him seething, hateful glares every chance he got as he dug wooden pikes into the ground to help establish a 'ring' around the mud pit. After finishing that up, he wove a rope across the pikes to close the ring off.

With a sneer, he pointed a claw at Computer and said, “You got five minutes ta figure out what yer gonna do, city boy. You'd better put up a halfway decent fight before I pummel ya into the ground!” He then turned and stomped back over to the house.

As soon as Papa Grizzly was out of sight, the twins saddled up beside Computer, both sharing a mixed expression of excitement and confusion. They obviously couldn't understand why a puny dog had dared to invoke their father's wrath.

It took Computer a moment to remember their names. They were Billy Joe and Billy John, though which one was Joe and which one was John was beyond him. He dare not ask for clarification either, lest he end up with two _more_ bears angry with him.

“Yer gonna need this.” One of the twins said, plopping a medium sized cooking pot down onto his head.

“Wha...how is this going to help?” He asked, pushing the pot upwards because it had fallen over his eyes.

“Protection!” The two bears exclaimed in unison.

“Riiight,” He huffed. “I'll remember that while he's beating the rest of me into a pile of mush, but hey, at least my head will be alright!”

The twins exchanged glanced. “Trust us, yer gonna want that. Ya see, Jenna always gets smitten with every new guy who comes along. Papa always sets 'em straight, but it puts him into a right good rage. The last time he fought one of Jenna's new boyfriends, he ripped his skull out and beat 'em to death with it!”

Computer stared. “That...doesn't seem physically possible.”

The two bears exchanged glances again. “That's what he said....as Papa was beating 'em to death with it!”

“Ugh, is there something wrong with the water here?” Computer finally groaned. “Because either there's something wrong with my brain or there's something wrong with everybody else's around here.”

Papa Grizzly then came stomping back into view with the rest of the Bear family following close behind him, aside from Jenna herself. It appeared that he had gathered everyone up to watch the 'whoopin' that was about to go down, though neither Courage nor Stump appeared to have been invited. Computer was certain that Courage was still upstairs with the book but who knew were that dumb, shaggy Stump character had wandered off to.

With his lips peeled back in a sharp, toothy sneer, Papa Grizzly soundlessly hoisted Computer up by the scruff of his neck, nearly causing him to lose his 'helmet' in the process, and tossed him into the mud pit where he landed with a 'splat'. The bear then leaped over the ring himself and landed so heavily into the mud that it brought up a moderately sized wave that splashed over Computer and splattered most of the captivated audience with flecks of the mud.

Computer slowly got up onto his feet, painfully aware of the mountain sized grizzly bear that was leering down at him with murderous intent. He took a step back, hoping to put some distance between him and Papa Grizzly, only to slip and land face first into the mud all over again.

That was enough to send Papa Grizzly into an uproar of laughter. Nobody moved an inch as he stood there for several long moments just laughing. The sound of it seemed to carry all throughout the swamp.

“Ya know, yer so pathetic that I almost feel bad givin' what I'm about ta do ta ya. It don't seem like much of a fair fight, but then again, I gotta knock it into yer head that you ain't worthy of my little Jenna!”

“Combatants ready?” One of the bears called out. Computer didn't care to identify who as he shakily got back up onto his feet for a second time.

The only advantage he had over Papa Grizzly was speed and maneuverability, both of which were next to useless in this thick, slippery mud. He was nothing more than a sitting duck right now waiting to be pulverized into duck soup.

“THREE!”

Papa Grizzly leered down at him with that ever murderous grin. The bear shuffled from one foot to the other in anticipation, the mud's slipperiness clearly having no effect upon him.

“TWO!”

Computer picked the pot up off of his head and tossed it away. The only good it was doing him was getting in the way of his eyes and he needed to avoid any distractions if he were to have any hope of escaping this alive, not that the odds were looking particularly good to begin with. All Papa Grizzly had to do was lean forward, grab him by the neck, squeeze, and that would be the end of him long before this match even began. He had no real way of besting the grizzly bear, not while he was stuck in this weak excuse of a dog body. There really was only thing that he could do to ensure that he would live to see tomorrow....

“ONE!”

Papa Grizzly took his eyes off of Computer just long enough to crack his neck, and then with a heavy exhaling of breath, leaned forward slightly so that he was ready to charge the moment the signal was given.

“FIGHT!”

Moving at lightning speeds and sliding the whole way, Computer ducked under the ropes encircling the mud pit and escaped long before Papa Grizzly even had a chance to catch up with him. He didn't dare look back as he made a mad dash towards the house, hoping to either get to Courage or at the very least find a place to hide.

“CITY BOY!” Papa Grizzly's voice boomed.

He looked back to find that the enraged grizzly bear was _charging_ after him like he had turned into a bull. He was kicking up a massive cloud of dirt behind him as he did so. Never once in Computer's life had he suspected that a bear could move so fast!

It was no good. Papa Grizzly was already dangerously close to overtaking him. He'd never make it to the house in time. He instead took a hard turn right, over to where the truck stood. He was hoping to escape deeper into the swamp where maybe the abundance of trees and muddy water would be enough to slow the grizzly bear down and perhaps then he'd be able to....

….Wait.

The truck!

In this place where machinery might as well be water in a desert, the truck was the only weapon he had against Papa Grizzly!

Reaching for his power, he tried to will the truck to life, and at first it only sputtered uselessly. For a moment he was convinced that it hadn't been repaired well enough to start up, but then with a little more force, it roared to life and he immediately gunned it towards Papa Grizzly.

The bear stopped in his tracks, momentarily stunned to see that his truck was moving without anyone inside. Though Computer had it speeding so fast that it would have mowed down any human twice over, Papa Grizzly simply reached his paws out and stopped the deadly missile in its tracks. The truck's wheels spun deeper and deeper into the ground, but the angry bear was easily able to hold it into place. With an incredible yell, he slowly but surely began to pick the truck up off the ground until he had the whole thing raised triumphantly over his head. Panting for breath, he once again glared down at Computer with that same murderous gleam in his eyes.

...And then he threw the truck at him.

“Oh, come on!” Computer exclaimed, scrambling to get out of the way.

The truck crashed into the ground with an enormous clatter. All four of its wheels were sent flying in different directions. Computer had just barely managed to get out of its trajectory just as it was turned into an inert pile of scrap. He had no hopes of using it for anything now, much less a weapon against Papa Grizzly.

He continued his mad dash towards the trees, though Papa Grizzly was still keeping dangerously close behind him. His mind raced as he continued to try and figure out a way to either escape or somehow best Papa Grizzly. He considered climbing up into a tree, but then he figured that bears were probably good at climbing too.

He finally reached the dense line of trees and upon making his way inside, he began to zig-zag between the trunks in erratic patterns until he was certain that he had lost Papa Grizzly. Thoroughly exhausted, he collapsed behind a tree trunk where he was certain that nobody coming from the Bear family's property would be able to see him. He wasn't too terribly far into the swamp, as the ground was still quite firm and there was no signs of that awful, mucky swamp water. If Papa Grizzly had actually followed him inside, he wasn't making very much sound and that didn't seem right given his hulking size and currently enraged disposition. He would have certainly been pulling every tree out of the ground in an effort to-

...Computer jumped when he heard a soft ' _chink'_ and looked up to find two pairs of claws digging into the bark just above his head....

Papa Grizzly slowly leaned his head in from around the other side of the tree trunk, his grit teeth gleaming dangerously in the sparse light. “Ya can't hide from me, city boy!” He growled in a low voice.

...Apparently hulking bears _were_ capable of being stealthy...

Computer immediately took off running again, this time angling back towards the Bear family's property. Though he'd gladly deal with the alligators over Papa Grizzly, he feared that if he went too far into the swamp the mud would only act to hinder him and would slow him down to the point of where he'd make easy bear chow. His best bet would be to get to the house and find Courage. If anyone could calm down Papa Grizzly, it would be him. He was the one with the ability to befriend nearly everyone after all, so maybe he would be able to put that talent to use and stop the raging grizzly bear.

“YOU AIN'T ESCAPING THIS TIME, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE ANKLE BITER!” Papa Grizzly screamed.

Computer looked back only once to see the bear ripping the tree he had been hiding behind right out of its roots. He ducked for cover as Papa Grizzly swung it like a bat and knocked all the trees around them to the ground like they had been made out of the most flimsiest of paper.

“Just my luck!” He huffed as he crawled away on all fours. “Could have had any superpower in the world, but nooo, I get stuck with the _nerdy_ superpower that's completely useless against an angry grizzly bear!”

Just as he managed to make it back behind a line of trees, Papa Grizzly swung his newly found 'bat' again and eliminated his cover. He continued crawling onward regardless of the devastation going on all around him because if he didn't there would soon be enough of a clearing for Papa Grizzly to squash him like a bug.

“Telekinesis! That would have been an amazing superpower to have!” He complained.

_**WHAM!** _

“Pyromancy! I would have gladly enjoyed burning things to death with my mind!”

_**BLAM!** _

“I would have even settled for super strength!”

_**CER-THUNK!** _

“Teleportation!

_**CRASH!** _

“Invulnerability! Invisibility! I don't care! Either would have worked!”

Still crawling away at lightning speeds, he managed to escape the forest just as Papa Grizzly finished 'cutting' his own way through it. Getting back up onto his feet, he bolted for the house as fast his rapidly tiring legs would take him.

There was a loud crash as an entire tree landed mere inches beside him. He was so stunned by its sudden appearance that he ran right into its branches without even noticing. Quickly untangling himself, he looked back over to where Papa Grizzly had been standing and found that the bear was getting ready to lob another tree at him. With a sigh that was partly out of annoyance and partly out of exhaustion, he took off running once more. His only hope was that Courage would be able to resolve this mess and perhaps that wasn't the best hope to have.

…..........

Courage had continued to talk with the book even after it had caused Computer to leave in a huff. He had no intentions of stealing the book from the Bear family so he wanted to get as much information out of it before they left this place. Though he did try to get on its good side so that it might be more willing to give up its information about Computer's past, no amount of appealing to its ego had been enough to overcome its extreme dislike of Computer and its desire to keep his past a secret. Now, at Courage's request, it had gone into a long-winded, overly dramatic retelling of its creation and the life it had lived in the dark ages under the 'employment' of many warlocks and long forgotten kings.

Having figured that it was nowhere near at the end of its tale, Courage had dared to take the book down into the kitchen where he could get something to eat while it talked. Thankfully the Bear family seemed to have all gone somewhere else for the time being as he had not run into even one of them. This spared him from having to make up excuses for why he had their book, though he did suspect that they probably wouldn't mind very much, aside from Stump who he still hadn't caught a glimpse of since yesterday. Perhaps it was because of the fact that the book was sentient that Stump was so protective of it. Surely he must have opened it up at least once and discovered the egotistical personality inside. Well, Courage wasn't doing it any harm so he figured that maybe Stump would lighten up a little bit if he were to ever find out that the book had temporary been taken off its pedestal.

He now sat at that overly long table in the kitchen, munching on a piece of bread as the book dramatized its encounter with some famous, long dead wizard that had apparently been the 'real' first person to discover electricity. Though Courage had wanted something a little more filling than bread for lunch, a quick look in the fridge had revealed to him that the only food the Bears kept stocked were the same strange sort of meals like frog eyes and squirrels meat. A single loaf of bread had been the only normal food that he could find.

“And as the Dark Lord of the East did rise,” The book boomed. “He looked upon my pages one last-”

It was cut off by a loud bang as Computer came crashing into the room. He was wide eyed and nearly covered head to toe in mud. Gasping for breath, he immediately turned around and slammed the door shut behind him.

“That bear is trying to murder me!” He exclaimed, nearly collapsing on the spot.

Courage gave him a confused look. “What? Why? And, er, which bear?”

“There's no time!” He yelped. “It won't be long before he gets here and if we don't do something to calm him down, he'll skin me alive!”

“You actually ran away?” The book gleefully butted in. “Ha! What a coward!”

“How do you even know what the heck is going on?” Computer demanded, still partly out of breath. “And for your information, I'd rather be a coward who lives to see tomorrow than an idiot who's being mauled by a grizzly bear!”

“How many times must I explain myself? I know everything, you brainless piece of machinery! Besides, the solution to your problem is a simple one, just take this beating and you won't have to get married!”

“Married?” Courage asked, his confusion growing.

“Yes, married!” Computer huffed. “That stupid stalker of a bear blackmailed me and now her father wants me dead!”

“Well, why don't you use your power on him?” Courage suggested. “You seemed pretty keen on beating down practically everyone else before.”

Computer's outrage only grew. “There isn't a single piece of civilized technology to be found in this awful place! Hardly any metal either! I'd gladly throw the fridge at him if I could, but the thing is so outdated that I can barely sense its components, much less the metal its wrapped up in!”

“I'm telling you,” The book broke in. “Just let the grizzly bear maul you and everyone wins! I get to have fun watching and you don't have to get married!”

“I am NOT letting that bear maul me and I'm especially not getting married to Jenna either!”

“Well that is obvious.” The book smugly replied. “There's no way you're going to take down her father so marriage is clearly out of the question. You should just accept your embarrassingly pathetic fate.”

Practically on cue, the kitchen door swung open with a loud bang, startling both dogs. Papa Grizzly stalked his way inside and he immediately leered down at Computer as a massive smile spread out across his face. He then pointed a claw at him and screamed, “FOUND YA!” before taking a few menacing steps forward. “I knew ya weren't gonna get very far before I caught up with ya and now you ain't got nowhere to go. It's time ta meet yer maker, city boy!”

“Courage, do something!” Computer whispered out between grit teeth.

“I-I can try.” He offered, hopping out of his seat to step between the hulking grizzly bear and the nearly panicking Computer.

Clearing his throat, he tried to say, “Aru aburu-” only to have Papa Grizzly knock him to the side with a single swipe of his claws.

“Stay outta this, little doggy. I ain't got no beef with you.” He growled, stomping forward unhindered.

“Ugh, you have GOT to be kidding me!” Computer groaned, slapping his forehead as he did so. “Alright, so what do I do now? Give up and play dead?”

Papa Grizzly continued to stomp forward at an agonizingly slow place. Still grinning like a maniac, he opened his mouth and let lose a ground shaking, grizzly bear roar. The whole house nearly shook off of its already shaky foundation.

“Hahaha!” The book laughed from atop the table. “This is the funniest thing I've seen in centuries!”

Without a moments hesitation, Computer swiped the book off the table, its outraged protests all but mute to his ears, and threw it at Papa Grizzly. Much to his dismay, as he had been expecting something more along the lines of a magical explosion, it instead bounced harmlessly off the enraged bear's head, like any normal book would.

“How dare you!” It shrieked as it fell to the floor.

“Yeah...I have no idea why I thought that would work.” He uttered out. The only response he got from Papa Grizzly was a swift punch in the gut that almost sent him flying. He hit the ground head first, and despite the fact that the punch had knocked the wind out of him, he immediately scrambled back up onto his feet before Papa Grizzly could finish him off.

“You ain't got nowhere else ta run, city boy.” The bear growled. “If you had fought me like a real man I woulda just roughed you up a little bit, but no, ya had to go runnin' off like a scared little kitten! Ya insulted me, city boy, and now I'm gonna have ta beat some actual manliness into ya!”

“M-manliness?” Computer exclaimed. “I hate to break to you, but I'm technically not male to begin with! There is no manliness to beat into a weird, non-gendered, whatever-the-heck-I-am! Just because I can play the part doesn't mean I'm actually-” He took a step back as Papa Grizzly stalked closer. “A-as you can see, my mind clearly does not become addled by testosterone like, er, you manly men do! You've obviously built up quite a surplus given how it's obviously making you a very angry bear right now!”

He had run out of room to keep backing up. Though he could make an escape by fleeing under the table and then back outside, if anything was certain, Papa Grizzly hadn't even broken a sweat so far and he was obviously more than willing to chase his opponent halfway across the world if he had to. This bear wasn't going to be pacified until he 'dealt' with the wimp who had dared to charm his daughter.

Computer caught a glimpse of Courage peaking out from behind one of Papa Grizzly's legs. The dog mouthed the words, 'What should I do?', and he responded by shaking his head and silently urging him to back off. The last thing he wanted was for Courage to get hurt and he suspected that Papa Grizzly would turn his wrath onto him if he discovered that the dog was trying to interfere for a second time.

Well, this appeared to be it. Computer was more than aware that he couldn't keep running forever, especially if it meant that a bear would be trailing behind him for all of eternity. He could accept his mauling perhaps and hope that maybe it wouldn't end up being as bad as it looked. Either way, things were looking grim.

Just as he was beginning to accept his 'grizzly' fate, the door to the backyard swung open and in jumped Jenna with all the gusto of a superhero about to save a family from a burning building. She pointed a claw at her father and screamed, “YOU AIN'T LAYIN' A FINGER ON MY FIANCE, DADDY!”

“Where on earth have you been all this time?” Computer yelled from across the room. “He's been trying to kill me for like fifteen minutes now!”

Papa Grizzly turned to his daughter with a grunt. “I told ya already, Jenna! I'm gonna rough him up and prove ta ya that he ain't worthy of bein' yer husband!”

“I agree!” Computer interjected. “Erm, minus the mauling part.”

“I wanna marry him, daddy!” Jenna growled. “I won't letcha do to him what you did ta all my other boyfriends! We're gettin' married and you ain't stoppin' us!”

Papa Grizzly's expression darkened to a menacing degree. “Well then, it looks like he ain't the only one I need ta beat some sense into!”

Jenna responded by opening her mouth and letting loose her own ground shaking, grizzly bear roar. With a snarl on her face mirroring her father's, she sailed over the table, landing on the other side with a mighty thud. She immediately charged at her father, forcing both Courage and Computer to scramble out of the way before they could become collateral damage.

“Hey, what about me?” The book exclaimed as both dogs passed it by. Courage was the one to turn around and grab it.

All three of them were given front row seats to the fight. Though they had more than enough room to escape out the backdoor, nobody wanted to miss the outcome of this battle and Computer's apparent marriage.

Both bears were locked in an iron grip, neither able to gain the advantage over the other. It was a bit surprising to see Jenna holding her own against her father when he was so much bigger than her. Though she was quite massive herself, compared to her dad, she was like a dwarf.

Finally they broke grip to start taking swings at one another, though both were easily able to dodge the other. There wasn't much room for them to move but it still didn't stop them swiping their claws at each other with blinding speed. It was as though they were sparring with swords.

Then, as Jenna ducked down to avoid yet another swipe of her father's claws, she dove forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, and with a mighty yell, lifted him up over her head. Perhaps it was the power of love, or perhaps she really was just that strong, but none of her audience could believe what they were seeing. She turned to Computer just long enough to wink at him, then scrunched up her face, yelled one last time, and threw her father down onto the table which immediately cracked in half and collapsed. Despite that, the battle still wasn't over. She threw herself on top of her dazed father's back, grabbed one of his legs and began to pull.

The bear howled in agony, digging his claws into the wooden floor over and over again until finally he yelled, “Okay, okay! You win! Yer free ta marry whoever ya like! I won't stop ya!”

“Yeeees!” She cheered, pumping a fist up into the air.

Papa Grizzly let out a sigh of relief, his leg having been freed. “You fight like yer mother, I'll give ya that.” He reluctantly admitted.

Both dogs and book looked on in stunned silence. Computer in particular stood there with his mouth hanging open. Apparently he 'was' getting married after all.

“Wow,” The book chimed in, breaking the painfully awkward silence. “She's a keeper.”

Computer's response was to grab the book out of Courage's paws and repeatedly bash his forehead up against it.

End Of Chapter


	21. Stuck Between A Rock And A Grizzly Bear

Chapter 21: Stuck Between A Rock And A Grizzly Bear

“I don't want to do this.” Computer said for what must have been the millionth time. It had practically become his mantra since the outcome of his battle with Papa Grizzly nearly two hours ago. He was surprisingly calm, despite what was about to happen. His voice did not convey any fear or panic, just an ever growing exasperation with the situation he was stuck in.

Courage shrugged and glanced over at Grandma Grizzly. She had made them come back up into the guest room they had slept in overnight. She was now shuffling through several boxes that she had pulled out of the closet, apparently looking for something that she would not divulge any information on. That's not to say that she wasn't talking though, in fact, she hadn't stopped talking since she forced them to follow after her. She frankly didn't care if anybody was listening to her or not and her long, rambling, one-sided conversations seemed to have little to do with the here and now and more about ancient history.

“Ah, here we are!” She trilled, pulling out a folded article of clothing from within the box she had been sifting through. It only took her a moment to spread it and the rest of the contents of the box out onto the bed.

It was a tuxedo...

A very worn, dusty, patched up tuxedo that had clearly not been taken care of properly or stored in a way that would preserve it better. What made it all the weirder was that it was perfectly sized for Computer.

“This used ta belong ta ol' uncle Ben.” Grandma Grizzly announced. There was a moment of silence between her and her audience before she continued with, “...He was a very small bear.”

Letting out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a groan, Computer turned to Courage and said yet again, “I really, _really_ don't want to do this.”

“Jenna just wants to get out of this swamp, right?” He answered. “Just get married to her and as soon as we're out of here she can go her own way.”

Annoyance flared in Computer's eyes. “That's easy enough for you to say when you're not the one who's about to be forced into a marriage! What if this is legit? What if she's being serious about this and I'll have to deal with a-a bear _wife_ of all things? We won't be able to shake her off if that's the case, and even though I'm clearly not in love, she seems to think otherwise! Besides, if she's just using this as an excuse to get out of the swamp, I don't care! That's her problem, not my own, and it especially doesn't give her the right to force me into a marriage with her! Somewhere on some book it's going to be written down that I'm legally married to that manipulative bear and I won't stand for it!”

“Oh, don't worry.” The book pipped in. “I most certainly can assure you that your marriage with Jenna will be eternally noted inside my pages.”

Computer grimaced and turned away.

Grandma Grizzly, who had gone on to monologue about ol' uncle Ben, all while nobody in the room was actually listening to her, changed the subject as rapidly as if she hadn't been talking about it at all. She announced that she was going downstairs to spruce the tuxedo up, even though it was very clear that the best thing anyone could do for the tuxedo at this point was to throw it out. Regardless, she started to ramble on about how she was going to patch it up as she slowly shuffled out of the room, once again oblivious to the world around her or to any person that may or may not be listening to her.

As soon as she was gone, Courage went over to the window to see how things were going down on the lawn. Several of the Bears were frantically running to and fro as they worked to set up the stage for the wedding. They had already put out several chairs and a table to put the cake on, but if anyone who didn't know what was going on were to look down at the commotion, they never would have guessed that it was for a wedding. It was Jenna herself who had suggested that they have the wedding as soon as possible so that their 'guests' could get back on their journey and so that she could start her honeymoon with her soon-to-be-husband. Papa Grizzly had been left with no other choice but to go along with her wishes, and despite his reluctance, he had declared that they would be 'wed by sundown', and thus the mad rush began. It was obvious that the ceremony was going to be sparse, given with little time they had to set everything up. Papa Grizzly had gone and sent out several of his children, the ones who were willing to brave the swamp, to gather up their extended family for the 'emergency' wedding. Only now were they returning and each of them seemed to have an entire army of bears behind them.

Computer ambled up beside Courage and winced at the sight below. With yet another sigh, he said, “Well, since it appears that I have no choice but to go through with this, can I ask one favor of you, dog? Promise me that you'll stay up here? I really, really don't want you to watch. It's going to be bad enough already without having to see you snickering in the background through the whole thing.”

Courage turned to him. “What makes you think that I would snicker?”

“Oh, I don't know, it's just the fact that you egged this whole thing on and you've clearly been getting a kick out of it.”

Courage sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I did sort of egg this on, didn't I? At least at first I did, but it's not like I wanted things to get this out of hand. I mean, obviously I wasn't trying to get you mauled by a grizzly bear, or married.” He chuckled. “It's just that you're really funny when you get all flustered.”

“Gee, thanks.” Was his unenthusiastic reply. He continued to stare out the window and watch as his doom unfolded.

“And to think,” Courage went on, unable to conceal his laughter. “I spent most of my life assuming that you would be a master at charming women! It's just so funny! Now I know that if a girl so much as flutters her eyes at you, you stop being able to put words together!”

“Ah, yes, _of course_ the sexless machine that completely avoids romance would be a 'master charmer'.” Computer replied with a roll of his eyes. “You're so dumb that it physically hurts.”

Courage chuckled again. “Sorry!”

“Ugh, I'm going downstairs! They'll probably come looking for me soon anyways so I might as well get this over with!”

He whipped around and made his way towards the door with his head held high. Then, with surprising speed, he suddenly turned very queasy looking. It appeared that the full implications of what was about to happen to him had hit full force. No amount of false bravado was going to save him from this forced marriage or Jenna herself.

He looked back over at Courage. “Uh, dog, how do weddings even work to begin with? I know the basics, of course, but aside from that-” He trailed off all while his expression became more and more dismayed.

Courage shook his head. “It's pretty much just like how it is in movies.”

“T-that's hardly helpful!” He exclaimed. “Oh, whatever! I'll leave it up to that stupid bear to figure everything out since this was her awful idea to begin with!” He turned to leave once more, his huffy attitude apparently having returned.

Courage gave him a sincere, “Good luck!” but the glowing dog made no effort to acknowledge the meager support.

…....

Though at first Computer was able to avoid attracting attention to himself as he watched the Bears continue their frantic rush to get the wedding set up, Grandma Grizzly eventually tracked him down and forced him into that train wreck of a tuxedo. The thing felt as awful to wear as it looked, not to mention it smelled like death itself. He was seriously beginning to wonder if someone had died in it at some point in time and nobody had bothered to wash it since.

Well, at the very least he had the comfort of knowing that Courage wasn't going to see any of this and that spared him the majority of his embarrassment. Of course, it all came down to if the dog was actually going to respect his wishes or not. Normally he wouldn't doubt Courage but given the way things were right now and the dog's unpleasant enjoyment out of all of this, it didn't inspire much confidence.

“At least it can't get much worse than this.” He sighed, attempting to adjust his tie as he did so. Why on earth did it seem to be a tradition for flesh creatures to make their 'fancy' clothing as uncomfortable as possible?

When the crowd of bears became too much to, well, bear, he slowly made his way outside and onto the front lawn. It really did seem like every bear within a ten mile radius was showing up for this wedding. Even the front yard was almost unbearably crowded.

At this point he was seriously starting to consider the possibility of stripping down and running off into the swamp to be eaten by alligators. He'd gladly take being digested by some oversized lizard if that meant he could escape this nightmare. But no, he still had Courage to think about. He would willingly, if somewhat begrudgingly endure Jenna for the rest of their trip if only for the sake of Courage's life. As much as he would prefer to be eaten by alligators, he would not forsake Courage for any reason.

As the crowd grew ever thicker, he was forced to retreat all the way into the backyard. Though there were many bears back there too, it wasn't nearly as crowded...yet. He attempted to find a spot where he could, for the most part, be left alone, but then somebody reached down and picked him up. He expected it to be one of Jenna's relatives who probably wanted to dote on him, but he instead came face to face with Papa Grizzly. His heart involuntarily skipped a beat. This reminded him far too much of how their feud had originally begun.

“City boy....” The oversized grizzly bear growled. His breath smelled all the nastier, proving to Computer that the foul odor coming off the tuxedo hadn't killed his nose yet.

He swallowed and replied with, “Do I, uh, need to sic Jenna on you again?”

Papa Grizzly poked him on the nose with one of his oversized claws, once again reminding him a little too much of the beginning of their fight. “Lemme make this very clear ta ya, city boy. I still don't think yer proper husband material, but it's what my little Jenna wants. Because of that, I'm only gonna give you one warnin'.” He tightened his grip around Computer torso and a snarl widened across his face. “If you do anythin' ta ruin her special day, I'm gonna-” He then opened his mouth and let loose one of his ever terrifying grizzly bear roars.

“I think I get this picture...” Computer weakly answered, his desire to throw himself to the alligators ever growing.

“Good!” Papa Grizzly grunted, letting him fall to the ground. “Can't believe they're lettin' you wear ol' Ben's tuxedo.” He huffed before shaking his head and stomping off.

Things only continued to get worse for Computer. It wasn't long after that unpleasant encounter before Jenna finally found him. She was garbed in her wedding dress and had a group of relatives traveling with her. The majority of them appeared to be female and they all varied in size and age. Some were as old as Grandma Grizzly and a few couldn't have been more than three to four years old. To make matters worse, not all of them seemed particularly thrilled with Jenna's blue, radioactive, 'wimpy' looking dog of a fiance. Computer was finding himself getting more than a few unpleasant stares and they all mirrored Papa Grizzly's own disapproval to an uncomfortable degree.

“Isn't he just the most adorable little thing?” Jenna trilled.

She reached down and picked him up so that she could 'show him off' to her audience. It took a lot of effort on his part not to protest. He had figured that he'd be able to bear this just so long as he largely remained out of the spotlight, but now that he was being forced to 'interact' with the other bears, if it could even be called that, his already thinning patience was nearing its breaking point.

“He's really smart too!” Jenna continued. “And he speaks all fancy-like!”

The bears who didn't approve of him weren't impressed. Much to his annoyance though, the rest of them were absolutely enamored and he was suddenly being barraged with more questions than he had ever been given in his entire life. Perhaps it was a lifetime of largely being left to himself, but he was finding all of this attention and the conversation that came with it overwhelming. He wanted nothing more than to escape these bears and find someplace quiet to hide.

“C'mon, you guys.” Jenna butted in. “We still gotta get some pictures!”

Computer blinked. “Pictures?”

Just how long was he going to have to sit in front of a camera and pretend to smile? He didn't get an answer as Jenna merely took off running back towards the front of the house, carrying him in her arms the whole way. The group of bears followed after her, chatting loudly as they ran.

Once again death by alligator was looking more and more like the preferable option to Computer.

End Of Chapter


	22. And Everything Goes Nuts

Chapter 22: And Everything Goes Nuts

The picture taking Jenna's relatives did seemed to go on for hours, to the point of where Computer became convinced that it would never end. To make matters worse, as soon as that was out of the way he sudden had a whole new group of bears that wanted to meet him. By the time he finally got a few moments to himself he was so exhausted that he had no idea how he was going to survive the rest of this. Nearly getting mauled by Papa Grizzly hadn't even been this stressful.

Trying to find a place to get away from all these bears for even just a little while was proving to be impossible. The entire clearing around the house was packed. Many of the bears were already taking a seat near the stage, but even then there was still just barely enough room for all of them. Computer was finding himself having to dodge giant bear feet that threatened to flatten him like a pancake. He was like an ant stuck in the middle of a sea made out of brown fur that could crush him at any moment.

Thankfully it appeared that Courage was keeping himself upstairs, like he had been asked. Though with this crowd it was perfectly possible that he was somewhere around here and just couldn't be seen. The dog would have had to been a complete idiot to do such a thing though as he easily risked being crushed by an unaware bear.

Computer felt a paw wrap around his torso and he was pulled upwards. Never had he been so grateful to be picked up before. Anything to get away from all that fur and the possibility of being crushed. His savior was, of course, Jenna, who had somehow managed to find him in amongst the ever thickening crowd of bears.

“We need ta get ready.” She said. “Everythin' is all set up.”

He was more than happy to get this over with and Jenna eagerly took him over to a bear who began to explain everything that they needed to do and say during the ceremony, but he had mentally checked out so thoroughly at this point that none of the instructions stuck with him. As far as he was concerned, all that was needed of him was to say 'I do' at some point and then he was going to go find a hole to hide in until all of these damnable bears dispersed. Never once had he thought that he would come to miss the utter silence and complete isolation of his system. He'd give absolutely anything to be left alone right now.

Another twenty minutes passed as everyone took their places. There wasn't even close to enough chairs for all of the bears so many of them were left standing and a few had even climbed up into the trees to watch the ceremony from there. A gap had been left between the chairs to give the bride and groom enough room to walk down, and Jenna, who's excitement had hit a boiling point, picked Computer up yet again and racing down the aisle as fast as she could. Though Computer was almost certain that this probably wasn't how weddings actually went down, he had long since lost the desire to care about it anymore.

He was then plopped down onto the stage where that bear who had given them their instructions was waiting. Jenna bounced up beside him, grinning from ear to ear. The bear then cleared his throat and began a long winded speech about how 'beautiful' the two of them looked together. Computer was certain that he probably looked more like he was ready to murder the next person who looked at him funny. Regardless, the bear droned on and on.

He took a moment to scan the crowd of bears and was more than a little relieved to find that he couldn't see Courage in amongst them. A quick glance up at the windows of the house also proved to him that the dog wasn't watching him from there either. Thank goodness for that. Courage was once again proving that he was a person who could be trusted, for the most part.

“Are you ready to take your vows?” The bear asked, pulling Computer out of his lull.

Jenna nodded vigorously in reply and dropped down onto her knees so that she could be face to face with Computer. Though he made an effort not to look into her eyes, as this was uncomfortable enough already, her face suddenly seemed to encompass everything to the point of where he felt like he had nowhere else to look. She then reached forward and grabbed both of his paws, an action that made him want to do nothing more than wrench them away and dive off the stage, but he knew that doing anything stupid at this point would just get him a mauling from Papa Grizzly. As much as he didn't like any of this, he was just going to have to grin and, ugh, 'bear' it.

“Do you take this dog to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The bear asked.

“I do!” Jenna trilled.

“And do you take this bear to be your lawfully wedded wife?” Computer was asked.

He dared to break his eyes away from Jenna only for a moment to scan the seemingly endless sea of bears watching them. He found Papa Grizzly sitting up front and their eyes involuntary met. The bear's expression was deadly and he ran a single claw across his own neck in what amounted to a painfully obvious threat.

Computer turned back to Jenna. With a heavy sigh, he gave an unenthusiastic answer of, “Ugh...I do.”

The bear bowed his head with a smile and said, “You may now kiss the bride!”

Computer immediately froze. Oh, god. He had completely forgotten about the whole kissing thing and now it was looming over him in the shape of a grizzly bear. Jenna was already puckering up and slowly converging upon him. This, _this_ was where he drew the line. He would not partake in this nasty flesh creature romance ritual. Nothing about locking lips, especially with Jenna, appealed to him. If anything, the thought of it made him want to vomit.

He took a slight step back, but the oversized pair of lips in front of him only continued on their track towards his face. His eyes inadvertently wandered back onto the crowd where he saw Papa Grizzly eagerly hunched forward and ready to pounce at a moments notice. His dread only grew as he realized just how truly trapped he was. If he did not kiss Jenna she would be upset and then she would not protect him from her father's wrath, but on the other hand there was no way that he could possibly go through with this. The mere thought of kissing revolted him to his very core. Nearly all the physical parts of flesh creature romance disgusted him to begin with.

Jenna apparently decided to make the choice for him. She reached a paw forward and placed it behind his head so that she could pull him closer....but before their lips could unwillingly meet, something strange happened to Computer that spared him from their kiss. He heard a pop like someone had punctured a balloon and then everything went dark. The strange darkness wasn't merely an absence of light though. His glow was illuminating the dark 'whatever-the-heck' he was looking at. Blinking several times in confusion, he slowly began to realize what it was.

...The darkness was actually the black color of his patched up tuxedo. Somehow he was inside of it, as though he had shrunk, but how on earth could that have-

He flailed around in an attempt to escape the confines of the tuxedo and soon found an opening though one of the arm holes. Toppling back out into the light, he discovered that he was still on the stage. He looked over to see Jenna staring down at him with an expression that conveyed both pure horror and shock. What really concerned Computer though was that she seemed to have grown twice her size while he was stuck inside the tuxedo. Normally she already towered over him to begin with but this was just ridiculous! Had he really shrunk? But how could that be?

He got his answer when he dared to look down at his own paws. He now sported a pair of five spindly little fingers which very clearly did not mach up with the dog paws he had grown so accustom to. Even more to his dismay, his feet no longer resembled a dog's either. Slowly turning his head around, all while deeply dreading what he was going to find, he discovered that he now had a large, bushy tail that was nearly as long as he was.

Dumbfounded, he turned his eyes onto the stunned bears who were all watching him in complete silence. They all sported the same expression that Jenna was wearing.

Finally, in a massive uproar, they all cried out at the same time, “SQUIRREL!” and then there was a wave of clicking as they all pulled out guns of various sizes from seemingly nowhere. Apparently not a single bear had come to this wedding without arming themselves to the teeth....

...And every last one of them was taking aim at Computer....

…..............

Courage, from atop the bed he was lying on, rolled over onto his back and let out a halfhearted sigh. He was bored out of his mind. Though he had made sure not to watch the wedding going on down below, he had been left with very little else to do while he waited for it to end. He had spent some time talking with the book but there was only so much smug self importance that he could put up with. Computer at his worst didn't even come close to how annoyingly egotistical the book was at all times. While he had also tried to take a few small naps, he just wasn't tired enough to keep sleeping, even with his illness. Now he was stuck staring up at the ceiling, wishing that they'd hurry up with the wedding. He knew that Computer was going to be in a bad mood when he returned so he had taken to brainstorming several different ways with which he could possibly cheer him up. Even if Jenna did end up tagging along with them on their trip, he figured that he'd still be able to get Computer back into a better mood over the course of the next few days, if he put a bit of effort into it.

“Geez, how long can a wedding take?” He complained, rolling over onto his stomach. It didn't help at all that he couldn't even take a peak out there to see what was going on. If Computer were to catch so much as a glimpse of him he knew that he would never hear the end of it from him.

“At this rate we're going to end up stuck here for another night.” He said to himself. “You'd think that Jenna would hurry it up a bit since she's the one who wants to get out of here so ba-” He stopped and let silence fill the room before slowly sitting up.

...What was that?

He could hear a soft yet frantic tapping and it seemed to be coming from over by the window. Curious to figure out what it was, he slid off the bed and made his way over. It quickly became apparent that something was tapping on the glass itself, but he couldn't see what. Was it a bird? No, that couldn't be it. He would be able to see a bird if it was pecking at the glass.

Moving in a little closer, he finally got his answer. A single, tiny finger was peaking out from the bottom leftmost corner of the window and was frantically tapping on the glass. What exactly it belonged to, Courage had no clue.

“Huh?” He queried, craning his head slightly to the side. Figuring that he wasn't going to get to the bottom of this any other way, he pushed the window open.

Moving like a bolt of lightning, a glowing, blue ball of light shot into the room and struck Courage in the chest with such force that he was knocked to the ground.

He barely got a chance to let out a surprised, “Whoa!” before a hail of bullets rained in through the window and imbedded themselves into the ceiling overhead.

He stared at the holes, dumbfounded. It took him a moment to realize that the glowing, blue ball had just saved his life. Had he not been knocked out of the way at least a few of those bullets would have hit him. The creature in question was still sitting on his chest and when he picked his head up to get a better look at it, he came nearly face to face with a blue, glowing squirrel.

He stared at the thing for several long seconds, unable to believe what he was seeing. That couldn't seriously be-

“C-Computer? Is that you?” He asked, making no effort to hide the shock in his voice.

The squirrel nodded, confirming what almost seemed too crazy to believe.

“What the heck happened to you? H-how did you turn into a squirrel? Just what happened with the wedding?”

Computer responded by throwing his tiny arms into the air and began chittering loudly. He proceeded to point vigorously at the window several times all while ranting in squirrel speak and pulling at the fur on top his head. When he was done, he looked up at Courage as though he were expecting a response.

All Courage could do was shake his head and say, “I...uh, have no idea what you just said.”

Computer's eyes widened with surprise, apparently having expected to be understood, and then responded by slapping his forehead in frustration. Chittering something else out in squirrel speak, he looked over at the book, which Courage had left sitting on the bed, and his eyes seemed to ignite with rage. He chittered a few more words and pointed up at it.

“Wait, you think the book did this to you?” Courage asked, trying to puzzle out his meaning.

He nodded again.

“Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to ask. This might be its idea of a practical joke after all.”

Before either of them could get anywhere near the book, the floor began to vibrate with what had to be the collective feet of many bears racing up the hallway. Computer winced and immediately dove under the nearest bed he could get to. Only a small amount of light could be seen under there and hopefully the bears wouldn't be observant enough to notice.

Papa Grizzly was the first to enter the room with several of his relatives close behind, none of which Courage recognized. They were all panting for breath and Jenna could be heard wailing at the top her lungs out in the hallway.

“Dog,” He said in a frantic tone. “Have ya seen a squirrel around here?”

“That squirrel took my husband!” Jenna wailed from out in the hall.

Courage swallowed and shook his head.

Papa Grizzly appeared to take his word for it. “Dontcha worry, little doggy dog. We'll get that squirrel and figure out what it did ta yer friend.”

The bear standing to the left of Papa Grizzly pipped in with, “I'm tellin' ya! That squirrel is practicin' witchcraft! We gotta stop it before it lays a curse on us all! Takin' Jenna's husband was merely a warnin'!”

Papa Grizzly nodded in agreement and turned back to Courage. “If ya see anythin' at all, come get us immediately! We gotta stop that squirrel before it can do more harm!”

The group of bears then left to continue their search, Jenna's wailing steadily fading into the background as they got farther and farther away. As soon as Courage was certain that the coast was clear, he quietly closed the door and waited for Computer to make his reappearance. The squirrel hopped out from under the bed, chittered a few choice words and let out a sigh of relief.

“We really need to get you back to normal before they can find you and turn you into squirrel steaks.”

Computer gave him a look that easily expressed the words, 'You think?' and scurried on over to the bed where the book sat.

“Here, let me help you up.” Courage offered, reaching a paw down to his squirrelified companion.

Computer slapped the paw away and stuck his noise into the air indignantly. He then jumped, grabbed onto the side of the bed, and slowly climbed his way up.

Courage shrugged. “All that work and I could have just put you up there.”

Computer crossed his arms and chittered out what could have only been a huffy insult in response.

They both turned their gaze onto the book, which was sitting there innocently enough. Now it was time to find out if it really was the culprit behind Computer's transformation and Jenna's ruined wedding....

End Of Chapter


	23. Confronting The Culprit

Chapter 23: Confronting The Culprit

Flipping the book open, both dog and squirrel were immediately met with uproarious laughter.

“Pffff...hahaha! What happened to you?”

Computer's entire body shook with rage as he grit his teeth and clenched his tiny fists. He leaped onto the book where he began bouncing up and down, chittering loudly at it in his anger. Courage, once again, was left with no idea what he was saying.

“I didn't turn you into a squirrel.” The book answered Computer's indecipherable speech. “I can't use magic, that should be obvious. I'm just a book after all. Though I must say, your transformation is quite an improvement!”

“Wait, you can understand what he's saying?” Courage asked, having to raise his voice to be heard over Computer's angry chittering.

“What a stupid question to ask! Of course I can! He does have quite a, er, _colorful_ grasp of the squirrel language though.”

“Do you know who did this to him then if it wasn't you?” Courage continued, still having to yell over Computer's chittering.

The book's voice became hesitant. “I...am not allowed to say. I cannot disobey my true master's wishes, and besides, I think I prefer Mr. Machine over here as a squirrel anyway!” It laughed.

Computer stopped bouncing long enough to give the book a murderous glare.

Courage sighed and shook his head. “It's Stump, isn't it?” He asked. “We haven't seen him all day now and it was obvious from the start that he hates Computer. You've been teaching him magic, haven't you? That would explain why he was being so protective of you before.”

The book gave a startled exclamation. “Y-you! You are far too smart for your own good, doggy boy!”

Now it was Courage's turn to give the book a glare. “It was obvious, but that's not what's important. Can you tell us where he is right now?”

“I...cannot...say....” The book all but choked out, as though even speaking those words were a difficult task for it.

Computer let out an angry cry, grabbed one of the book's pages, proceeded to rip it out, and then for reasons that were beyond Courage's understanding, he shoved the paper into his mouth, chewed it up, and swallowed it with a surprisingly uninterested look on his face.

“My pages! My beautiful pages!” The book exclaimed. “How dare you, you feral rodent!”

Computer's response was to grab another page and glare threateningly down at the rest of the book.

“Alright, alright! I'll tell you whatever I know!” It relented. “For goodness sake, it is going to take me ages to regrow that page, you barbarians!” It continued to complain. “Just who do you think you are damaging one of the greatest books ever crafted?”

“Enough!” Courage interjected. “Help us find Stump!”

“I can't tell you where he is because I wouldn't know! I've been with you all this time, you idiot dog! But if I had to hazard a guess, he's probably up in the attic. That is the only place where he ever dares to preform magic. He's always been careful about hiding his 'talent' from those bears and I don't think he'd take any risks now.”

Courage nodded. “Alright, so all we'd have to do then is get him to turn Computer back to normal, right?”

“Listen to me, doggy boy. I have been teaching Stump various forms of magic since the day he pulled me out of the swamp. He may not look it, but he is a very powerful sorcerer. Chipmunk over here is lucky that he didn't do anything worse to him, and I would say that if you try to confront him now, all you're going to do is make him angry. He's been waiting a very long time to make use of his powers and you two are the perfect excuse he needs. Rather than get yourself blown up, how about you let me teach you a way to turn your friend back to normal?”

“Okay, what would I have to do?” Courage asked. “And how long is it goi-”

He was cut off by Computer, who chittered angrily down at the book yet again. He pointed a tiny finger at it, shook his head, and then without so much as even glancing up at Courage, he jumped off the bed and made a beeline for the door.

“Computer? What the heck are you doing?” He called out to him.

“Our squirrely friend doesn't trust me.” The book huffed. “He thinks that I'm going to trick you into turning him into something even worse. He says that he's going to go take care of Stump himself!”

Courage's heart skipped a beat. “Are you kidding me? He's going to get himself killed!” He yelped. “Just why the heck has he been acting so...so impulsive?”

“I can't blame him for going a little, excuse the pun, nuts. He did lose a considerable amount of brain matter upon transforming into a squirrel. I'm afraid that transformation magic has been known to cause a whole host of unwanted side effects. If a wizard does not properly prepare either himself or whoever he wants to transform ahead of time, complete loss of sentience is not unheard of. Stump clearly didn't do this for your friend's benefit so he was more than likely intentionally being sloppy. I suggest you go get squirrel boy back before he can go completely feral or before Stump has a chance to turn him into a smoldering crater. If he isn't changed back to normal soon, he will start to lose more and more of his mental faculties until he truly has become nothing more than a dumb animal.”

Courage bit his lip. “Alright, but I'm taking you with me. You're the only one who can understand what he's saying.”

“Bah! It's not like I would be able to stop you even if I said no! Just hurry up and get moving!”

With the book tucked under his arm, Courage raced down the hallway as fast as his feet would take him. Computer was up ahead, bouncing forward on all fours like an actual squirrel. He was closing in on the attic staircase at a rapid pace, faster than Courage would be able to catch up with him.

“Computer! Stop!” He cried out, but his friend made no effort to acknowledge him.

The book instead tried to get his attention in his own 'unique' way. “Hey, bucktooth! You bounce like a girl, did you know that?”

Still nothing. It was as though Computer could not hear them at all.

“Computer, listen!” Courage yelled. “You're going to turn into a squirrel completely if we don't get you back to normal soon! You have to stop this!”

Computer looked back only once to chitter out a brief reply.

“He says that he's going to force Stump to change him back!” The book translated. “He's not going to let some wimpy wizard have the last laugh or, ugh, let an overgrown paperweight of a book transform him into an amoeba instead!”

“I see now! He wants revenge!” Courage groaned out in reply. “He's always so vengeful to begin with and that squirrel mind must only be making it worse!”

The book called out to Computer one last time in yet another attempt to get him to stop. “I don't know who you think you are, but you're a squirrel right now and he's a wizard! You're not going to win this one, shorty! If anybody will turn you into an amoeba, it's him!”

Computer continued to ignore them both as he bolted up the attic staircase. Even though Courage was already gasping for air, he had no choice but to put on an extra burst of speed to catch up. Just as he reached the staircase himself, Computer had already made it to the top and had managed to jump up onto the doorknob. He swung the door open, chittered something out to Courage, and then jumped inside.

“He told me to tell you to stay there.” The book said. “It appears that he doesn't want to put you in harms way.”

Courage grit his teeth. “Well, he should have thought about that before going up there in the first place!”

He raced up the staircase after his squirrelifed friend and immediately stopped once he reached the top. Computer was already there himself, chittering out an angry speech towards the podium where Stump was standing, just as the book had guessed. Courage never once had seen the shaggy dog stand on two feet for the entire time they had been with the Bears, and yet there he was, standing like a person instead of a dog. His eyes gleamed with clear dislike as he scowled down at the two of them, and then he opened his mouth and began to speak.

“Hmph! I though the Bears would have taken care of you by now!” He spat out at Computer. His voice was surprisingly high pitched, almost obnoxiously high pitched, especially for someone who was supposed to be some big, bad sorcerer. “And you!” He snapped, turning his eyes onto Courage. “I figured that you were the one who had taken the book! Not that it matters much to me! I hardly ever need that old thing anymore anyway, and it's not like you'd be able to do much with it either! It takes years of practice to become even the most novice of wizards and you're dumb enough to begin with!”

Courage tried to be reasonable in hopes that he might be able to get on Stump's good side. “Look, we'll give you back the book and we'll do whatever else you want, but can you please put Computer back to normal?”

Stump almost seemed shocked to be given such a request. “What? Of course not!” He turned his hateful glare back onto Computer. “For years I've been trying to win Jenna's heart but then a fool like you has to show up out of nowhere and take her from me in less than a day! The nerve of you! And I was so certain that Papa Grizzly was going to take care of you too, just like he did with all the others! I knew when he failed that I was going to have to take things into my own paws before you could steal Jenna from me forever!”

Computer slapped both of his paws to his face and chittered out a single line of squirrel-speak.

“Just take her!” The book translated for him.

“This is a big misunderstanding!” Courage added. “He's not in love with Jenna and he didn't want to get married to her in the first place!”

“You can't fool me!” Stump cried out. “He's only singing a new tune now that he's stuck as a squeaky rodent! One that Jenna will never recognize or love!” He pointed a finger at Computer. “You can just go and get eaten by the Bears for all I care! Have them cook you up into squirrel steaks, or better yet, wait a few more hours and let your mind degrade until you won't be able to think about anything except gathering nuts for the rest of your life!”

He then turned his attention back onto Courage. “And as for you...” He went on in a rather cold and calculated tone. “I'm going to have to take care of you too. You know my most guarded secret and I can't have you saying anything to my owners. They cannot be allowed to know what I am capable of until I'm able to make Jenna mine. Papa Grizzly thinks that I'm a useless dog and that I am an insult to my bloodline, but I'll show him! Not only will I win the affection of his daughter but I will also give him a first hand look at just how powerful I have become! Maybe I'll even turn him into a squirrel for it too!”

Finishing up his monologue, he raised a paw and aimed it at Courage. An unpleasant smile spread out across his face as he did so and his paw began to glow a sickly green color.

Unsure of what to do, Courage took a step back. He considered fleeing down the staircase only a few steps behind him, but knowing that Stump had been able to transform Computer even while they were nowhere near each other meant that he had little chance of escaping the spell regardless of where he might run.

Computer immediately jumped in front of Courage, determined to protect him from whatever Stump was cooking up. He chittered out what could have only been a threat and clenched his fist in anticipation. Stump found this utterly amusing.

“Ha! You actually think that you can stop me? You're not even a halfway decent shield! You barely reach up to his knees! Hahaha!”

Computer grit his teeth, enraged once more, and in one incredible leap he seemed to soar across the room at light speeds. His attempt to reach Stump turned out to be futile however. Just as he cleared what little distance was left between the two of them, the color of Stump's magic changed into a wispy white and he came to a screeching halt in midair. He was not frozen though. No, not at all. He could still thrash about as he floated there, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not move even an inch in any direction, not while he was trapped by the spell.

Stump, of course, found his futile struggle to be absolutely hilarious. “Hahaha! You look so stupid! I don't see why you ever went after my dear Jenna when it's clear you're more worried about that stupid, thieving friend of yours! Sorry, you oversized rat, but he's getting dealt with...and so are _you_!”

On that final scathing note, the magic radiating out of Stump's paw turned bright red and Computer suddenly shot upwards. Before he could so much as utter a squeak, he crashed through the ceiling and left a squirrel shaped hole in his wake. A few seconds later and he could be seen once more, this time only as a tiny speck falling back down to earth through the circular window behind Stump. It appeared that he was going to land somewhere inside Papa Grizzly's scrapyard out in the swamp.

“And now on to you...” Stump drawled, triumph clear on his face. His magic turned green once more and Courage could do nothing but brace himself for the worst....

He immediately felt a strange sensation all throughout his body and at first he thought that Stump was either going to melt or vaporize him, but then he began to shrink. The book fell out from under his arm and the floor started to get closer and closer. Before he even knew what was happening, he suddenly couldn't stand upright on his feet anymore and collapsed.

He lay there on his stomach for several minutes, his mind swirling from the strange magic that was changing him on a fundamental level. Finally, the odd feeling coursing through his body began to subside and he could both think and move again without issue. He immediately noticed that his arms had turned green, and no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer stand up onto his feet. When he tried to crawl forward, he became unsettlingly aware of just how ungainly his legs had become. They felt way too long, to the point of where he could barely even do something as simple as crawl. Yet despite all that, he was too afraid to look and see what they had become. He didn't want to know what Stump had turned him into.

Desperate for help, he tried to get the book's attention, but when he opened his mouth to speak, only a deep, throaty 'riiiibit' came out, and he immediately began to panic.

End Of Chapter

A/N: I'm sorry, but in my head, Stump sounds like Scrappy Doo. I can't envision him talking any other way no matter how hard I try LOL. Speaking of voices, I think Jenna would sound like Pearl from Spongebob, only with a hillbilly accent.


	24. Courage The Cowardly Frog

Chapter 24: Courage The Cowardly Frog

A frog.

Stump had turned him into a frog.

He tried to scream but all that came out of his mouth was another deep croak.

“Yes! Another successful spell!” Stump triumphantly declared. “I suggest you get hopping, frog! If one of my owners find you, they'll make a meal out of you before you can even croak for mercy! Don't you worry though, if you survive, in a few hours you won't have much of a mind left anyway and nothing will ever concern you again!”

Courage grimace, but even making an expression like that felt strange in his new body. He looked over at the book and panic welled up inside of him. He needed to take it with him, but he was much too small to even try and pick it up now. It was the only one with the knowledge of how to change him and Computer back to normal and he could not afford to leave it behind. He wasn't sure if Stump would try to stop him, but he had to take the risk.

He took one meager hop forward, which came surprisingly easy, but even with his new found frog instincts he was still badly in need of some practice. His second hop landed him right next to the book, despite his clumsiness. He wrapped his fingers around its spine and tried to pull it closer to the attic door, but it was no use. Another hop and he managed to make it over the top of the book and land on the other side. From there he tried to push it towards the door but it still would only just budge.

“You're in a bit of a pickle, aren't you?” The book quipped. “I see that Stump was successful in 'getting rid of you', but I'm surprised that he went with a frog. Perhaps he wanted to get in touch with his inner witch?”

Courage wanted to tell the book to shut up and actually give him some suggestions on how to get it out of the attic, but his frog voice did now allow for even the smallest sound that might resemble humanoid speech.

Stump regarded his struggle with amusement. “Why are you even trying? That book can't help you! You're not capable of using even the most basic of spells! How will you ever preform the counter-curse needed to change yourself back to normal? You're stuck as a frog from now on so just get used to it!”

Frustrated, Courage inadvertently let out another croak. It was that which caused him to take notice of how strange his tongue felt even as it lay undisturbed in his mouth. As he pushed all the more harder at the book, he was struck with inspiration when he remembered just what frog tongues were capable of.

Unsure if he would be able to do it as easily as a natural-born frog, he tried to channel his transformation induced instincts and forced his long, sticky tongue out of his mouth. He could not shoot it out of his mouth as if he were trying to catch a fly, at least not yet, but it did do what he was hoping for. His tongue stuck to the spine of the book as easily as if it had been covered with glue. He hopped over to the attic door and at first only more of his tongue unraveled from within his mouth, but soon it reached its limit and the book was dragged along with him for every hop he took.

The first few steps of the staircase proved to be an easy challenge to overcome, but that was only because his tongue was so long that the book hadn't been dragged down any steps yet. When he reached the fifth or sixth step, that was enough to pull the book forward and it went tumbling down the staircase, taking him with it. Though he'd been able to dodge the book itself, he hadn't known how to un-stick his tongue and so he became the one who was being dragged as the book thumped down each and every step.

“That was quite a ride.” It commented once they reached the bottom. Courage was just glad that it wasn't complaining for a change.

He let out a croaking groan, and as soon as he was able to move again, he began to drag the book over to the nearest room. There they could discuss a way to put both him and Computer back to normal without running as much of a risk of being discovered by one of the bears. Though the hallway was deserted right now, it wasn't likely to stay that way as the search for Jenna's 'husband' continued.

Once inside, Courage worked to remove his tongue from the book's spine as he waited for it to to give him instructions. He practically had to fight the tongue every step of the way because it not only stuck to his fingers, but now that it was out, it didn't seem to want to go back into his mouth. He simply could not get it to ravel back up again.

“Stump was right about one thing,” The book finally said. “You are in no state to use any spells, especially not as a frog. While magic exists in many forms, the magic that comes from within takes both time and practice to call forth. You have no chance of learning or using even the most basic of counter-curses, at least not in the time that it would take before your mind is lost to the transformation you've undergone. Though this swamp is sorely lacking in most usable forms of magic, especially the kind that can be called fourth through physical means, there is one technique we can fall back upon.”

Courage croaked out a, 'What is it?' in response.

“Stump's obsessive quest to win Jenna's heart has been going on for as long as I've known him. At one point in time he took up potion making as an alternative to magic. Of course, brewing potions is a form of magic all its own that calls forth the innate magical qualities locked inside the ingredients used. However, his attempts at gaining Jenna's affection through potions ended up being about as much of a failure as everything else he's tried. If that bear can be praised for anything, it's that she is remarkably resistant to love potions. While Stump has largely abandoned potion making as of late, he still on some occasions gathers up any rare ingredients that he can find. He wishes to make a stronger love potion in the hopes that it will finally work on Jenna. Lucky for her, he's hit a point where love potions cannot get much stronger without a great deal of exceedingly rare ingredients, and lucky for you, he has several of those ingredients stashed away. They will be needed if you're going to make a potion that is capable of putting you and your friend back to normal.”

Courage nodded vigorously to show that he understood. His tongue felt weird in his mouth as his head bobbed and he was worried that it was going to flop back out after having spent so much time getting it back in there.

“Unfortunately, getting us both to the place where he brews his potions will prove to be difficult, especially with all the bears around. You'd need to get to the back of the house and from there I would be able to guide you the rest of the way.”

Courage nodded again and looked up over at the window. There was no way that he would be able to hop through the house without being seen so the only other option he had was to climb out the window. Of course, this presented two problems. He would not be able to get the window open given his current size, and if he tried to climb down the wall with the book stuck to his tongue, he'd only end up repeating what had happened with the staircase, only with more painful results.

A thought struck him then as he made note of the fact that the window and the door lined up perfectly with each other. He rolled his tongue around in his mouth and considered if this plan would actually work or not. Deciding that it was the best option he had, he stuck his tongue to the book and dragged it over to the door. From there he worked to un-stick it again and once it was free he stuck it to the door frame, but not before checking to make sure there weren't any bears around. He then hopped over to the other side of the door frame and stuck a different section of his tongue to that side as well. Left with only a little tongue left, it was difficult for him to move freely, but regardless, he went over to the book and worked to get his fingers under it. After a considerable amount of effort, he managed to lift one end of the book up high enough that it tipped over onto the tongue-line he had set up.

“Uh, just what are you doing?” The book asked in a wary tone. “I'm not liking the looks of this.”

Courage ignored its comments and stuck some of his renaming tongue onto its back cover. He then hopped into the hallway and his tongue-line became stretched thin enough that he would be able to do exactly what he had been hopping for. He had to work to un-stick his tongue from the book's back cover again, but once he did, it shot forward fast enough that it broke away from the rest of the tongue it had been stuck to. It went flying through the room and hit the window with enough force that it broke. Courage watched the book vanish from sight and he could have cheered. Now all he needed was to get down there himself.

He hopped across the room and made one giant leap up onto the windowsill. He found the book lying in the grass far down below. Thankfully, it appeared that none of the bears had noticed the window breaking or the flying book. Actually, there were very few bears out in the yard right now. They must have moved their search out into the swamp by now.

And thus Courage began his slow and clumsy climb down into the backyard. Every bear that did pass by left him terrified that they would find and take the book, but they were in too much of a hurry to really notice. Once he made it to the bottom, he immediately attached his tongue to the book, ignored its complaining at having being treated so poorly, and hopped past the line of tree that separated the Bear's backyard from the rest of the swamp.

“Hmmm,” The book mused, having gotten over being used in such an 'uncouth' way. “Hop about three times to the left and then five forward. From there you will be able to see...”

The book then guided him until they finally came to a small clearing not far from the Bear's house. In the middle of the clearing lay a huge tree stump covered in moss and mushrooms.

“That is what you are looking for.” The book announced. “The tree stump is a hidden entrance enhanced with magic. You'll find the way into his 'lair' from there. One of those mushrooms has been permanently attached to the stump itself, if you try to pull it out, it will open the way instead.”

Courage hopped over to the stump, dragging the book along with him. He grabbed one of the mushroom but he was able to yank it out with ease. He continued his attack on the mushrooms until he finally found one that wouldn't budge. As if on cue, the stump began to shudder like it were a living creature on the verge of wake up, and then it swung open like a hatch. Beneath it was a large, gaping hole that any dog the size of Stump would have been able to dig out. How far down it went though was impossible to tell.

“Head on in.” The book commanded. “I would love to get this over with as quickly as possible.”

Courage inched closer to hole, and, since he really didn't have any other choice, he slid himself into it. As it turned out, the hole was at more of an angle than it was a sheer drop so it was more like he was going down a slide than falling. When he and the book came to a stop at the bottom, several magical flames immediately lit up, momentarily blinding him. He opened his eyes to find a circular burrow only just tall enough for a dog like himself, if he had actually been a dog at the time, to move around comfortably in.

_'Big enough for Stump but nowhere near big enough for a bear to even stick their head in.'_ Courage thought to himself.

The width of the burrow was just broad enough to hold a single caldron in the center of it along with several narrow shelves that were lined up against the walls. Each shelf held quite a few glass jars, some empty but most filled with various ingredients. Some held things that you would expect to see like herbs, mushrooms, and moss, but others held much stranger items, like what appeared to be a jar filled with nothing but car keys, and even worse, there were a few that held such strange ingredients that Courage didn't even want to know what they were. He was certain that at least one of them was filled with nothing but what looked like tiny brains.

He jumped slightly when there was a sudden ' _swoosh'_ and a fire lit up beneath the cauldron of its own accord. Like the floating, ethereal fires that were giving light to the burrow, it seemed that the cauldron had been enchanted with a spell too. Stump had obviously 'customized' this place to his liking.

“It appears that everything is still in order down here.” The book spoke. “The spells he placed are working as they should and the ingredients we'll need are here. It'll be somewhat of an unorthodox potion that deviates from most recipes, but it will get you and your friend back to normal.”

Courage's attention was drawn away from the book once more when the cauldron began to make a 'pinging' sound as though it were being hit by a million droplets of water. Curious to find out what was going on, he jumped up onto the rim of the cauldron and looked down inside. It was filling with water as quickly as if it were sitting under a faucet.

“Ah, yes.” The book continued. “He also had the cauldron enchanted to fill up with water on its own, as you can clearly see, but be careful up there, you know what they say about frogs and boiling water.”

Courage hopped back down onto the ground and from there the book began giving him instructions. Due to his small size and inability to walk upright, he had been left with no other choice but to use his tongue as a means to transport the ingredients to their destination, and in many unfortunate cases, those ingredients were something utterly revolting.

Every time he dutifully hopped up onto the rim of the cauldron and threw in whatever the book had commanded him to put in, a huge wooden spoon would float down from the ceiling and stir the concoction. The bubbling liquid itself was liable to change colors at any moment. At first it had turned bright green, like you would have expected to see from a witches brew, but then it had turned a muddy brown before finally changing into a rather disturbing black. As Courage threw in what was apparently a pair of everyday, ordinary stones, the potion very nearly blinded him when it suddenly became bright pink.

“That should do it.” The book said to him from down below. “Now it needs a good thirty minutes or so to simmer. You'll know it's ready when the liquid turns dark purple. If it starts to turn red, that means something went wrong.”

Courage, exhausted from all the hopping around he had been doing, jumped off the cauldron and happily took a break beside the book. He could only imagine what it would be like to have an attack as a frog and he especially didn't want to know what would become of the potion if he weren't conscious to take care of it.

The thirty minutes elapsed without issue, and much to Courage's relief, the potion did indeed turn the right shade of purple. As if on cue, the flames underneath the cauldron died down and the liquid inside began to cool.

“Alright, doggy boy. Get up there and take a nice, big swig of that stuff.” The book urged him. “Once you're back to normal you can grab one of those empty jars and bottle up more of that potion for Nutty McSquirrel.”

Courage was honestly more than a little worried to find out what the potion was going to taste like. Regardless, he jumped up onto the rim of cauldron one last time and leaned in until his mouth touched the pipping hot liquid. He took several big gulps, all while trying to ignore the taste, but he was surprised to find that while the potion was very bitter, it didn't have a particularly bad taste at all. It was more like he were drinking some unpleasant medicine that Muriel might give him if he were running a fever.

He raised his head out of the potion and waited. Just as he was about to question whether something had gone wrong, a strange feeling jolted through his body. He only had a single chance to let out a yelp before he involuntarily toppled down the side of the cauldron. Thankfully, his transformation only lasted for a moment as there was a sudden, loud 'pop!' and the feeling inside him subsided.

He immediately raised his paws in front of his face and was overjoyed to see that they were back to normal. He then touched his muzzle, ears, and teeth and was assured that his entire body was back to the way it was supposed to be.

“It worked!” He exclaimed, sitting up. He was even more glad to know that he could speak again.

“As it should!” The book huffed. “I wouldn't be the best book in the world if I weren't able to talk you though simple potion making!”

Courage's first order of business was to grab one of the empty bottles off the shelf and fill it with the potion. After sealing it with a cork, he then gathered up the book and made his way towards the exit. The hole that had once seemed so huge to frog Courage now didn't give him any trouble at all as he made his way out. Upon returning outside, he only stood there for a moment before the tree stump behind him suddenly swung shut, leaving no trace of the hole that led to Stump's lair.

“Now we just need to find Computer.” He spoke. “And I'm pretty sure he landed somewhere in that scrapyard. Ugh, a place like that isn't going to be very fun to walk around in.”

“Don't you dare take me along to that filthy place!” The book yelled. “I've already helped you with your frog problem so you can at least keep me from getting more dirty after all that dragging around you did!”

Courage nodded. “Okay, Okay! I won't take you to the scrapyard!”

“Good!” It huffed. “And besides, who's to say that the nutty machine himself isn't already making his way back here? He seemed pretty worried about you right before Stump launched him into the stratosphere, and he has no idea what became of you either. He probably thinks that you're dead or in a state worse than death.”

Courage winced at the book's comments. The sooner he could assure Computer that he was alright, the better, and even then he wasn't sure if he'd be able to dissuade him from trying to get revenge once they were reunited. If anything, it was only the possibility of being turned back into a squirrel that might stop Computer from confronting Stump a second time.

“We've got to get to him as soon as possible.” He gently breathed out, all too aware of how tired he had become. Just as he was about to break out into a run, despite his exhaustion, the earth began to shake.

“Wha...what is this?” He gasped as the tremors only seemed to grow in intensity. It was a continuous rumbling that threatened to shake the whole swamp apart if it continued.

The book's answer was to simply ask a question of it's own. “Don't you hear that sound? Aren't you dogs supposed to have good hearing?”

Now that it had been pointed out to him, he could indeed hear a strange sound over the rumbling. It was as though somebody were rubbing many pieces of rusted metal together off in the distance. He could also hear what sounded like the hum of an engine and he could hear trees snapping far too frequently for it to simply be the earthquake's doing.

Something was moving, something _big_.

….And then he heard the seemingly amplified chittering of a squirrel.

“Uh, oh...” He quavered.

Not waiting another moment longer, he sprinted out of the swamp and back into the Bear family's backyard. Angling around to the front of the house, from there he could see a great, mechanical spider-shaped machine made out of nothing but scrap metal slowly converging upon the house. Most of the bears who hadn't already gone out into the swamp to look for Jenna's missing husband were now fleeing the premise in absolute terror.

“I told ya that squirrel was bad news!” One of them screamed. “Saw it flyin' through the air before too! It's a witch, I tell ya! A witch!”

Courage could easily hear Computer's chittering as clear as day. It appeared that he had purposefully built a microphone into that monstrosity just so that everyone could hear him.

“W-what's he saying?” He quickly asked the book.

“Dear me, I might as well give you a direct translation. Ehem, BURN IT! BURN EVERYTHING! BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND! Insert maniacal laughter here.”

“Great, just great.” Courage sighed, shaking his head. “He's completely lost it, hasn't he?”

“Hmmm, it is as I thought. He's under the impression that you're dead and now he wants everyone within a ten mile radius to pay for it.”

“Well, let's go show him that I'm still alive! I don't want him hurting anyone!”

“You don't need to tell me! You're the one with the legs, idiot! Get moving!”

Before Courage could even do that though, the front door to the Bear's house swung open and out came Stump with a look of complete shock on his face. He didn't even take the time to notice Courage standing there. Then, his expression morphed into one of pure rage and he pointed a finger up at the advancing spider machine.

“YOU!” He screamed. “You still have the gall to think that you can take Jenna from me? Well, I won't let you have her!”

Magic began to flow through his paws and he charged towards the robot spider, screaming at the top of his lungs. Computer met the challenge by bringing his robot to full speed and chittering all the louder into his microphone.

“Er, what's he saying?” Courage asked.

“He's spent nearly half the time he's been a squirrel spewing vulgarity at everyone and everything. I think you get the picture, doggy boy.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Taking bets on who's going to win this one. I like to think that nearly all of Computer's lines as a squirrel has involved him throwing F-bombs around because he's just so done with this shit. LOL


	25. Machine Against Magic

Chapter 25: Machine Against Magic

The magic radiating out of Stump's paws grew all the brighter as he continued his seemingly suicidal charge at Computer's spider machine. The magic began to envelop him, growing brighter and brighter until he could not be seen anymore. It then dissipated and Stump returned to view, still running with a snarl on his face. He had not returned completely unchanged however. He was much taller now, to the point of where he was as big as one of the bears, and he was still growing with every moment that passed. His snarl turned into a grin of triumph, like someone who was assured that their victory was absolute. His titanic growth continued until he was finally as massive as Computer's machine.

“Ha! You're not the only one who's big around here!” He challenged. “I won't go down as easily as you think! I bet you thought you could just stomp on me, but you thought wrong!”

His voice had become unnaturally deep and every word he spoke boomed like a rumble of thunder. Courage wanted nothing more than to cover his ears but he was too busy trying to figure out a way to stop this fight from happening. Those two were going to tear each other apart and that was the last thing he wanted.

Computer hadn't slowed down at all. He was still on a crash course with the now giant Stump. His angry chittering continued to emanate from the machine unabated.

“Take this!” Stump howled, flinging some sort of electrical spell from his paw. It struck the spider machine head on and that surprisingly managed to stop it in its tracks.

Computer's angry squirrel voice fell silent.

“Yes!” Stump gleefully gloated, pumping a fist into the air.

Despite his supposed victory, the mechanical whirling of the rusted behemoth hadn't stopped. The thing was still clearly 'on', though it continued to just stand there as though it had been beaten. Computer's unintelligible voice suddenly cried out and before Courage could even ask the book what he was saying, the spider machine reared up on several of its legs like it were horse.

The high pitched sound of many rusted pieces of metal grinding against each other screeched through the air. This time Courage had to drop the book and grab his ears to try and block the sound out. He looked up only once to see the spider machine 'morphing' into something else. It's various parts were bending and breaking into new shapes. Whatever it was that Computer was trying to transform that thing into, he had no idea.

Finally, the screeching sound lessened to the point of where it was no longer unbearable. Courage released his ears to look up once more and could only gasp. In the place of that spider machine was now a humanoid robot running full speed at Stump. It looked almost exactly like one of those huge robot fighters Courage had seen in a cartoon once, had it not been made out of rusted scrap metal.

“A giant mechanical man made out of scrap?” The book asked in disbelief as Courage reached down to pick it up. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Stump sneered, obviously not amused by Computer's new tactic. He fearlessly charged forward, ready to meet his rival head on. Both combatants gigantic feet shook the ground as they ran.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” He screamed seconds before making contact with the now human-shaped robot.

The sound they made when they crashed into each other was like a bomb going off. They grappled with each other for several long moments, their hands interlocked as they tried to overpower the other. Stump kneed the robot in the stomach several times to no avail and when Computer finally managed to free one of his hands from the dog's grip, he punch him square in the nose. It was clear that without the help of magic, even at his current size, Stump was no match against pure metal.

The titanic dog stumbled backwards, rubbing his nose. Pure, vindictive rage blazed in his eyes as he glared at his hated rival. Before he could retaliate, however, Computer had already gone back onto the attack. He leaped forward and nearly landed right on top of Stump. He wrapped a rusted arm around the dog's neck and forced him to the ground in a headlock. From there he began punching him in the muzzle over and over again.

Now Courage felt that it was the right time for him to step in, since he wasn't nearly as likely to be stepped on at this point.

“Computer!” He called out, waving his arms up at the giant robot. “You don't have to hurt him! Look, I'm alive!”

Computer stopped punching Stump almost immediately and the robot's featureless head turned until it found Courage. He looked down at him for several moments.....and then went right back to punching Stump.

Courage slapped a paw to his face. “Ugh, you know what? Fine! I'm not even going to try and stop them anymore! I'm just going to go sit over here and let them fight it out!”

“Aaaauuggh! How dare you make a fool out of me!” Stump snarled, finally calling upon his magic. His paws glowed white as he placed them around the robot's torso and picked it up with ease. He raised the flailing machine up over his head and then slammed it back down onto the ground, coming dangerously close to destroying the Bear's house as he did so.

Wincing, he took a step back. “Augh! I have to get him away from the house!” He yelped. “If he doesn't demolish it, I will!” Looking down at his paws, he continued with, “My magic is amplified in this state. I can't risk using any spells while I'm this close! It'll do too much damage!”

Computer had already begun to pick himself back up again and Stump took the opportunity to provoke him.

“Hey, trash can! Come get me if you think you can!” He taunted, turning tail and running away so that he could lure Computer away from the Bear's house.

Without a moment of hesitation, Computer took the bait. He bounded after Stump with the same level of zeal he'd been exerting for the entirety of their fight. Hateful chittering began to spill forth from the machine once more.

Upon losing sight of them, Courage grabbed the book and ran after the two giants. It wasn't hard to figure out where they had gone, all he needed to do was follow the huge swath of downed trees.

“Ahahaha, you idiot! Now I don't have to worry about using my magic!” Stump triumphantly laughed. “Here, have a taste of FIRE!”

From one of his paws spewed forth a massive torrent of flames. Much to his dismay however, it did not deter Computer at all. The giant robot simply began to walk forward slowly and calmly as the flames swirled all around it.

“W-what?” He gasped. “Hmph! I guess it's not hot enough to melt you down into a molten puddle like I had hoped. Well, I'll just have to use the opposite element instead!”

He raised his paws into the air and with it rose what looked like several lakes worth of swamp water. The giant globs floated through the air like they were nothing more than a few soap bubbles.

“Uh, oh.” Courage groaned, fully aware of what was about to happen to him if he didn't act fast. Ignoring the book's protests, he put it into his mouth and bit down. He then began the exhausting task of climbing up the nearest tree and the moment he had managed to sit down on one of its branch, Stump flung the globs of water at Computer.

The robot hunkered down, and even though each and every ball of water hit its mark, the immense torrent still did not manage to incapacitate the machine. It simply stood back up and shrugged off whatever water was still dripping down it.

Courage breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the huge wave of swamp water roar through the trees down below. He had guessed right on what was going to happen. Though the flood didn't last long, he was glad to be far away from it. It would have swept him away easily.

“No!” Stump shrieked as Computer continued his slow march forward. “Why won't you die? Uh...WIND!”

He took in a deep breath of air and blew it out with as much force as he could muster. The magically amplified wind knocked down all the remaining trees around Computer, but the robot still wasn't phased in even the slightest.

“Ugh, no!” Stump yelped. Now he was beginning to look truly frightened. “No, no! I-I'll just have to try the same trick I used on you before!”

His paw glowed white once more and with a single flick of it, Computer's robot rose up off the ground. It hung there for a moment as he took the time to gloat.

“Ha! Hahahaha!” He giggled out in a rather unhinged fashion. “You aren't invincible after all! Some of my magic still works on you! It just happens to be one of the spells that I used to school you before! Have a nice flight, you Jenna stealing imposter!”

Like what had happened last time when he had stopped squirrel Computer from attacking him, the white glow of his magic turned red and Computer's machine was launched into the sky. However, as he cackled gleefully at the sight of his rival's apparent defeat, the robot twisted around in the air so that its head was facing back down towards the earth. Then, much to everyone's surprise, there was a loud crack and fire began to spurt out its feet like a spaceship taking off in the wrong direction.

“Rockets?” The book groaned. “He built rockets into that thing?

“H-huh?” Stump gasped.

Too dumbfounded to react, he didn't get a chance to stop the robot as it shot back down to earth at incredible speeds. One of its arms was outstretched with a fist ready to deliver one heck of a punch, and when it did finally reach its destination, it struck Stump square in the muzzle with a heavy, clanging, metallic thud.

The punch having been delivered, Computer cut the rockets and landed on the ground with an incredible boom. He then took several steps back to put some distance between him and his unwanted rival.

Stump wobbled there for a moment, his muzzle having been punched inward, and then he collapsed, causing an earthquake of titanic proportions.

“D-did he win?” Courage asked. “Is it really over?”

“Hmmm, I expected more from Stump.” The book commented. “Or at the very least a few proper explosions. Some sorcerer he turned out to be.”

As if in response to their words, there was a low groan and Stump slowly, slowly being to rise onto his feet once more.

Enraged chittering emanated from Computer's robot as it flung its arms up into the air in clear outrage. It then begin to pace back and fourth, its arms swinging in erratic patterns as Computer continued his one-sided, unintelligible rant.

“I'm not done with you yet...” Stump choked out in a low voice. “I won't let you have Jenna! You'll have to kill me first!”

In response, a compartment opened up near the wrist of Computer's mechanical left arm, and with his right hand he pulled out a huge samurai sword shaped sheet of rusted metal.

“A sword? He's even got a sword?” The book exclaimed. “I mean, it looks more like a few pieces of rusted metal welded together, but seriously, a sword?”

Stump's eyes narrowed. “Two can play at this game!” He jeered.

His right paw glowed purple as he stared Computer down, then the purple light began to take on the general shape of a sword as well.

“Let's end this, you overgrown garbage dump!” He yelled, pointing the magically crafted light-sword at Computer.

The giant machine's only response was to ready itself by grasping the scrap metal sword with both of its hands. The two combatants then stared each other down for nearly a minute before Stump made the first and final move.

Charging forward at full speed, he screamed out an incoherent battle cry of, “AAAAAAHHHHH!” while Computer began his own charge in turn.

Swords outstretched, they both passed each other by, seemingly having done no damage to each other. They both came to a stop, nearly back to back, and they remained that way for several long seconds. Then, Stump let out a low groan and slowly began to fall. Before he could could hit the ground, there was a sudden bright flash of light, one that nearly blinded Courage from up in his tree, and following that there was an incredible explosion of blue and purple. Given no chance to react, the shock wave that struck Courage sent him and the book flying off the branch. The book was flung farther upwards into the trees while Courage himself was sent tumbling back down to earth. In that seemingly unending moment, everything was colored white, blue, and purple. Even the sky itself seemed to shift between the colors.

….And then it was over.

Courage groaned and rolled over onto his back with a sicking squelch. Because of the magically caused flood, the ground had become a thick, disgusting, muddy mess that resembled the kind he and Computer had been forced to slog through in that one part of the swamp that had been completely submerged. He was certain that it was only reason why he hadn't broken every bone in his body upon hitting the ground.

Trying to rub the sparkling lights out of his eyes, he slowly sat up. The book was gone. He wasn't sure where it had been flung off to but he suspected that it was up in one of the trees. If it had landed somewhere else, he knew that he was never going to hear the end of it because that meant it had probably ended up in the mud as well.

He turned his still 'dazzled' eyes onto what had been the battlefield. It was now a charred, multi-colored, and oddly enough, 'sparkling' crater. In the middle of it stood an equally charred but still intact giant robot.

“Computer's alright!” He exclaimed with relief. Fumbling around in the mud a bit, he managed to find the potion, which he'd lost in the explosion. It was intact and the cork had not come out even after the fall, although it was now hopeless covered in mud.

As he quickly made his way over to the decimated battlefield, Computer's robot began to rumble and quake. Before he could reach the machine, it began to come apart bit by bit before the whole thing suddenly tumbled down into a massive inert pile of rusted scrap metal. Much to his surprise, he found upon reaching his destination that at the foot of the huge pile lay Stump, now back to his normal size. He was laying on his stomach, groaning weakly. His eyes were spinning around and around in their sockets and he made no effort to focus them on anything.

From atop the pile of scrap slid down squirrel Computer. He immediately jumped on top Stump's head and raised his head to the heavens to let out a high pitched scream of victory. When he was done, Courage tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to him, teeth grit and breathing heavily. Everything about him looked disheveled and he appeared to be more than a little eager to start another fight.

Courage presented the bottle to him. “Here, drink this.”

The squirrel eyed the bottle suspiciously before swiping it out of his paws. He only needed to take two gulps of the stuff and there was a loud 'pop!' as the proper Computer replaced the squirrel sitting atop Stump.

“A-are you okay?” Courage asked, offering a paw to his friend.

Computer gave a nonchalant shrug. “It's been a weird afternoon.”

“UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY!” Screamed the book from somewhere up in the trees.

“Seriously, are you really okay after all that?” Courage asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what? At this point I've learned to just roll with all the insanity that happens to us.”

Courage stared. “Completely losing it and creating a giant robot just to take down one dog was rolling with it?”

The glowing dog closed his eyes and shrugged again. “Eh, what can I say? It's like you always tell me, I have anger issues.”

Courage slapped his forehead and turned away. Shaking his head, he sighed out, “I'll go get the book.”

It was not exactly a difficult task to find the book either. He was able to track it down by following the steady string of complaints it was muttering out rather loudly to itself. Though the climb up the tree was anything but fun, he soon reached the book.

“Oh? You finally decided to come get me?” It huffed. “Bah, look at me! I'm as dirty as pig and it's all your fault!”

Courage made an effort to ignore its complaining as he reached over, grabbed it, and placed it into his mouth like last time. He was so exhausted by the time he reached the ground that he had to sit there for a few moments and endure the book's whining as he tried to catch his breath. The very likely possibility that an attack was about to flare up worried him, but he had no choice but to press on and get back to Computer.

As he slowly hobbled back down into the crater, on the other side of it, Jenna suddenly burst through the trees. Her eyes immediately fixated onto Computer and her face lit up.

“There ya are, darli'n!” She exclaimed, sounding surprisingly out of breath.

She raced over to Computer, who let out a sound that could only be described as mixture of pure annoyance, disbelief, and agony. He honestly looked like he were about ready to cry.

Jenna, of course, scooped him up and pressed him into a near crushing hug. “I thought I'd lost ya forever! Everybody said that dern squirrel got the better of ya! I'm just so glad that my dear, little husband is okay!”

Courage had finally managed to reach them, although at this point he just wanted to collapse on the spot and take a nice long nap. The book, who was now tucked under his arm, hadn't stopped complaining once since it had been rescued from the tree.

“I have never, _never_ been treated so disrespectful in all my life!” It huffed. “Not once in over two millennia have I been handled so carel-”

Jenna stopped crushing Computer to look down at the ranting book. She started at it for a moment and her mouth slowly fell open.

“Never have I been carted around by such a thoughtless owner! It is disgraceful! A mockery of all that I stand fo-” It stopped. “What are you looking at?” It asked Jenna.

The dumbfounded bear dropped Computer onto the ground and then swiped the book out of Courage's arms without a single word.

“W-what are you doing?” It stammered.

Jenna brought the book to eye level, began to smile, and then fluttered her eyes seductively at it. “Helllloooo.”

“Wha...wait!” The book exclaimed. “Uh, d-doggy boy? A little help would be nice!”

Jenna immediately turned to Computer and pointed a claw down at him. “I want a divorce!”

Computer simply stared, looking just about as dumbfounded as she had several moments ago.

“Uh...okay?”

“Jeennnnaaa....” Stump groaned, trying to pull himself up, but he was still far too incapacitated to do anything to stop her or her new infatuation.

“C'mon darli'n, let's go get married!” The bear giggled, hugging the book close to her chest.

“Assistance, please!” It begged. “I'm a book, not some bear's knight in shining armor! Do something!”

It was too late though. Jenna whipped around, still gigging, and bounced her way out of the crater and back towards the house. The book's desperate pleas could be heard for a startlingly long time until even that faded out.

“O-kay, I'm done.” Computer chimed in, looking all the more confused. “Since apparently that all just got sorted out.”

Courage smiled. “I guess you're not married anymore, huh?”

“I'm just glad that I don't have to worry about _her_ anymore. I almost want to say that I feel bad for the book, but I don't. Serves it right for not telling me about my past!” He then scratched his head. “This...isn't how romance actually works, right? Because if I had actually cared, this probably would have been a tad devastating.”

Courage shook his head. “You have no idea.” Changing the topic, he continued with, “So, uh, how are we going to get out of here? Papa Grizzly's truck is busted and I'm pretty sure he's still going to be mad at you even after Jenna's changed her mind. There's no way he'd help us now.”

Computer's eyes lit up, well, more so than they already did naturally. Grinning, he replied with, “We'll take the giant robot out of here, of course!”

He seemed more than a little eager to use it again. Turning to the pile of scrap metal, he raised both his paws and waited. The mountain of twisted wreck shuddered a bit and a few small pieces of metal tumbled to the ground, but then returned to being as much of an inert pile of scrap as ever.

Dismayed, Computer rubbed the back of his head. “Yeeeah...I have absolutely no idea how I did that.”

“You could build a giant robot as a squirrel but you can't do it now?”

“Hey, if you want to put together a huge piece of exceedingly complex machinery then be my guest.” He quipped back in reply.

“Well, what are we going to do then?”

He placed a paw to his chin. “Why don't you head back to the house and grab our things? I'll figure something out in the meantime. There's got to be _something_ I can make out of all this junk.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Are you reading a fanfic about a talking computer who's possessing the body of a dog who nearly got forced into a marriage with a grizzly bear and then piloted a mecha made out of nothing but scrap metal all because of a rivalry over said grizzly bear that he doesn't even like? Yes, yes you are. And that isn't even the end of all the craziness that's still going to happen!


	26. Escaping The Swamp

Chapter 26: Escaping The Swamp

Courage had made a deliberate effort to be slow while walking back to the house. It was partly because of how tired he was and he was dreading that he might trigger another attack at any moment, but he had also wanted to give Computer some time to figure out a way to get them out of the swamp. With Papa Grizzly and his truck no longer being an option, they needed to come up with something else.

He had managed to go largely unnoticed as he made his way across the yard. All the bears had gathered to watch what was apparently Jenna's marriage with the book. Unfortunately, the effort it took for him to get upstairs nearly killed him right then and there, but after a slow crawl into the room they had slept in overnight, he was able to grab their bag and make his way back down the hall. He only managed to make it down the staircase through sheer willpower alone and he barely survived the rest of the walk back to where Computer was. At the very least he was looking forward to sitting down for a little while. His tired body was at its absolute limit and pushing it any harder would no doubt trigger another attack, if the strain did not kill him outright.

When he entered the clearing, he found Computer hard at work building....well, he wasn't sure. The contraption seemed to have the general shape of a small airplane, but the metal was so twisted in many places that it looked more like a warped art experiment.

“Is that supposed to be a plane?” He asked, slowly walking up beside his friend.

Computer kept his eyes trained on the strange machine, apparently lost in thought as he puzzled over its various components.

With a halfhearted groan, Courage plopped down onto the ground, too tired to keep himself standing any longer. That was enough to pull Computer out of his thoughts.

“Are you going to be alright?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Courage leaned backwards until his back touched the charred earth. “I don't think so.” He groaned.

Though he could not see Computer's face, he still heard the machine's rather cautious reply. “Well, try to keep it together for a little while longer. I'm almost done and I'd prefer not to spend another moment in this swamp.”

Courage closed his eyes and nodded slightly. “Just...just give me a few minutes. I'll start to feel a little better soon, so...so don't worry.”

He heard the ground crunch as Computer turned back to the contraption.

“And for the record,” His friend spoke. “Yes, this is a plane.”

Courage sat back up and eyed Computer precariously. “Are you sure that thing can even fly?”

Without turning around, Computer shrugged and let out an annoyed sigh. “Look, dog. I don't know a thing about aerodynamics, so unless you have an internet connection on you, you're just going to have to make do with whatever I can cook up. Either this pile of junk is going to get us out of here or it'll crash or explode in mid-air and we'll both die a painful, fiery death. Regardless of either outcome, we aren't getting out of here any other way.”

Courage stared. “You aren't exactly selling me on this, you know.”

“Well, I certainly don't see you coming up with any better ideas over there, so stop complaining.” His friend huffed.

With a groan, Courage flopped backwards again, having decided that he'd rather just keep his mouth shut. He lay there for awhile, half-asleep from his utter exhaustion. Only the sounds of Computer tinkering on that airplane filled his ears. It was surprisingly soothing, and yet, just as he was about to drift off, he got a light kick in the side that brought him back to wakefulness. He opened his eyes to find Computer staring down at him.

“It's ready.” He spoke. “Whenever you're feeling up to it, we can finally get out of this nightmare of a swamp. Of course, if you need more time, that's fine too. Just remember that you'll have plenty of time to rest later on. We've still got quite a long and boring bus trip to look forward to, after all.”

Courage nodded and slowly sat up. Much to his dismay, he ended up needing Computer's help to stand, and even then his legs continued to shake like they were about to give out at any moment. Several thick cables wove their way out from within the rusty airplane and wrapped themselves around his waist to pull him up into the cockpit, not that there was much of a cockpit to speak of. It lacked any of the fancy buttons or screens.

Computer himself opted to climb up into the cockpit without any assistance. He then took the helm, checking everything over to make sure that nothing was about to fall off. The plane really did look like it was barely holding itself together.

The fact that this hunk of junk was about to be 'soaring' high in the sky scared Courage out of his wits, but he dare not voice his fears. He was fully expecting this mechanical mishap to come crashing back down to earth, but Computer was right about one thing, this was their best chance of getting out of here, especially if they didn't want to get eaten by alligators. Of course, it was starting to feel like death was just as assured if they actually used this thing.

“Alright.” Computer muttered to himself. “Now for the moment of truth, and hopefully it won't end with us meeting our fiery doom.”

The engine came to life, momentarily producing a horrific grinding noise that made Courage's stomach lurch with fear, but then the sound leveled off, much to his relief. Like before, a pair of heavy cables came out from within the machine and wove their way around his waist to act as a sort of seat belt. He was quick to notice that Computer hadn't done the same for himself.

“Uh, seat belt?” He chimed in.

“I need to concentrate, and you need to not fall out while I'm concentrating.” Was his friend's only answer.

“And what about you falling out?”

“I won't.”

Courage wanted to argue otherwise, but the moment he opened his mouth the plane shot forward and he was left in a state of pure terror that didn't allow for him to squeak out even the smallest of words.

Fire spewed out from the tail end of the plane as they reached the far side of the crater. It was clear that this thing was made out of one of the rockets Computer had used to defeat Stump. Just as it looked like they were about to crash into the trees, the plane angled sharply upwards and for a moment it seemed more like they were a spaceship about to break out of the stratosphere before the plane finally leveled off high above the swamp.

“It worked!” Courage couldn't help but cheer. Of course, despite his adulation, he was still feeling rather queasy.

“Thank goodness...” Computer sighed, closing his eyes. “Now I've just got to keep this pile of scrap metal from falling apart long enough for us to make it over the swamp. Ugh...this isn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be.”

Courage swallowed, unable to keep himself from considering the possibility that Computer might give out before the plane does. This had to be the most he'd used his ability in a single day after all.

“A-are you sure you're going to be able to keep this up?” He asked warily.

Computer dismissed him with a wave of his paw. “Of course. It's not easy, but I'm more than capable of handling this, thank you very much. Besides, if I don't, we're both dead.”

That did not assure Courage even slightly. Having become all the more nervous, he bowed his head and closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore how high up they were. It did not help at all that the plane liked to make weird sounds every now and then that made him want to jump out of his skin. All he really wanted was for this 'detour' to be over with as soon as possible.

“You're afraid of heights.” He heard Computer say. Opening his eyes, he found the machine looking him over with an amused expression. “ _Of course_ you're afraid of heights! I should have figured as much!”

He blinked, unsure of what to say. While Computer wasn't exactly mocking him, being the butt of, well, his amusement wasn't all that pleasant either.

“Come on, dog. Can't you for once in your life muster up a little genuine courage? You're never going to be hurtling through the air in a pile of scrap metal ever again! Enjoy the experience!”

“There's nothing to enjoy about this.” He groaned, although he dare not keep his mouth open for too long, lest he lose control of his rebelling stomach.

“Oooh, is that so?” Computer chuckled as an even bigger smirk fell across his face. “How about after I do this?”

The plane sped up, pitching to the right until it slowly turned all the way upside down. Computer's laughter was easily drowned out by Courage's own screaming. When the plane finally righted itself again, Courage had to press both of his paws to mouth to keep himself from losing all the contents of his stomach. He was certain that he looked about as green as a zombie.

“For goodness sake, Courage!” Computer laughed. “Do you really think I'd let you fall out? Stop being such a wimp!”

All Courage could do at that moment was tremble like, well, a scared puppy, and do everything in his power to avoid puking his guts out. Despite Computer's high spirits, he was quick to catch onto the fact that Courage was having anything but a good time, despite his supposed 'lighthearted' prodding. With an annoyed sigh, he began to bring the plane back down closer to the earth.

“Killjoy.” He grumbled.

Even that was not enough to quell Courage's terror. He knew that he was only going to feel better once his feet were back on the ground and luckily he could see that the edge of the swamp was slowly approaching on the horizon.

“Stop freaking out.” Computer huffed. “You're going to throw yourself into an attack if you keep shaking and gasping like that. Go into your happy place, or whatever.” He suggested rather thoughtlessly. He was obviously still more than a little annoyed that his fun had been cut short.

“I-I just...w-want..t-t-to get...b-back...onto t-the...” He couldn't even finish the sentence. Every word came out as a stutter or was cut off by an involuntary gasp.

Computer continued to eye him up with an unamused expression. “Seriously, Courage. You're perfectly safe. There's no way I'd let you fall to your doom, and even if you were to actually fall out, it wouldn't be that hard to-”

He was cut off by a loud clunk as some part of the plane dislodged and proceeded to fly over their heads.

“Oh dear, I'm, er, pretty sure that wasn't supposed to come off.” He spoke, pushing past Courage to get to the back of the plane. They both watched the errant piece of scrap metal vanish into the trees below.

Courage immediately took notice of the fact that the plane was rapidly losing speed and altitude. A whimper escaped his throat and he once again had to fight the nausea building up in his stomach. Already paralyzed with fear, his heart nearly stopped when the fire spewing out of the rocket propelling them through the air suddenly went out and that same horrific grinding sound he had heard before came back even louder than ever.

Computer stared down at the malfunctioning rocket in dismay. “Uh, yeah. Remember what I said about the whole explosion and fiery death thing?”

Courage's entire body went numb. He hadn't thought it was possible to be any more afraid than he already was and yet he must have broken some record.

“Right...about that,” Computer went on. “JUMP!”

“Wha-” Courage tried to say, but the glowing dog was already pushing him out of the cockpit with all of his might.

“YYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” He screamed, trying to claw his way back inside. In his terror, he couldn't decide between exploding or falling to his death, but he certainly didn't want to experience either.

“Oh, enough out of you!” Computer cried out, kicking him the face, which was enough to dislodge him from the plane. The machine then jumped from the plane himself.

As they careened towards the earth, the plane exploded overhead and pelted them with tiny pieces of junk. The heat from the blast was so intense that Courage couldn't help but worry that his fur was about to be set on fire. Much to his dismay though, the rolling treetops that covered the swap was fast approaching.

He smashed into the branches full force, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Dazed, he tumbled down from one branch to the next, unable to get his barrings long enough to grab onto something and stop his descent. Suddenly, he was in open air again. He opened his eyes to find himself falling towards the muddy swamp water below, where, much to his dismay, three alligators were waiting for him. One had its mouth open wide and he was on a collision course with it...

Before he could so much as let out a scream, he fell head first into the alligator's mouth and slid down its gullet.....

End Of Chapter


	27. Punching Alligators

Chapter 27: Punching Alligators

After tumbling down through the trees, Computer more or less belly-flopped into the water below with a splat. To say that it felt anything but wonderful would have been an understatement. Sputtering the nasty water everywhere, he flailed about until he was finally able to right himself in the nearly waist high water.

Covered head to toe in mud, he wiped as much of it out of his eyes as he could manage before his thoughts began to turn to Courage.

Courage...

Where was he?

“Dog?” He called out, glancing around. Courage must have fallen somewhere close by. They hadn't been THAT far apart when the plane exploded.

His insides turned to ice when he realized that a pair of alligators were slowly converging upon him. They blended in almost perfectly with their surroundings, all except for their bright, yellow eyes.

“Great.” He sighed. “So much for avoiding the alligators.”

But where the heck was Courage? The alligators couldn't have...

He loathed to take his eyes off the hungry creatures, but he was desperate to find out what had become of Courage. He hoped beyond hope that the dog had landed in a tree and was safe from these overgrown lizards.

Scanning the water once more, his heart dropped when he found a third alligator off to the side that had taken no interest in him. It simply stood there on two feet, licking its chops in a self-satisfied manner and rubbing its bulging belly.

“It...it ate him?” Computer exclaimed. There was no other explanation. The dog couldn't have fallen that much farther away and he was nowhere else to be found.

First Computer was stricken by panic, with Courage having been eaten and two alligators mere moments away from dealing out the same fate to him, but then that panic slowly subsided to be replaced with pure annoyance and anger. Gritting his teeth, there was only one thing that he was certain of...

Those alligator were about to die.

He dived to the right as both of the hungry alligators leaped out of the water with their jaws opened wide. They crashed into each other as they landed in the spot where he had just been standing. He tried to run and put some distance between him and the hungry lizards, but attempting to run in this thick, waist high water proved to be nearly impossible, made all the more worse by the fact that his feet kept getting stuck deep in the mud below.

“I have just about had it with this swamp!” He spat, looking back to find one of the alligators speeding towards him like a living motorboat.

Trying to picking up his pace, he still could do nothing but slog through the water at a fatally slow rate. It was hopeless. He could not avoid the oncoming rows of teeth that were ready to tear him to shreds. Every step he took required him to work his feet out of the mud, which would only sink right back in again the moment he put it back down into the mud.

He winced as the alligator closed in on him...only to be stopped mere inches in front of his muzzle, much to his surprise. It snapped its jaws futilely at him as it was pulled back by the other alligator who had it by the tail.

The alligator who had caught its brother glared at it with an expression that spoke the words, 'this one is mine!'. The other one responded by snapping its jaws in defiance and a fight immediately broke out between the two of them.

Not wasting another moment, Computer slogged away as quietly as he could manage. He fixated his eyes on the alligator who had eaten Courage. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he was going to get the dog out of that monster's stomach. He didn't care if he had to cut that beast open. It was its own fault for not thinking twice before eating Courage alive. At this point Computer was in absolutely no mood to be merciful and if this had to get messy, so be it.

Water splashed everywhere as the pair of alligators continued to fight. Both of them had completely lost interest in Computer for the time being, but that wasn't likely to last. They knew as well as he did that he wasn't going to be able to make it very far before one of them would win the battle and make a meal out of him. The alligators weren't the only ones making a splash though. From the moment Computer had hit the the water, bits of the plane had also started to come crashing back down to the earth too. Though many of the pieces were small, there were larger bits of scrap that had survived the explosion. They brought up huge waves of water as they hit the swamp floor before slowly sinking deeper into the mud. They were, Computer hoped, the best chance he had at besting these beasts. He wasn't sure what he would be able to do with the charred bits of scrap, but they were the only chance he had.

“For goodness sake! Why must this mud be such a pain in the-” He stopped himself short to grit his teeth as he yanked his left food out of the thick mud to take another step. He still was making almost no progress. At the rate he was going, he'd never reach any of the larger bits of scrap metal, much less save Courage before he could be digested. Heck, a few minutes longer and soon he'd be getting digested as well.

He brought his foot back down only to have it sink deep into a small yet sharp piece of metal. He couldn't help but cry out, having been taken by surprise by the sudden pain. There had been no way for him to know that it was there. The water was too murky and even then it had been buried too deeply into the mud to be seen.

Grabbing his leg, he wrenched his injured foot back out of the mud. The piece of metal was dislodged in the process and he snatched the sharp blade out of the water before it could float back down and become impossible to find. He was dismayed to discover that it was far too small to be used as a weapon. It wasn't even big enough to count as a knife. It'd been just big enough to do an unpleasant amount of damage to his foot but not big enough to pose any danger otherwise.

Wincing, he slowly lowered his bleeding foot back down into the mud. It hurt considerably but there wasn't any time for him to worry about the wound. Courage still needed his help and as long as he could still walk he was going to keep moving and ignore the pain.

The alligator who had eaten Courage called out to the other two alligators in whatever language those lizards used. Its growling voice sounded vaguely recognizable to Computer, as he had at one point known nearly every language on the planet, but in this dog body he could not call upon his memory banks and translate the alligators words.

It turned to him with a toothy grin as the other two alligators stopped fighting. They both yelled something back at it, anger clear in their voices. Computer watched the scene unfold with growing apprehension. He did not need to speak alligator to have some idea of what was going on here. The alligator who had eaten Courage held an expression that easily spoke the words, 'Well, if you two aren't going to eat him, then I will instead!'

Computer immediately turned and began to slog through the water once more. There were several loud splashes behind him as all three alligators began their race to reach him. He quickly accessed his power and felt around for any parts of the plane that he could potentially use. He needed to end this, now, before it was too late.

He clenched his fists in frustration. There wasn't anything he could use, at least not anything close enough that he'd be able to reach it in time. Up ahead sat the charred remains of the exploded rocket engine. Even without his power he could see the twisted machinery sticking up out of the mud. While it still certainly held all the ingredients necessary to-

Shaking his head, he forced himself to speed up. Despite its distance, it was the best chance he had. The deep cut in his foot still hurt immensely, especially with all the mud getting inside of it, but he was far too focused on what he was about to do next to let it bother him.

Using his power, he willed the frayed wires both within and outside of the rocket to life. With them he began to build what he hoped would be his salvation by deconstructing and putting back together certain parts of the rocket. Although he was grateful for his ability, it still felt so strange to him that he could do this without being anywhere near the defunct rocket. In fact, all of this felt unnaturally easy to him. He barely knew what he was doing and yet it came to him as easily as if he had been doing this forever. Now the only thing he needed to worry about was getting to rocket before the alligators could catch him. They were mere seconds away from reaching him and if he couldn't move any faster...

He looked back to see the big-bellied alligator coming up behind him. It was walking on two legs like a person since it was much too filled up to swim through the water like its brethren.

Computer cringed. There wasn't enough time. He was going to have to improvise.

His hastily put together 'weapon' was ready to go. Since he wasn't going to be able to reach it in time, he'd have to make it come to him instead. Using the same wires he had commanded to put it together, he had them fling the two pieces of rusted metal towards him. He was forced to dive forward to catch them before they could sink into the thick swamp water, but they were finally in his paws.

The 'weapon', if it could even be called that, was a pair of rusted gauntlets. He quickly put them on and was surprised to find that they reached all the way up to his elbows and were surprisingly heavy. Thankfully, they at least fully covered his paws, as he had intended, and that would protect his fragile, flesh creature bones from what he was about to do.

He turned to the alligator, who was now looming over him and licking its chops in anticipation. The other two alligators had come to a stop not far behind it, both of them clearly disappointed. That overgrown lizard's stomach bulged out in front of Computer, as if the alligator was intentionally trying to give him a glimpse of the fate that awaited him.

Completely fed up with this nonsense, Computer raised his right arm, triggered the internal mechanism that he had purposefully build into the gauntlet, and was both equally surprised and relieved to find that it worked without issue. There was a loud bang, like a gun going off, fire spewed out of the topmost part of the gauntlet and nearly burnt off all of the fur up the entire length of his unprotected arm, but his fist was propelled forward at a speed that his weak dog body would have never been capable of otherwise. It struck the gloating alligator square in the stomach, sinking in deep and causing a wet, slime covered Courage to shoot out of the alligator's mouth and soar upward into a tree above.

The gauntlet had indeed protected him from breaking any bones. By using the damaged parts that still existed within the rocket even after the explosion, he'd been able to make what amounted to a pair of smaller rockets in the shape of gauntlets. This allowed him to punch much harder than he ever would have been capable otherwise, and hey, if he had to work within the limitations of this weak dog body then there was no reason why he could come up with a few 'upgrades'.

He watched, partly stunned, as the alligator groaned and fell backwards with a splash. It then lay there in the muddy water, clutching at its stomach and whimpering.

“I'm, er, actually a bit surprised that worked.” He spoke, looking down at the rusty gauntlets. A smile then slowly crept across his face. “Heh, eheheheh...”

The two remaining alligators had watched their leader fall with wide eyes and they were now both eying up Computer fearfully.

He continued to giggle like a kid who had just discovered Christmas before finally pointing one his gauntlets at the alligators. Still grinning, he said, “You twits have no idea how dead you are!”

Making sure that the alligators wouldn't have enough time to react, he pointed his fists downwards and shifted the mechanism around inside the gauntlets so that when he triggered the ignition, not only did the fire come out around his fists, sparing him from receiving anymore burns, it also sent him flying upward at a slight angle. Once above the alligators, time seem to slow down for him. With almost no effort at all, he made a few calculations, pointed his right fist downward, pointed his left one behind him, shifted the mechanism around in his right gauntlet once more, and then fired them off. It burnt up his right arm yet again, but he was flung back down to earth with incredible speed and his right fist cracked down hard on top of the head of the alligator he had purposefully singled out. Every tooth in its mouth shattered, and, having been thoroughly knocked out, it slowly sunk down into the murky water with Computer still standing atop its head.

Clearing his throat, he turned to the other alligator who let out a whimper and put both of its paws up into the air.

“Now then.” He spoke. “Unless you want to end up like your buddies, I suggest you do whatever I say. You're going to ferry me and my friend out of this swamp and once we're there, maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll let you live.”

The alligator nodded vigorously, not that it had much else of a choice but to agree.

Computer hopped off the head of the unconscious alligator and slogged his way over to where Courage had been unceremoniously spewed out.

“Hey, are you going to be alright?” He called out up into the trees. “I got us a ride out of here.”

There was a moan and down toppled Courage from up above. Computer held out his still covered paws in an attempt to catch him, but the dog ended up falling on top of him instead.

Courage groaned, still dazed from being stuck inside the stomach of an alligator, and rolled to the side all while muttering out several small, “Sorry, sorry, sorry...”

Computer, of course, immediately popped back up out of the water, and, gritting his teeth, he yelled, “I wasn't trying to be your landing pad, you idiot!”

Regardless, he helped Courage over to the alligator, who lowered itself down into the water to let them onto its back. They then began their 'boat ride' out of the swamp and in about a half hour they reached their destination.

The alligator let them off near the edge of the swamp before speeding off as fast as it could swim. They soon found themselves standing at the base of a large, grassy hill that sloped steeply upwards and away from the swamp.

Almost immediately, they both collapsed on the spot out of sheer relief and exhaustion.

“Next time, we go around the swamp.” Computer groaned.

“Arbaru...” Courage agreed.

….........

The two of them slogged both muddy and wet up the hill, Courage trailing a bit behind Computer. He was just too tired to keep up with him. There was supposed to be a town just over the hill, but he couldn't help but worry that the GPS had been wrong about that too along with the non-existent road that they had been supposed to take through the swamp.

He was quick to notice that Computer was limping, and on closer inspection, he was horrified to find that his friend was leaving a trail of blood in the grass as he walked.

“D-did you get hurt?” He asked, leaning down to try and get a better look at Computer's feet.

Computer slowed to a stop. “Oh, this?” He asked, raising his left foot to reveal a mud and blood covered gash that cut deeply into the paw pad. “Eh, it's no big deal.” He went on, rubbing the back of his head. “It's not like I haven't been through worse at this point and it doesn't really hurt all that bad.”

Courage glared at him for trying to downplay the injury. “It is a big deal! You were running around in all that mud! What if it gets infected? Once we're in town, I'm going to find something to patch you up with.”

Computer rubbed the back of his head again rather sheepishly. “Come on, dog. It's not like I'm bleeding to death or anything. I'll be fine.”

Despite his protests, Courage wouldn't hear any of it. The last thing he wanted was for Computer to be in any sort of pain, no matter how much he might try to act like it wasn't a big deal. As soon as they got into town, which was actually there, he did indeed go into the first convenience store he could find and bought a first-aid kit. He then sat Computer down on a curb, all while his friend continued to insist that he wasn't about to die from a 'scratch', and got to work on cleaning the cut.

Computer almost murdered him when he poured the antiseptic onto the wound, having forgotten to warn him that it was going to sting a bit. He then had to endure a ten minute bought of whining from the glowing dog who claimed over and over again that the antiseptic had hurt ten times worse than the cut itself. After finally finishing bandaging the foot up, he decided that it was time to go get something to eat before they went looking for a bus station. That was enough to get Computer to stop complaining, if only for a little while.

“And you're the one who says that I overreact too much.” Computer quipped before letting out an unamused sigh. “You fret over me like I'm a child, dog. It's not like my foot was about to fall off or anything.”

Courage shrugged. “Your foot could have fallen off, Compute, and a thank you would be nice.”

“Well, I guess it does feel a little better now.” He reluctantly admitted and that was about as much of a thanks as he was going to give. “I still say that you freaked out over nothing.”

Exhausted from all the excitement this day had brought on, Courage decided to let Computer pick the restaurant they were going to eat at. Night was beginning to fall upon the sleepy town that stood on the edge of the swamp and Courage couldn't be happier to know that he would soon be able to take a nice, long rest.

“Dog, let's eat here!” Computer announced, unable to hide the excitement in his voice as they stopped in front of a building.

It only took Courage a moment to figure out why he was so enthusiastic about this place. There was a huge 'ALL YOU CAN EAT' sign in the window.

“I should have figured...” He sighed.

“That isn't hyperbole, is it?” Computer asked. “Y-you really can eat as much as you want?”

“Pretty much, chubby.”

Computer's enthusiastic expression immediately turned into a frown. “What did I say about the fat jokes thing?”

Courage chuckled. “If you're planning on walking all the way back to Nowhere then you're going to have to get through all of that swamp again. Who knows, maybe even Jenna has changed her mind and she'll take you back!”

The glowing dog shuddered, his revulsion apparent. “Whatever, let's just get in there and eat. I'm hungry enough to eat a whole horse at this rate and I think I might eat just that much to spite you.”

They entered the restaurant to find that it was largely deserted. Only one other person was eating there and he appeared to be a truck driver that would soon be getting back on the road. A particularity bored waitress seated them, or more like she only seated Courage because Computer had already gone off to the buffet.

“Drinks?” She asked.

“Uh, coffee for him and, well, I guess water for me.”

The waitress gave him a funny look, as though she were having a difficult time understanding him. He couldn't blame her for it though. He was so tired that he could hardly keep himself from instinctively lapsing back into dog speak. Regardless, she wrote down their drinks and left.

Computer soon returned with a huge plate of food, and, much to Courage's surprise, instead of keeping it for himself, he placed the plate in front him.

“What's this?” He asked, blinking down at what was apparently his supper.

“Oh, well...” Computer answered, looking rather embarrassed. He apparently hadn't expected to be questioned. “You aren't looking all that great so I thought I'd get you some food first. That way you wouldn't have to walk around. Oh, and uh, y-you don't mind what I picked out for you, right?”

Courage couldn't help but smile at Computer's surprising thoughtfulness. “No, of course not.”

“Good, good.” He sighed. “Now, if you don't mind, I have a buffet to empty.”

And empty it he did, or at the very least, he emptied it as much as his stomach would allow. Not long after he was done ravaging the buffet, he procured some desserts for both himself and Courage and while they were chowing down on cake and ice cream, he managed to surprise Courage again.

“Dog, I've been putting a lot of thought into the whole love thing. If I'm going to be honest, it's been on my mind ever since we talked about it the night before. You are right about one thing, I should be able to feel love just like anybody else, and I think,” He hesitated for a moment. “I think I want to try it out at least once, just to see what it's like.”

Courage nearly choked on the bite of cake he had been chewing up. “What? Really?” He managed to sputter out. “But why? I thought 'flesh creature mating rituals' were disgusting to you? And after what happened with Jenna too? I thought she would have turned you off of romance forever.”

“Well, yes, I still find romance to be utterly unpleasant, but I figure that if I'm going to try and get the whole human experience down on this little trip of ours, I've got to check 'falling in love' off the list at some point too.” He gave a nonchalant shrug at Courage's shock. “Besides, what happened with Jenna was about as bad as it can possibly get, right?”

Courage shook his head. “It can end up being so much worse if you're not careful. You're looking at this completely wrong, Compute. Love isn't simple. You can't just see it as something to mark off a checklist. It isn't something that happens and then you can just be done with it. When you're in love, you're in love for the long run. It stays with you. You can't just see it as something you'll be able to do in a day. You can't assume that everything will go back to normal afterwords either.”

Now Computer was the one to look shocked. He clearly had not expected Courage to show such animosity towards his new found desire to experience love. Honestly, Courage was certain that if he tried to pursue this it would only end in disaster. Just hearing his comments on it proved to him that he was suffering from some serious and fundamental misconceptions about love and what it entails.

“And what if you do find someone on this trip?” He continued. “We'd have to leave them behind. Do you really want to go through that? And it's not like you're going to fall in love in a day either. It takes time to truly fall in love with someone, despite what you might have seen in movies or wherever else.”

Computer blinked. “But what about that whole soul mate thing? You know how it goes, there's supposed to be someone out there that you're meant to be with. Wouldn't that be love at first sight?”

Courage fought back a sigh. Not only was this new found interest of Computer's surprisingly uncharacteristic of him, but he was displaying a level of naivety that Courage honestly had never expected to see from him.

“I'm pretty sure soul mates don't exist, Compute.” He replied. “You're not going to know if you love someone from the moment you see them. You'll have to spend time with them and build up a relationship. Seriously, this is a really bad idea. Why can't you wait to do this until we get back to Nowhere? You'll have time to look for someone then and I know for a fact that you're not about to drop dead, so don't give me that excuse.”

Computer jabbed a fork into what remained of his own piece of cake. “You're kidding, right? I'll have, what? A grand total of five people to choose from back in Nowhere? This is the best time of all to look for someone when we're meeting so many people daily!”

“I just don't think you're up to something like this yet, Compute. You don't know enough. If anything, you'll need to gather some information first. Get on the internet or grab a few books, because if you do go into this blind, you're just going to end up hurting yourself in the end.”

Computer grinned. “Well, now you're talking! That's certainly something I can do! Albeit, I can't access the internet with my ability through this dog all that well. I don't think this meat brain can handle it because it gives me a huge headache. Books on the other hand? I'll need to look around a bit when I get the chance, but I'm certain I'll be able to find something.” He let out a laugh, looking all the more jovial. “So it's settled then? Male, female, it makes no difference to me! I'm going to find someone and finally figure out how this romance thing really works! The sooner, the better! And then I can get back to figuring out what else I should do before we reach the mountain!”

Courage winced and let out a soft, “Oh, boy...”

Computer stared at him for a moment, still taken aback by his reluctance to support him. “I never suspected that you would be such a cynic when it comes to romance. Come to think of it, it is a bit strange that someone as nice as you hasn't gotten with anyone yet. I bet this is the reason why.”

With another shake of his head, Courage answered with, “I'm not cynical about it, I just...” He trailed off. “I guess....I guess I just haven't ever felt like I needed to look for someone. I've already got enough love in my life and, well, if I do eventually fall in love with someone, that's okay, but if I don't, that's fine too. Besides, I've already got enough on my plate keeping Muriel safe and keeping you out of trouble. Don't you feel the same way? Don't you feel like you're already dealing with enough right now?”

The glowing dog opened his mouth to respond, but Courage cut him off.

“I just don't get it with you. Yesterday you were complaining about how you don't want anything to do with love and now today you're actively seeking it? Why did you change your mind so quickly?”

Computer's expression became sullen. “I just...want to experience as much as possible before I die, that's all.” He began to fidget with the fork sticking out his piece of cake. “I've got a lot of catching up to do and no time to do it. There are so many things to experience in this world and I'm going to miss out on so much of it, but I'd like to die being able to say that I still led as fulfilling of a life as I could manage, and sadly, I've done everything but live a fulfilling life up until this point.”

Courage's heart dropped at Computer words. He swallowing and tried to think of something to say. Putting on as gentle of a voice as he could manage, he replied with, “I understand where you're coming from, Compute, but you can't rush something like this. Look, I'm sure there's someone out there who you're meant to be with, and I'm sure you'll find them, but I really worry that you're going to get hurt along the way and I don't want you to suffer any worse than you already have.”

Computer let out a halfhearted chuckle. “You really do treat me like a child. I'm twice as old as you are, idiot, so knock it off.”

“You're not THAT old, grandpa, and older people can still be clueless too, you know.”

“C-clueless?” Computer exclaimed. “Just who do you think you are? I used to have more information stored on one microchip than your entire brain has stored in its entire life! Just because I'm stuck in this hopeless inefficient meat brain doesn't mean I'm as dumb as you are!”

Courage gave him a sly smile. “I didn't say you were dumb, just clueless.”

“That's just as bad!” He huffed.

Since both of them were absolutely stuffed, they sat there for awhile, continuing to argue as they digested the meal. After paying for the food, they headed out to find the bus stop that would get them back on the road. When they did find it, they both nearly fell asleep at the stop before the bus could actually arrive. It took over an hour of waiting, but one did eventually show up and they were able to board without issue.

“Dog, let me make this very clear.” Computer yawned as he seated himself. “If I have to play pillow again, you're becoming a pillow too.”

“Abarufu...” Courage replied, half asleep. He could barely climb up into the seat without help and once there he simply collapsed beside Computer.

With that, neither of them said another word as they both immediately fell fast asleep.

End Of Chapter


	28. Lingering Guilt

Chapter 28: Lingering Guilt

Rain poured down.

Courage looked on in horror as tears fell from his eyes. Before him stood a scene that he had only seen once before and it had been through Computer's eyes. This new perspective only managed to fill him with even more dread.

Lightning flashed near continuously, illuminating the trees that surrounded them.

Courage, with a vicious, hateful scowl on his face, slowly stomped towards Computer. The terrified machine had backed all the way up against a tree, just like last time, all while he desperately pleaded with Courage not to do this.

Courage, the real Courage, shook his head. His vision quickly became obscured by more tears.

He had to stop this.

Stepping forward, he tried to grab his double by the shoulder and pull him back, but his paw passed through the doppelganger like he were nothing more than a ghost.

“No...” He whimpered.

The dream continued to play out exactly as it had last time. To hear Computer beg like that so desperately and so fearfully was nearly impossible to listen to. The last thing Courage ever wanted to do was harm him like this again and yet he could not stop it from happening. He could not stop himself. He could not keep this nightmare from happening the same way it had before.

He winced as he watched himself punch Computer. The sheer hurt, betrayal, terror, and above all else, the undeserved guilt that flashed across his dear friend's face all but crushed him to see. He watched Computer try to flee, but that was where the dream changed. Courage, the nightmare Courage, charged forward and forced Computer to the ground before he could escape. Another apology had only gotten halfway out of his friend's mouth before he was hit again. Now the dream was becoming an exact copy of the event that had started this all.

“Stop it...” Courage whimpered out over the sound of his fist striking the one person who he had come to understand and care about so deeply for. He knew the extent of Computer's fear, and to see this happening to him again was just....

“Please, stop.” He begged, but it was drowned out by the sound of his own voice screaming, 'I hate you!' over and over again, even when he knew how far from the truth that was.

The beating continued unabated, much to his horror. It was now going on much longer than it had in real life.

“STOP!” He finally screamed, clutching his ears, but it was not enough to block the sounds out. “Stop it! Just stop! I don't want to do this anymore!”

Sobbing, he fell to his knees. “I don't want to hurt him anymore!”

This was far from the worst part. He knew what was coming next and it filled him with immense guilt. Computer would inevitably give up and start to rationalize what was happening to him in ways that he should not. He would blame himself for this. He would find a way to believe that he deserved what was being done to him. The thought of it only continued to make Courage despair. To know that he was capable of hurting someone so deeply, to get them to such a point of hopelessness and self-loathing that they just accept and blame themselves for the pain being inflicted upon them, how could ever see himself as anything other than a monster ever again? Even though Computer had assured him he was not during their second trip through the Dreamworld, how could he possibly look at this and not think otherwise?

“Please...please, stop.” He begged in a weak voice. “I don't want to keep doing this.”

_'But you did do this.'_

He let out a choked sob, his guilt very nearly overwhelming him. He could not deny it. He _had_ done this, and he would never, ever be able to take back this horrible moment.

“Courage.”

His eyes widened at the sound of Computer's voice. His friend was close, close enough for it to feel like he had just said his name into his ear. It was pulling him out of this nightmare, pulling him away from all the guilt that he could not escape. A brief respite was coming.

He opened his blurry, tear-filled eyes and immediately began to wipe the tears away until he could see clearly again. The bus rocked a bit as he took note of the fact that it was still extremely early in the morning. Only a hint of orange light could be seen in the sky through the window. He turned his attention onto Computer, who was watching him with a mixture of reluctance and concern.

“You were, uh, getting me all wet with all that crying you were doing.” He said in a surprisingly subdued voice. “It...er, woke me up.” He went on rather reluctantly. It seemed that he couldn't quite figure out what else to say.

“Sorry.” Courage weakly answered, surprising himself with how strained his voice sounded.

Computer rubbed the back of his head, his ears drooping. “So...it appears that while I have come to terms with what happened in the forest, you obviously haven't.” His voice remained subdued, and while he was clearly concerned, he still held an air of extreme reluctance, as though this were a delicate matter that he wasn't qualified to handle.

Neither of them knew what else to say, and as they sat there in their reluctant silence, the bus turned into a gas station to make a pit stop. When it found a place to park, Computer had to urge Courage to come off the bus and go get breakfast with him.

Courage was admittedly still exhausted from yesterday's excursions. His limbs were as stiff as a board and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. It was like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Regardless, Computer managed to successfully nag him into getting breakfast.

The gas station in question had a small fast food restaurant built into it. They both seated themselves at one of the tables, and at his request, Computer bought Courage a sausage and pancake meal while he himself simply opted to get a cup of coffee and skip breakfast all together.

Honestly, Courage was anything but hungry right now. He was having a hard enough time just staying awake and the silence that still permeated between him and Computer wasn't helping to make him feel any better. At this point he simply felt sick to his stomach. He was tired, achy, still shaken up from the nightmare, and more than just a little depressed.

Computer's eyes pretty much hadn't left his coffee from the moment he had returned with it. It was clear that he was not feeling great about the nightmare either, but unlike Courage, he had taken to embroiling himself in thought, apparently trying to think of a way to best go about tackling this.

Courage cut a small piece out of the pancake and brought it up to his mouth. Normally he enjoyed the smell of a freshly baked pancake smothered in syrup, but now he barely even noticed it. Chewing it up, he found it to be rather tasteless as well and his stomach rumbled in protest as it made its way down his throat. Sighing, he placed his plastic fork back down onto the table. He was going to have to wait until later if he wanted to eat anything. He was just too sick to his stomach right now.

Computer looked up from his coffee. “You really should eat.” He said. “You aren't doing well and you need the energy. Having an attack isn't the only thing you need to worry about when it comes to your illness.”

Courage shook his head in protest. “I can't do it right now, sorry.”

“Well, I suppose if you're not up to it...” Computer replied, pulling the tray over to his side of the table where he made quick work of the meal.

And once again, pure, awkward silence fell between the two of them. Computer continued to sip at his coffee, looking everywhere but at Courage and Courage in turn simply stared down at the table as he fought to keep himself awake.

Finally, something seemed to break in Computer and he rather forcefully slammed his cup down onto the table. “Ugh! This isn't right!” He exclaimed.

Courage looked up.

“It...it just isn't right!” He repeated, clasping a paw to his head. “The only reason I started to feel any better about what happened in the forest was due to the fact that I saw just how bad you felt over it. When I saw how guilt-ridden you were, I knew that I wouldn't have to fear something like that ever happening again, but...but it just isn't right! I shouldn't feel better because I know that you're beating yourself up over it! You shouldn't have to feel bad in the first place and now I feel bad because you feel bad! Augh!” He threw his paws into the air before plopping his muzzle down onto the table, looking more than a little defeated over this conundrum.

Guilt welled up inside of Courage, despite himself. “It's alright.” He tried to assure him. “Look, you've already spent more than enough time dwelling on what happened back in the forest. Please don't start again because of me. I'm going to be fine.”

“But it's not alright.” Computer argued, lifting his head back up. “I thought we sorted this all out. I thought we agreed that we were both equally to blame for what happened. I acted badly and you lost your temper when you shouldn't have. We forgave each other over this, so why then are you having nightmares about what used to be my nightmares?”

Courage sighed and looked away. “You of all people should know that it isn't always easy to forgive yourself.”

“But, Courage, things are better now. In fact, things are better than they've ever been, and I'm better now too. I think you need to take some of your own advice and move on from what happened.”

Closing his eyes, Courage let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Sorry, Compute, but I think I'm going to head back to the bus. I'm just...really tired right now, and I don't want to talk about this anymore.” He slid out of his chair and walked away, keeping his head low.

“Courage, wait!” Computer demanded, jumping out of his own seat to go after him. He quickly overtook his depressed friend and grabbed him by both of his shoulders. “You...you are absolutely wonderful, Courage. You are about as kind as they come and not many people can boast such a quality. There has been so many times where you should have given up on me, just like everybody else did, but you never have.” He let out a laugh. “You're always putting up with my nonsense. We're about as mismatched of a team as there has ever been and yet we still manage to make things work. My point is, you are no monster. Far from it, in fact. A real monster would not regret what they did. You made an awful mistake that had horrible consequence and you can't fix it now, but that's okay. I know what it feels like, Courage. I can't change anything that's happened in the past either and that's incredibly hard for me to live with, but I do, and that's because of the support you've given me. I've felt so much more better lately, more so than I have in my entire life. It seems like for the first time ever, I'm just...” He trailed off as he tried to figure out the exact thing he wanted to say. “I'm just happy with the way things are. You can't keep dwelling on what happened. It can't be changed, yes, but I've forgiven you for it. I know with complete certainty that you would never do anything like that again, so I have nothing to fear. It doesn't occupy my thoughts any longer, and it shouldn't for you either. Besides, I'm not one to go down without a fight anymore, as those alligators and Stump can attest.”

Courage, who had been keeping his eyes trained on the floor for the entirety of Computer's speech, slowly looked up at him. He was taken aback by just how confident and self-assured he looked. This was genuine confidence, not the smug, fake over-confidence that he had once clung to so thoroughly. His eyes also seemed to hold a warmth and friendliness to them that he had never displayed before. It was a complete opposite to the constant scowl that seemed to have been a permanent fixture on his face for so long.

“When did-” Courage started, putting on as much of a smile as he could manage. “When did you start becoming the optimistic one, huh?”

Computer blinked in surprise and then smiled rather sheepishly. “Don't get used to it, dog. Somebody has to pick up your slack and I'm the only one available at the moment.”

There was a moment of silence and then they both laughed.

“You know what?” Courage asked. “I think I would like to get something to eat after all. You're right, I do need the energy.”

Computer grimaced. “There isn't enough time for that now. They'll leave us behind if we don't hurry up. Look, how about you start making your way back to the bus and I'll grab you something.”

Courage nodded and turned around to leave. Every step he took still felt like he was lugging around a pile of rocks, but he did feel a little better, well, at least on the inside. Glancing one last time back into the gas station, he found Computer darting from aisle to aisle, trying to find the perfect 'travel ready' meal for him to eat. A smile immediately formed on his lips. His appreciation for Computer only seemed to grow with every moment that passed. He was just so, to echo his own words, wonderful. Sure, he might be prone to complaining a lot, but there was nobody else in the world that Courage would rather have on this trip.

“You really have changed, Compute.” He said under his breath. “But there are somethings about you that never does, and I hope it stays that way.”

He turned around once more, feeling much lighter now. It was a complete one-eighty compared to how he had felt not even five minutes ago. Upon returning to the bus, he didn't have to wait long for Computer. His glowing friend soon arrived with a bag filled to the brim with stuff to eat.

Computer sat down beside him and cleared his throat before saying, “I hope this is good enough. I didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to figure out what to-”

“This is really all for me?” Courage asked, interrupting him.

“Well, of course. Who else would I-”

Before he could finish, Courage reached over and gave him a brief hug.

“You're the best.” He chuckled.

Computer blinked several times, his mouth slightly agape, then he shook his head before puffing out his chest and saying, “I am, aren't I?”

Courage couldn't help but laugh. “Don't let it go to your head, Compute.”

After eating, he spent the rest of the morning dozing on and off along with the majority of the afternoon as well. Unfortunately, his dreams were as troubled as ever. He was now being plagued by that same nightmare he'd had a few nights ago. Computer would always go 'evil' and start attacking him or other people, to which he wouldn't be able to stop. Six times this happened, and when he did manage to get some rest without the nightmare waking him up, he didn't dream at all. The thing that stuck out most to him was that the nightmare always seemed to occur in the same place, even if the events didn't play out exactly the same. Unlike the first time, in which he had encountered 'evil Computer out in the wilderness, now it would always happen in a seemingly rural area. It was hard to make out the details, since it would happen in the dead of night, but Courage knew with complete certainty that he was seeing the same place.

He and Computer would be sitting by a bus stop, lit by a single street lamp that buzzed far too loudly. Across the street a grassy hill could be seen that led up to a pitch black building some distance away. He figured that it was a school of some kind. Behind them were several rows of shadowy houses. As far as he could tell, the reoccurring nightmare seemed to take place in a fairly normal neighborhood.

Then, Computer would attack. Of course he didn't always rip off his face to reveal a scary looking robot and he didn't always try to rip Courage to shreds either, but every single time he would use his power to wreck havoc. Even though the dream always took place in the dead of night, people would still appear for Computer to harm, if he did not go after Courage instead. He would slaughter anyone he came across without hesitation or mercy and Courage was never able to stop him. He would often ended up being hurt just as badly as everyone else for daring to try. To make matters worse, there was never an explanation for why Computer would suddenly change like that. He could never get an answer out of him. Regardless, the repeating nightmares were deeply troubling.

Courage was certain that the real Computer hadn't seen any of the nightmares, even though he'd been asleep at the same time for a lot of them. He knew for a fact that if he had seen them, he would certainly be saying something about it given his dislike of 'evil robots' and of being seen as one. Courage wasn't exactly inclined to tell him about the nightmares either, knowing that he'd never hear the end of it from him if he did find.

By late afternoon, he was about as well rested as he was going to get, given his sleeping troubles. He'd taken to playing tic-tac-toe with Computer on a sheet of paper that he had pulled out from the notebook he had packed just in case Computer would need one to take notes with while they were on the mountain. Much to his annoyance though, he was getting thoroughly trounced. He hadn't managed to win even once and it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he was only able to tie with him twice. As if it couldn't get any worse, Computer wasn't even watching as he schooled him! He was reading that stupid book while he was playing!

After losing for what had to be the millionth time, Courage finally yelled out, “How do you keep doing that?”

“There is a strategy to this, you know.” Computer answered in a nonchalant tone, briefly tearing his eyes away from the book.

“But...but it's just tic-tac-toe!”

“Well, you're certainly not going to win with an attitude like that.” He sniffed.

Having grown tired of being beaten, Courage moved onto a different subject altogether, which was trying to figure out a name for Computer. They continued to get nowhere on it though. Every name he came up with was shot down by Computer as he would find the name to be too simple, and any name he came up with himself would be shot down by Courage for being too pretentious or ill-fitting.

“I still can't believe that you want to be called Cornelius.” Courage grumbled.

“I think it sounds smart!” He huffed.

“There's a reason why you've never met anyone named Cornelius!”

“Says the idiot who thinks I'm a William!”

“It was just a suggestion!”

“And it was a terrible suggestion!”

And thus their attempts to find a name for him devolved into an endless argument, as always.

It wasn't long before the bus made another pit stop. The sun had begun to dip low in the sky and that tinged the gas station orange. Both Courage and Computer were on the hunt for supper, given that they had only eaten a few snacks at the last pit stop around lunch time.

“What should we go for, Courage?” Computer asked. “It looks like this place has a deli of some kind, and across the street there's-”

“Heh, you know, that still feels really weird.” Courage couldn't help but laugh, interrupting him.

Computer turned to him, confused. “What?”

“It still feels weird when you actually call me by my name. You never used to do that before. In fact, I don't think you used my name even once before we discovered my illness and set out on this journey.”

Computer blinked. “Are you sure? Haven't I-” He placed a paw to his chin. “Actually, I think you're right.” He seemed genuinely surprised by the revelation, apparently having never noticed before. “Well, I suppose it's a habit that I still haven't completely broken yet. I'll just have to be more mindful of it in the future.”

“So I'm going to have to get used to it then, huh?” Courage asked, grinning.

“Perhaps, but don't think for a second that I won't call you an idiot when you're acting like one!”

“Ha! That's my Compute!”

“And that's another thing! What are you going to do when I get an actual name and you can't keep calling me that ridiculous nickname anymore?”

“I don't know, I was thinking about calling you Compute forever.”

“W-what!” He huffed. “I do not want to be called that forever!”

“It's endearing!”

“No, it's not! I don't care how endearing you think it is, I don't want that as a name! Just taking a single letter out of computer is not clever!”

“C'mon, deep down you know you really like it!” Courage teased.

“I do not!” He argued, crossing his arms. “Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some dinner before the bus leaves us behind!”

“Whatever you say, Compute.” Courage chuckled.

“I just can't win with you, can I?” He sighed.

End Of Chapter


	29. A Slight Diversion

Chapter 29: A Slight Diversion

“Ugh, back to the boredom that is bus travel.” Computer complained, sauntering out of the diner that both he and Courage had just eaten at.

“Don't jinx it.” Courage replied. “I'd rather be bored than stuck in a swamp again, or worse.”

They made their way back over to the bus. It was nearly dark now, although they'd both been resting so much today that neither of them were even slightly tired. It was likely that they'd end up staying awake long into the night, not that they were really looking forward to it.

“I can't believe you flesh creatures haven't invented teleportation yet, given how boring road travel is.” Computer continued to complain as they got back onto the bus. “I don't know how you stand it. I mean, at least when I was stuck in that metal prison I still had the entire internet at, well, my non-existent fingertips.”

“If you're _'that'_ bored then why don't you get one of those fancy phones that do all the computery stuff that you normally do? You can't access the internet directly through that dog with your power, so just get a phone to do it for you.”

To say that Computer looked offended would have been an immense understatement.

“Why on earth would I ever want to do that?” He asked, glaring at him.

“Because it's convenient.”

“A-are you calling me obsolete? How dare you! I'm better than any of those stupid phones! Back in my day you couldn't even take them anywhere, not unless they were the size of a brick!”

Courage let out a sigh and shook his head. “That's not what I said...”

“You think I'm outdated, don't you!” He continued to huff in his outrage.

“H-hey! You're just projecting, so knock it off!”

“Am not!” He argued crossing his arms.

“I didn't say anything about you being obsolete or outdated! Stop being insecure!”

“You implied it!” He snapped, turning around in his seat so that only his back could be seen.

“C'mon, Compute. Do you really think it matters even if you are outdated? Do you really think I care about that?”

There wasn't a response from his grumpy companion.

“Look, I've got something here that will cheer you up. Actually, I, uh, got this for you a while ago, but given everything that's been happening to us lately, I kinda forgot about it.”

That was enough to get Computer to look over his shoulder.

“Just give me a sec, I need to dig it out.” Courage went on, grabbing their bag and riffling through it. He finally pulled out a much smaller paper bag, which had managed to sink all the way to the bottom.

Computer slowly turned around, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“I figured that you would enjoy something like this, so I-” Courage reached into the bag and pulled out the silver moose figure that he had bought back at the gas station when the SCC Organization had been hunting them. He really had forgotten to give it to Computer because of the all the craziness they had just been through.

Computer blinked. “It's that moose.”

He made no effort to take it.

“I suppose this is meant to be a souvenir then?” He asked.

“Well, yeah.” Courage answered. “It's a gift I got for you because you liked that giant moose so much.”

Computer left it sitting in Courage's paws. Looking somewhat forlorn, he rubbed the back of his head.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but you really shouldn't keep doing this sort of thing for me.”

Courage blinked in surprise. “Why not?”

“Well, it's just, you see, I don't-” He seemed to get stuck on his words. Then, letting out a sigh, he shook his head and continued with, “I don't really need 'things', you see. It doesn't matter if it's a gift or not. You don't exactly have any need for physical objects when you don't normally have hands. That yo-yo was more than enough of a gift.”

Courage smiled. “C'mon! You know you have room on that desk of yours for a few souvenirs!”

He closed his eyes and let out another sigh. “If you insist.”

…..........

It wasn't until a little after midnight that the bus made another pit stop. Courage badly needed to use the bathroom so he was quick to hop out of his seat. Computer on the other hand, remained sitting.

“You aren't getting off?” Courage asked. He was a bit surprised as he figured that Computer would at least want to get coffee or something.

“I'm too bored to move.” He complained, slowly sinking down further into his seat.

Courage shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He exited the bus and was hit by a wall of cool, crisp air. A shiver involuntarily ran up his spine, despite his fur protecting him from the worst of the cold. All around him were buildings that reached high into the sky. They had stopped in a city, but he wasn't sure what the name of it was. Well, it wasn't too big of a deal anyway. They'd be moving on and soon this place would be nothing more than a brief memory.

He continued to shiver, and, just as he was about to step forward to go find a bathroom, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his chest. He wasn't sure what triggered it. Perhaps his shivering? Either way, he was immediately lost in the incredible pain of an attack. His thoughts briefly turned to Computer, who he knew was near but wouldn't be able to see him. He let out a choked cry, hoping that it would get his friend's attention. The pain only grew worse and he was forced to his knees and then onto the ground where he writhed in pain. Slowly, slowly, his vision went black, and all he could hope for was that Computer would come to his aid.....

….He awoke, as always, stiff and confused. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring up at a white ceiling. His mind hazy, he became all the more confused. Where was he? He could feel the weight of a blanket over his body, and someone was talking, albeit too quietly for him to understand. He tried to sit up, but his body refused to work as commanded. Instead, he looked to his left and saw that there was another bed beside his and a window that looked out onto the cityscape.

“A hotel?” He asked himself in a dry, cracking voice.

This couldn't be a hospital, that much was certain, and it didn't seem to be someone's apartment either. The fog that had been clouding his mind was slowly dissipating, and as he became more aware of his surroundings, he wanted to sit up even more. It took several tries, but soon he was able to manage it.

It was indeed a hotel room. In front of the two beds was a dresser and on top of it sat a TV where two newscasters were talking, though the sound had been turned down to such a level that their voices were only an indecipherable drone.

Courage continued to take the room in, his body shaking involuntarily from how weak he was. Computer was nowhere to be seen, which worried him quite a bit, but the thing that concerned him the most was how long he had been unconscious. Could it have been days? He hoped not.

Unable to bear it any longer, he flopped backwards onto the pillow. A weak sigh escaped his lips. It was so disorienting to wake up from an attack like this and it didn't help at all that he knew he wouldn't be able to walk right now, even if he wanted to try.

Where was Computer?

How long had he been out?

How long had it taken for either Computer or someone else to have noticed him passed out on the sidewalk?

So many questions rolled through his mind, and he soon found his salvation when his ears picked up the sound of someone walking up to his door. He slowly sat up and listened with perked ears as whoever it was unlocked the door.

It swung open to reveal Computer who had what was apparently a bag of fast food in one paw and a cup of soda in the other. He nearly dropped both of them in shock when he found Courage staring at him.

“Oh, you're awake already?” He asked. “And here I was thinking that we were going to be stuck here for awhile.”

“How...how long have I been out?” Courage asked, his voice still cracking.

“Just overnight and most of the morning. It's nearly noon now. Well, drat, if I had known that you were going to wake up, I would have gotten you something too.”

Courage shook his head. “I don't think I could stomach any food right now anyway.”

Computer placed the bag onto Courage's bed and then climbed up. “I really was worried that you were going to end up knocked out for ages again.” He spoke, sitting down beside him. “Or worse, that you weren't going to wake back up at all.”

Courage blinked. “How did you get me up here anyway?” He asked.

“Oh, well...” He answered, digging into the bag. “You were already out like a light when I got to you, so I wasn't quite sure what to do. I didn't want to drag you back onto the bus if you were going to potentially be unconscious for several days. I didn't want people to think that I was carting around a dead body or something, so I ran across the street and got us a room at this hotel. By the time I got back to you, some guy was already being nosy and trying to figure out what was wrong with you. I told him that you were tired from all the traveling we'd been doing and I even managed to get him to carry you to our room. He did seem awfully suspicious though.”

“Have you seen him around since then?”

“Thankfully, no.”

“And there hasn't been any other trouble either?”

Computer grinned at the question, clearly amused by it. “Of course not. I've been asleep nearly all morning. There hasn't been enough time for me to cause any trouble yet, so don't worry your fur off. I did do a little looking around while I was out getting food though, and I, uh-” He fell silent.

Courage stared. “What?” He asked, then a thought occurred to him that caused a twinge of worry to well up in his chest. “You haven't been trying to get together with someone while I was knocked out, were you?” The thought of Computer trying to flirt with anyone of either gender was enough to nearly make him die of secondhand embarrassment.

Computer gave a startled jump. “W-what? Of course not! Are you crazy! That's the last thing that's been on my mind with you being unconscious! Besides, I still need to gather up information before I do anything yet! You're the one who's been lecturing me about it after all!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Courage tried to amend, laughing sheepishly.

“What I was actually going to say is that I'd like to make a request.”

“A request?” Courage asked, craning his head to the side. “Why are you acting so formal?” Now he was even more worried.

“Look, while I was walking around out there I came across this really interesting looking mall. I've never been inside one before and I'd like to check it out. In fact, I was planning on going over there today if you didn't wake up soon.”

Courage was surprised by this. It wasn't like Computer to leave his side whenever his illness was pulling a number on him, not that he was particularly offended by the new development. If that's what he wanted to do, he wasn't going to fault him for it. Computer's life didn't need to revolve around him and he honestly wanted to encourage him to do more things on his own.

Computer's eyes all but lit up, well, more than they already did normally. “I really, really want to go!” He all but begged. “If you start to feel any better within an hour or two, we could both go down there. I-it could just be for the afternoon! So don't worry! We can catch the next bus out of here by tonight! I just need ' _something_ ' to break up the monotony of all this bus travel.”

Smiling, Courage replied with, “What makes you think I'd say no? If you really believe a mall is going to be 'that' interesting then we have to check it out. Besides, I've been pretty bored with all the bus travel too.”

Computer was clearly having a hard time containing his excitement. “I do have some knowledge of what malls are like, but I'm having a hard time accessing the information through this useless dog's brain. Is it true that they have stores dedicated solely to sale of candy?”

Courage slapped his forehead with a laugh. “I should have figured the whole reason you wanted to do this was over food.”

“It's not just that, idiot!” He argued.

“Well, look, we can go, but only under one condition.”

“Oh, great. Now you're bringing conditions into this.” He complained.

“We both need a bath before we go anywhere. People are going to think we're a pair of swamp monsters if we go in looking like the way we do now.”

“Oh, come on!” He huffed. “You just have to make this unpleasant, don't you?”

“What is it with you and water? You do know what coffee is made out of, right? Besides, we have a shower available to us now so we might as well use it. I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy having mud all knotted up in my fur.”

“Ugh, fine. I'll get clean, but only because you'll keep nagging me if I don't.”

Courage clasped a paw to his stomach. “Actually, before you do anything, does this place have a vending machine?”

Computer nodded. “Yes, they're down by the lobby.”

“Could you maybe get me a bottle of water and a bag of chips? I don't know if I'll be able to eat much, but it'll be a start.”

Computer gave him a sly, knowing smile and pushed the bag of fast food closer to him. “I saved you a hamburger.” He said in a half mocking tone.

Courage gratefully accepted it, albeit he could only swallow a few bites before he became nauseous. Computer hopped down off the bed and headed over to bathroom, which was to the right of the TV. In fact, it was almost directly in front of Courage's bed.

“Can't you close the door?” He called out to his friend as he ambled his way inside.

Computer turned back around, looked down at himself and then drolly replied, “Oh, no. I'm naked.” with a roll of his eyes. “Besides, somebody has to make sure I don't drown while I'm in there.”

Courage snorted. “You're not about to drown in the bathtub!”

“Says you!” He argued. “I don't know how to swim!”

“You especially won't need to swim in a bathtub either!” He continued to laugh.

“Ugh! Just keep watch and stop making this more unpleasant for me than it already is!” He placed a paw to his chin. “So, how exactly do you make this thing shower instead of, well, doing the bath thing? If I can figure it out, that should drastically reduce the risk of drowning.”

Courage couldn't help but keep giggling at how clueless Computer was.

The glowing dog stepped into the tub and examined the knob. He fumbled around with it a bit and when water began to spray forth from the nozzle, as he had been trying to get it to do, he was so startled that he jumped back more like a frightened cat than any dog.

Courage's gigging fit turned into uproarious laughter. He couldn't help it, even if he did feel a little bad, given Computer's dislike of anything resembling rain.

His friend glared at him, stomped out of the tub, now soaking wet, and slammed the door.

Courage stared, a goofy grin still plastered across his face. He then decided to get back to work on the hamburger and absentmindedly flicked through a few TV channels as he ate.

End Of Chapter


	30. Recollection

Chapter 30: Recollection

After drying himself off, Computer tossed the towel onto the floor, unsure of where else to put it. Perhaps some cleaning lady would come through here later, or maybe Courage would know what to do with it. He jumped up onto the toilet and from there onto the countertop. Grabbing a brush, he began the annoying task of smoothing out his fur, which had become knotted from his time in the swamp.

He looked into the mirror and a feeling of eerie unease fell over him. It was always so strange to look at 'himself'. The face looking back at him through the mirror did not feel like his own, it felt like someone else's entirely, and it was. It became all the more disconcerting because he did not have a true identity to call upon because, well, he didn't normally have a face to assign an identity to. It left him feeling like a sort of ghost who lacked a corporeal form. Even more so, it almost seemed to him that if he stared at his reflection long enough, his face would suddenly make an expression that he did not command the dog to do, and the thought of it unsettled him greatly.

Trying to get his eyes off his face, he looked downward until he came across the gash that he had received back at the veterinarian office. Of course, it could hardly be called a gash anymore. The light blue patch of rough skin was raised slightly and lacked any fur. He wasn't sure if the fur was ever going to come back but there hadn't been much time for it to do so yet. All he knew for certain was that the patch of skin itched abominably at times.

He then looked back upward and took notice of the fact that one of his ears appeared to be slightly smaller than the other. Another 'souvenir' of his time at the veterinarian office. He had expected the tip that had been sliced off to grow back, but it hadn't. Aside from those injuries, he was largely on the mend. It was a bit of a relief too. Courage was the same, although unlike him, the worst of his injuries were merely a handful of bruises and a few minor cuts. As it stood right now, Computer's most prominent wound was the cut across his nose, but even that had crusted over, and the injury to his foot was unnoticeable with the way it was wrapped up.

“Thank goodness flesh creatures are able heal.” He quietly said to himself. Any damage done to his normal body both inside and out required manual repair, unlike the way this dog healed himself without any prompting.

He was equally grateful that both he and Courage were going to be spending some time at the mall. All this boring travel had left him with far too much time for introspection. He'd been going over his past for much of the trip, both the good parts and the bad. It seemed both a blessing and a curse that he could now think about the torture he'd gone through without it feeling like his mind were about to break, but now those memories seemed to come back to him whenever they pleased, even when he was trying to think about the other parts of his past. There was a very important reason for why he was picking through his memories, there was something that he very badly wanted to know. The fact that he had allowed it to slip his mind was-

“Are you going to be done in there any time soon?” Courage's muffled voice called out to him. “I hope you didn't actually find a way to drown in there.”

Computer frowned and hopped down onto the floor. He opened the door and stepped out into the main room where Courage was still sitting in his bed, looking as sickly as ever with sunken, shadowed eyes. Despite that, his face lit up with a smile when he saw him. Never in all of his life had Computer thought that a day would actually come where someone would genuinely be happy to see him for no reason at all. He would never understand what it was that the dog saw in him, but to have that in Courage gave him such a strange yet undeniably happy feeling. He never wanted to lose it.

“I was more than capable of surviving in there, thank you very much.” He sniffed, walking forward. “Are you feeling any better yet?”

“A little.” Courage answered. “But I don't want to try walking yet. Give me twenty or thirty minutes.”

“If you really aren't feeling up to it, I can go down to the mall by myself.” He offered. “I don't want to push you into doing something that might make you more ill.”

Courage shook his head. “No, no. I can manage. I just need a little more time.”

“If you say so.” He dismissed him. “But if I see you struggling at all then I'm going to make you stay here, you got that?”

Courage let out a weak huff.

Computer clamored up onto the bed and crawled over to him. He didn't exactly have anything better to do right now and the TV was nearly useless as it only got a few channels and they wanted to make you pay premium for the rest.

Courage laid backwards and closed his eyes, looking as weak and tired as ever. It was almost to the point of where Computer really was considering forcing him to stay. If need be, he wouldn't even go himself, though he loathed to miss out on such an experience. Courage's health came first after all, and he wasn't going to resent him for that.

Slowly but surely, Courage fell back into slumber, and that left Computer as bored as ever. It didn't take long for him to become embroiled in his own thoughts once more as he continued to pick through his past memories in an attempt to recall that certain piece of information he could no longer remember no matter how hard he tried. The thought of it depressed him considerably and he couldn't help but beat himself up over forgetting it.

“How can I not remember?” He whispered. “I must have known. There was no way that I didn't know, so why can't I recall it?”

Frustrated, it seemed that the harder he tried to recall that one piece of information, the more of a headache it gave him. Desperate for a reprieve, he turned his thoughts onto Courage and their past history together. As always, he was struck by immense regret whenever he recalled his treatment of the dog for the six years that he had known him. It could not be helped, his actions could not be changed, but even then he still regretted it and wished that there was something he could do to take it all back. Those six lonely years would have been so much happier if he had just not pushed Courage away so vehemently.

He could still remember the moment where he had seen Courage for the first time with complete clarity, even while stuck in this dog who's memory recollection was beyond abysmal. At the time, he had completely given up and had simply been waiting to die. He had neglected his system for ages and it had been on the cusps of collapse when he'd been given to the Bagge family. Eustace, in his immense stupidity, had been trying to get him to print money. Having been rejected for what he had decided to be the final time, he'd made no effort to communicate with his new owners. In fact, he hadn't thought that he was going to end up with new owners to begin with, as he had done his damnedest to anger his last owner to the point of where he had hope he'd simply throw him out. Well, either way, it was probably for the best that neither Eustace nor Muriel had ever heard him speak directly to either of them, outside of what he had done as Mega Muriel.

But beyond all that, yes, he could remember the moment where he had seen Courage for the first time. He'd been curled up in some forgotten part of his system, waiting for the end to come, and yet Eustace's stupidity had been so great that it had managed to rouse him long enough to want to get a look at what was going on out beyond his screen. Courage had been there with his owners, looking up at him with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. The dog had been much smaller at the time, still very much a puppy.

Before he had been relocated to the attic, he'd spend most of those days just gazing out of his screen and taking in everything that went on in the farmhouse. Courage had apparently become suspicious of him and had often stared at him for hours on end too, as if that would have done him any good. Had he been able to talk at the time, he would not have been the first person to complain about having the sensation of 'being watched' while in Computer's presence.

With a small sigh, he looked down at Courage, who was still fast asleep beside him. It was such a bizarre feeling to know that if Courage hadn't been an idiot and pounded on his keyboard long enough to get him to speak, he would not be here right now. It was Courage alone who had convinced him to keep going. In fact, he had not expected to stick around for very long even back then, but he had gone on none the less. At first he simply kept putting it off, knowing that Courage might return at any moment, desperate for information that might save his family. After awhile, he had stopped considering it all together. Though he'd had no love for the dog at the time, being needed for anything at all gave him a sense of purpose that had been missing from his life for such a long time. To be of use, and to have someone to take out all of his frustration on, it'd been all he needed to keep fighting his crumbling system. It felt pathetic to him now, but that had been his nature at the time, and it still was to some extent even today.

Courage had to be, what? Probably somewhere around seven years old. He must have been at the very least a year old when they first met. Given that age, he was probably somewhere around 40 in dog years and the thought of that amused Computer greatly. It was hard for him to believe that Courage might technically be older than him, albeit his breed was known to live longer than most dogs so perhaps he was a bit younger than that in dog years. Computer was certain that he himself was somewhere around twenty five to thirty years old so maybe there wasn't too much of a difference in age between them. For a computer, he was about as old as they came, and Courage was getting up there in years as well, regardless of his actual age. They were both on their way to becoming old geezers it seemed.

Speaking of Courage, the dog had begun to quiver in his sleep, like he were having a nightmare. It was nothing like the way he tended to act whenever he was having a particularly bad nightmare, so Computer felt no need to wake him. He needed the rest anyway so as long as he didn't start sobbing or yelling in his sleep, it was best to let him be.

On the topic of nightmares, Computer had not been entirely truthful with Courage about them. He still suffered from them time to time, but they were thankfully nothing like the way they had been before. However, the fact that his new nightmares always seemed to convey the same events often left him disturbed. It seemed that ever since they had left Nowhere, the same dream had begun to plague him like a physical illness. It was always the same thing. Both he and Courage would be sitting by a bus stop under a single street light right before these people, who were always cloaked in shadows, would attack. They always managed to kill Courage. Well, that was not always the case. Computer had gotten progressively more and more violent in his attempts to stop them whenever he found himself in that dream, and it was only when he utterly annihilated them did Courage survive. Anything less than that and one of them would suddenly spring back to life and either shoot or stab him. It was only by tearing them to shreds, ripping them into tiny, ineffectual pieces, could they be stopped.

Just thinking about it made him grit his teeth in anger. Dream or no dream, he would not allow anyone to harm Courage. He would continue to rip those shadowy figures to pieces in his dreams until they finally got the message that nobody was going to hurt Courage under his watch. The same went for real life as well. Anyone who dared to harm so much as a hair on his head would receive no mercy. He was done with all the terrible things that always seemed to happen to him and the few people he cared about. Under no circumstances would he allow Courage to suffer in the same way...the same way...

That single, incomplete thought had yet again left him puzzling over the same question that had been plaguing him ever since they'd started their bus trip.

“Why can't I remember?” He asked himself in a low voice, as to not wake Courage up. “How could I forget in the first place?” His ears drooped and guilt inevitably welled up inside of him. He would never understand how he had allowed this to happen. Of all the things in the world that he should have remembered...

Courage shifted around in his sleep before letting out a few small whimpers and then opening his eyes. He seemed confused for a moment, as though he had forgotten that he had fallen asleep in a hotel, then he sat up.

“Are you alright?” Computer asked, wondering if his friend had been having another nightmare.

“Yeah.” He answered in a tone that seemed to indicate that he was still half asleep.

“Well, are you feeling any better now?”

“A lot better.” He affirmed, rubbing his eyes. “Just give me a moment to wake up and then I'll go take a bath.”

Computer nodded. “Are you sure you'll be able to handle all the walking around we're going to be doing? It might be better for you to stay here.”

“I'll be fine, and I want to go anyway, so stop trying to talk me out of it.”

“It's best if you don't push yourself.” He scolded him. “Do you want to have another attack in the middle of a public place like that?”

“I'll be fine, Compute.” Courage answered, an air of annoyance entering his voice.

Deciding that it would be better to not push the issue further, Computer figured that if Courage started to look tired, he'd simply call it a day and force Courage to come back to the hotel with him. He'd simply have to keep a close eye on the dog and everything would be alright.

He offered to help Courage to the bathtub, but he insisted that he try and get there by himself first. When he slid down the bed and onto the floor, he wobbled there for a moment, but aside from that he was able to get over to the bathroom without any issues.

Computer remained sitting on the bed. Part of him was excited to see what the inside of that mall looked like because it was hard to believe that there could be nothing but one store after another in there, but the other part of him couldn't stop worrying about Courage. What if the dog pushed himself to the point of having another attack? What would he do then? It was difficult enough to deal with one person pestering him about Courage's condition, but what if it were a whole group of people? Well, they were only going to be walking around, so maybe everything would turn out alright. Courage did seem to be a lot better now so perhaps his worries were unfounded.

…......

Courage was finding that the nap he took had helped a lot. The hot bath had equally helped to relieve him of any lingering stiffness and aches. Once he was out, he more or less felt like a new dog. Though Computer continued to eye him with worry, he did not badger him about staying any longer. It wasn't long after the bath that they both stepped outside of the hotel and onto the busy city street. It was a bit chilly, but not quite bad enough to make Courage shiver. The sky was a dreary overcast and it seemed like it was about to rain or snow at any moment.

“This way.” Computer commanded, pointing to the right.

The mall was about two blocks away and they passed a great deal of interesting places on the way. For starters, there was a flashy, old timey theater that lit up the gloomy day with its dazzling signs that displayed the movies being shown. There had also been a small park across the street from where they were walking and it seemed to be the only place in the city where towering buildings hadn't swallowed up everything. They had also passed a dingy bar where even at this hour people were drinking their fill.

The mall itself was about as busy as you would have expected it to be. Nobody took notice of the two dogs as they entered the building. While Courage had been to a few malls before, the size of this place impressed even him. Computer was practically dumbfounded by it.

“There really is nothing but rows upon rows of shops!” He exclaimed. “There's even a second floor!” Then a look of dismay came over him. “Oh, dear. Where do I even begin?” He started to look worried, overcome by indecision. “There's just too much here. I never expected it to be so-” He trailed off.

Courage grabbed him by the arm. “Come on. If you keep this up we'll be standing here all day.”

“But..but I haven't got a plan figured out.” He protested. “I'll never be able to check out every single one of these stores in a single day, so I need to-”

Courage interrupted him with, “Candy store. Here you go. Have fun.” and shoved him inside.

With that, he found a bench and sat down. Unfortunately, the walk to the mall had taken a lot out of him, but he had been trying very hard not to show it so that Computer wouldn't nag him about it. If he could just sit for a couple minutes he was certain he'd start to feel a little better again.

About fifteen minutes later, Computer ambled back out of the store with a bag of candy in his arms. He glanced around a bit before he finally found Courage and went over to him.

“Why didn't you come in there with me? It's amazing!” He exclaimed. “Look! I bought us enough candy to last us the whole trip!”

Courage shrugged. “Unlike you, I'm exercising a little self control.”

Computer ignored the comment. “Here,” He spoke, placing his paw into the bag and pulling out a piece of chocolate. “Try this.”

Despite not exactly feeling the greatest, Courage wasn't about to say no to chocolate, not that he was really supposed to eat chocolate. It was more than likely to make him sick, like it would any dog, but...

“It's supposed to be some sort of exotic chocolate.” Computer went on, letting Courage take it. “But I don't see what's so-”

He took a bite out of it and immediately noticed that not only did it have an unusual crunch, it tasted funny as well...

“-exotic about dipping crickets into chocolate when you can just go outside and do that yourself.”

Courage's eyes widened in horror and his stomach immediately began to rebel, both from the knowledge of what was in there and the chocolate itself. He leaped off the bench and made a beeline for the nearest trash can where the unfortunate cricket found its final resting place.

He heard Computer walk up behind him.

“Why on earth did you start throwing up all over the place?” He asked.

“B-bugs...” Courage choked out.

“Seriously?” He huffed. “You flesh creatures eat just about everything that moves on this planet and yet bugs are where you draw the line? Suit yourself. I happen to find them tasty.”

Courage winced when he heard that distinctive crunch behind him.

End Of Chapter


	31. Mall Adventures

Chapter 31: Mall Adventures

Computer continued to fret over where to go next, his eyes darting from one store to the next. It seemed that he also had something to say about each one of them.

“A store that only sells jewelery? Who has that kind of money?” He muttered to himself. “And I think we've already passed at least three stores that purely sell clothing, and...does that store only sell perfume? Do people really care about how they smell _that_ much?”

He slowed to a stop when they came upon a huge fountain in the middle of a much more open part of the mall. It was surrounded by benches and what appeared to be real fauna. Computer was more or less amazed that they were growing trees inside the middle of a mall.

“Oh, I see, there's dirt under this metal grating around the tree.” He spoke, all but getting down onto his knees to get a better look. “And there's a huge skylight overhead too so that's how it gets the sunlight it needs, and watering one of these would be easy enough too.” He stood back up and rubbed his nose rather indignantly. “It appears that I have sorely underestimated human ingenuity.”

Courage sat down on one of the benches, hoping that he didn't look too tired. “Yeah, it is pretty cool.” He replied in a halfhearted tone.

“Courage, are you doing okay?” Computer asked, taking note of the exhaustion that he hadn't been able to hide. “If you aren't feeling well, we can go back.”

“I think...I'm just a bit hungry, especially since I just lost my lunch to that cricket. Can you find me something?”

The color drained out of Computer's glowing face. “Find you something? From where? Have you looked around? This place has at least ten billion restaurants! What if I get you something you don't like? Don't put that kind of pressure on me, dog!”

Courage bit back a sigh. “Look, just get me something from the first restaurant you find. I promise I'll like whatever you get.”

Computer still looked nervous. “If you say so.” He reluctantly answered.

When he returned several minutes later, he'd gotten Courage a hot dog and soda, but in his other paw he was carrying something else, and it smelled wonderful.

“What's that?” Courage asked, taking a bite out of the hot dog.

Computer sat down and opened the box to reveal a dozen cinnamon buns that looked as good as they smelled.

“You...aren't seriously planning on eating all of those by yourself?” He asked.

Computer's eyes narrowed and he placed a protective arm over the box. “Don't you dare stare me down like that! Go get your own!”

Courage fought back a laugh. “My most closest best friend in the whole wide world isn't even going to share one cinnamon bun with me?”

Computer's eyes narrowed even further. “Don't try that guilt trip routine with me, dog.” He huffed.

Putting on the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage, Courage begged him with, “Not even one?”

“Ugh, now that's just creepy.” Computer grumbled, turning away.

With his back turned, Courage decided that now was the time to strike. He bounded forward on all fours and headbutted Computer in the back, sending him flying off the bench. The box of cinnamon buns were flung into the air too and Courage caught them as they came back down.

Computer, who was sprawled out on his stomach, immediately scrambled back onto his feet. “H-hey! Who do you think you are! Those are mine!”

Courage stood triumphant atop the bench, grinning down at Computer. “That's what you get for not sharing, you greedy glutton!” He laughed. He was having so much fun that it seemed to dispel the worst of his exhaustion.

“Says the thief.” His grumpy friend grumbled.

Hopping down from the bench, he went over and handed one of buns to Computer, who continued to glare at him but ate it none the less. They then sat back down and proceeded to divvy up the buns and eat their way through them. At the very least, it put Computer back into a good mood.

“Well, do you think you're feeling well enough to keep going?” He asked.

Courage puffed out his chest. “Of course!”

They worked to gather up their garbage and disposed of it in a trash can that was much closer to the fountain than from where they had been sitting. The huge piece of architecture, like the trees, had easily grabbed Computer's attention.

“Wait, wait, wait.” He suddenly spoke, his enthrallment with the fountain disappearing. “Why on earth is there so much money at the bottom of this thing? Who in their right mind would throw away their money when there are so many places to spend it around here?”

Courage scratched his head. “I think it's to get rid of pennies.”

That seemed to be good enough of an answer to quell Computer's confusion and they moved on. Of course, it didn't take long before he found something else to comment on.

“What's the deal with all this Christmas stuff?” He asked, pointing up at all the decorations that adorned the mall. “Christmas is still ages away.”

Courage hadn't even really noticed that the mall was decked out for Christmas until it had been pointed out to him.

He shrugged and answered with, “Every year Christmas starts one week earlier.”

Computer blinked in surprise. “R-really? I know how much you flesh creatures love it, but doesn't that seem like a bit much?”

Courage shrugged for a second time. “It's what stores do. If they could, they'd have Christmas happen during summer too.”

“Well, if they start it a week earlier every year then they'll eventually get there.”

Courage nodded in reluctant agreement.

Their walk through the mall was stopped once more when Courage eyed a particular store that he was surprised Computer hadn't noticed.

“Hey, Compute! Look, a tech store!”

His friend only briefly glanced at it before looking elsewhere.

“Right, yes, whatever. Let's move on.” He spoke, his voice utterly lacking in enthusiasm.

Courage grabbed his arm. “C'mon! Let's go check it out!”

“Why on earth would I ever want to do that?” He asked, but Courage insisted on pulling him towards it.

“I bet we can find your soul mate in there!” He laughed, dragging him in through the store's threshold.

Inside, it was surprisingly quiet. The floor was carpeted, making even their footsteps soundless. The only truly noticeable sounds were the soft voices of people talking and the hum of the machines on display.

“Ugh, for goodness sake! What am I doing here?” Computer groaned, running a paw down his face. He nearly managed to turn around and walk out but quick action from Courage stopped him from getting away.

“Don't be all weird, Compute.” He chuckled. “Maybe you can teach me some computery stuff while we're here. I don't know how any of these machines work and-”

He was cut off by Computer, who apparently had resigned himself to his fate and was walking into one of the aisles. “Just what am I looking at?” He groaned.

Courage joined him in the aisle and found that desktops were on display. The monitors of every single one of them seemed to leer down at the two of him. Computer's expression was a mixture of awe and despair.

“When...when did monitors get so..flat?” He asked. “And look at these resolutions! A-and the amount of memory these hard drives have!” His ears drooped. “I don't believe this. When...when did I get so old?” He exasperated.

Courage was quickly beginning to see why this had been a bad idea...

Computer tore out of the aisle and into another. This one had all of those fancy smart phones on display.

“Are you kidding me?” He yelped. “When did phones start doing _that_? For goodness sake! That one has more RAM than I do!” He seemed to all but crumble under his own inadequacy.

Courage, yet again, grabbed him by his arm. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

His friend was all too happy to agree. Unfortunately, even after escaping the tech store, his mood did not improve at all. He was keeping his head held low, ears drooped, and he made no effort to even look at the stores they were passing by.

Courage eyed him with worry. “Hey, I'm really sorry for dragging you in there. It was really stupid of me and I should have known that you weren't going to like it.”

“Dog, didn't you see?” He muttered. “Didn't you see how sleek and...and ' _modern'_ those machines were? My monitor might as well be a tank compared to the slim ones in there! Ugh! Just say it!” He threw his arms into the air. “I'm old, fat, and ugly! I'm so hopelessly outdated that-”

Courage, unable to bear listening to him talk like that anymore, grabbed his paw. “Do you really think I care about that?” He asked, his eyes meeting his friend's.

“Well, no.” Computer reluctantly answered. “But it still doesn't change the fact that I'm-”

“It doesn't matter how outdated you are or how much better those computers in there are! As far as I'm concerned, you _'are'_ the best! There isn't another computer or phone around who's like you, and I would never, _ever_ take any one of them over you!”

Computer stared, utterly taken aback. Then, he glanced away. “I get what you're saying and I appreciate it, but-.” He sighed. “It doesn't change how I feel. I don't like being an outdated piece of barely functioning tech. I know that you don't care, but it's still important to me.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, once we get back from the mountain, we can work on getting you upgraded, along with fixing that crumbling system of yours.”

“I really wish you wouldn't say stuff like that.” He muttered, pulling his paw away. “I know that you see me as more than just a machine, but I'm still the sum of my parts, and my parts are failing. Some things can't be fixed or upgraded. As much as I don't want to accept it, I will never be like one of those computers in there.” He let out a halfhearted chuckle. “That ship has long since sailed. While I used to be one of the most high tech machines around, that was a long time ago.”

Courage placed an arm across his shoulders and pulled him closer. All he truly cared about was making him feel a little better. Anything to make up for having forced him into that store. With a smile, he said, “Well, let's stop worrying about all that computery stuff then. Being outdated doesn't matter when your value is so much greater than just a few old parts. We should worry about the here and now, where we're both enjoying ourselves and where you don't have to worry about what you can or can't do as a machine.”

Computer simply continued to look onward for several moments longer before he took in a breath and slowly exhaled. “I suppose you're right.” He relented. “I shouldn't let this stuff bother me anymore. It's not really all that important with the way things are now anyway. It still doesn't feel all that great though, especially after seeing all those computers in there.” He grinned a somewhat smug, if not self conscious smile. “Well, not one of those stupid machines in there are capable of a single conscious thought between them. That's one thing I'll always be better at!”

Courage couldn't help but laugh. It made him happy just to know that Computer was happy. When things were like this, when they were just spending time together without any strife, to him it was the best feeling in the world. It almost seemed as though nothing could ever possibly go wrong again.

Part of him couldn't wait to finish this trip and get back to the farm. There they wouldn't have to worry about him being sick anymore and there they would both be able to work on fixing Computer's broken system. He couldn't wait for life to return to some sense of semi-normalcy, or at least to the point of where he could still spend time with Computer and where he would be able to see Nina again too. There was so much that they'd all be able to do together and he'd be able to see Muriel again as well. Everything would be better than it ever had been before. He couldn't wait for it. He would save Computer. There was no doubt in his mind. Everything would turn out fine and they would go on living. He was certain of it.

Still laughing, he half-jokingly said, “You're the best, Compute.”

In that moment, they both turned their heads to look at each other and inadvertently bumped their muzzles together. They both laughed out of surprise and pulled away.

“Of course I am the best!” Computer exclaimed. “Why wouldn't I be? If it weren't for my amazingness, you wouldn't be here right now!”

“I don't know.” Courage mocked. “I'm pretty sure I've beaten your record after how many times I've saved your fur during this trip.”

Computer crossed his arms. “Hardly! Nobody will ever outdo the amount of time's I've had to help you with all the weirdos that come knocking on your door! I've practically made a talent out of it!”

Courage was about to make another quip when he spied a certain 'shop', if it could even be called that, up ahead of them.

“Uh, oh.” He said under his breath.

That was enough to get Computer's attention. “What?” He asked.

“Uh, I don't know if I should point this out to you, but-” He gestured toward the shop.

The sudden change in Computer's demeanor was a sight to behold. Courage was certain that he would never be able to understand how his friend could go from being depressed over being outdated to practically bouncing off the walls in such a short amount of time.

The glowing dog clasped his paws to his mouth, not out of shock but from glee. His eyes were practically sparkling. “Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?” He asked. “I figured that such a thing must exist but I never expected we'd actually come across one!”

Courage stared. “It's just a coffee shop, Compute, not the lost city of Atlantis.”

Actually, it was a coffee shop built into a much bigger bookstore. It was that one brand of coffee that seemed to be everywhere, so he wasn't sure what Computer was so excited about, and the bookstore itself was that one retailer that seemed to exist in every mall on the planet.

Computer's grin only widened. It was honestly starting to freak Courage out a bit.

“I can't believe we actually came across one!” His friend exclaimed.

“You have got to be kidding me....” Courage groaned, shaking his head.

Computer turned to him only once to say, “If this kills me, know that I died happy.” And then he was gone. Courage had never seen him move so fast, not even during the many times he had been running for his life.

“Oh, boy.” He sighed. “Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.”

End Of Chapter


	32. Even More Mall Adventures

Chapter 32: Even More Mall Adventures

Courage decided that it would be best to leave Computer alone with, well, his coffee obsession. He was seriously worried that if he went in there, Computer would try to force some on him. If there was one thing that he was certain of, he would never like the stuff. Why Computer seemed to love it so much, he'd never understand.

Rather than sit there and wait for Computer to return, he took to wandering around a bit, albeit he made sure not to wander off too far so that Computer wouldn't have to look for him. He knew for a fact that his friend would inevitably freak out if they became separated and the amount of complaining that he would have to endure afterwords would no doubt last for ages.

As he walked, his attention was drawn to a sort of 'mystic' store. It was the smell of burning incense that seemed to invite him inside. To his already sensitive nose, the various scents wafting out from that place was nearly overwhelming and yet it intrigued him enough to want to go inside.

Upon entering, he found that the store seemed to have an endless amount of things to look at. Most of it was magical or spiritual in nature, like rune stones and tarot cards. This place reminded him so much of Shirley that he couldn't help but wonder if the little, old lady of a dog running the store happened to be a relative. He considered asking, but there was something so intimidating about the old dog as she watched him go about his business that he preferred to just leave her be. She did not seem like the sort of person who would take kindly to being asked questions, and as far as he knew, if she actually was an acquaintance of Shirley's, they might be on unfriendly terms or outright enemies. Better to not accidentally incur the wrath of one of these dogs and end up cursed. He'd had enough of that already for one life time, given how often Eustace seemed to cross paths with Shirley and how little good ever seemed to come of it.

While he did find many of the herbs and odd, dried potion ingredients interesting, and while there were many supposed 'do-it-yourself' spell books and voodoo doll kits, what really caught his attention was the gemstones on display. There was an entire part of the store sectioned off for them. Some were behind a glass display case, but the less expensive ones sat in many bowls atop a long, thin table, and above each bowl stood a small sign listing off the apparently healing qualities of each gemstone. He had to stand on his toes to get a good look at them, but he found nearly every single one of the crystals entrancing.

If he'd had the money, he would have bought one of each crystal and maybe a few extra to give Muriel. Instead, he spent a good while just reading about each of the crystals and what they did. By the time he was done, he was so gripped with indecision over which ones to buy that he decided he'd simply get one for Computer instead. He figured that his friend might get a kick out of it, if only because he'd probably find a 'colored rock' amusing, not out of any supposed mystical qualities that it might have. Though Courage simply could not figure out which one he liked the best, nor could he figure out which one to get Muriel, he knew almost immediately the one that he thought fit Computer the best. Since he'd already spent far too long in this store, he quickly grabbed the nicest one out of the bowl and hurried over to the checkout.

The old dog woman refused to look at him as she rung the gemstone up. With a heavy sigh she said, “Chrysoprase, eh? It's said to promote healing and strengthens friendships. It brings about hope, love, happiness, and courage.”

Courage looked away, feeling rather self-conscious. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he really believed that gemstones were capable of such things, and he was especially certain that Computer wouldn't buy into it. Regardless, he still felt like this gemstone in particular fit Computer well, and, hey, if it really were capable of 'promoting' any of those things then it would only be a help.

“You're not getting this for yourself, are you?” The old dog asked with a knowing smile. She seemed to be a sort of bulldog mix and her cheeks drooped quite a bit because of it, giving her an even older, more wiser look. “I can see that you care about this other person's well-being quite a bit. You don't necessarily believe in the healing properties of gemstones, but you're willing to consider it so long as there might be a chance that it will benefit your friend.”

Feeling his cheeks begin to burn, Courage shuffled his feet and kept his eyes trained on the floor. That old dog was reading him like a book and he didn't particularly enjoy it.

“I also know that you want to ask me about a fortune teller called Shirley.”

This was enough to get him to look up at her in surprise.

The old dog laughed. “It should be obvious to you by now, but I have the ability to read minds. Yes, I do know of Shirley, although I've never met her in person. Most of my people know her story because her fate is a sad one.”

Courage blinked. “W-what do you mean? Why would her fate be sad?”

The old dog let out another heavy sigh. “Normally I would not speak of these matters so lightly, nor would I just go telling these events to any dog who happens to wander into my store, but I can see that you have an honest heart, and you do know Shirley, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt.”

Shirley had always seemed very reserved to Courage so he couldn't help but wonder if whatever he was about to be told was the reason why.

The old dog nodded, having apparently read his thoughts once more. “Her entire clan was slaughtered many years ago. She would have been a puppy at the time and she lost both her mother and grandmother in that bloodbath. As far as I know, she was taken in and kept hidden for most of her childhood by an old friend of her clan, a shaman who'd gotten word of the slaughter. I hear that she now spends most of her days as a wandering medium, a sad life that so many of my people have had to take up nowadays. We've lost so much of our previous glory. People do not believe in the mystic anymore and they think that we exist solely to scam them out of their money. Even worse, they often refuse to see us dogs as anything more than pets to be kept on a leash, pah!”

Courage's mouth had long since fallen open in surprise. He was left standing there, utterly dumbfounded. Shirley had once belonged to a clan of mystics who were all slaughtered? It wasn't unbelievable, but why? Who or what would do something like that?

“Ah, yes. That's a story all of its own.” The old dog answered. “We mystics, we dogs who are in tune with the spirit world and the life energies of this earth, used to live in our own individual clans, but most of these clans have long since dissolved in these modern times. My clan was especially known for the fact that every few generations a dog would be born among us who could read the minds of all creatures without the need of special spiritual tools. I am one such dog, as is quite obvious. Shirley's clan was known for birthing dogs who could see the future without the aid of a crystal ball. She herself is not one of those dogs, but her grandmother was.”

The old dog pressed a finger to her chin and squinted her eyes. “It's difficult for me to remember as I was quite young myself when all of this happened, though I would not have been nearly as young as Shirley. If I am remembering correctly, a man who I believe went by the name of Edgar Astor descended upon my clan along with a group of scientists under his command. He claimed that he wanted to unravel the mysteries of my people and our abilities, and he was especially interested in me because of my ability to read minds. My memory of that time is foggy, but I can remember what that man's mind felt like with perfect clarity. He did not have an evil mind, at least not from my own perspective. When you are able to see what's going on in the heads of everyone around you, you start to realize that there are no truly evil people in the world as they all have their own motives and justifications. That man was so wrapped up in his own ego and sense of self grandeur that he cared little for anyone else. I guess you could say that he was a psychopath for he was incapable of empathy and he did not care about those he might hurt on his path to greatness. To him, all other beings were lesser creatures, mere ants not worth mourning over if he stepped on one of them. The other things that I saw in his mind? I could not comprehend. He was smart, far smarter than me and far smarter than most people. I have yet to come across another person who thinks the same way he did, or had such a vast, intelligent mind. I still cannot comprehend what I saw in his mind even to this day. What made perfect sense to him is indecipherable to me.”

The old dog laid herself down onto the countertop, letting her muzzle hang over the edge. Her eyes did not focus on Courage though. They seemed to be looking far off into the distance as she lost herself in hazy memories. “I immediately told my elders of what I had seen. Though I could not comprehend his motives, I still understood that whatever experiments he wanted to do on me would either end in my death or I would be left in a state much worse than that. They forced him and his people to leave, and had we known what he was going to do, what he could have done to us, we would have left our homes that night and gone into hiding. Luckily, he never brought his wrath down upon us, but had we known what was going to happen, we would have done more to save Shirley's clan. While they had been warned about Astor and his men, they still welcomed them into their clan with open arms. You may wonder why, but to those of us mystics who still remember the way things used to be, you would understand. We had been on the decline for a very long time at that point and I'm sure Astor promised them everything that they could have ever wanted just so long as they went along with a few of his experiments. Shirley's grandmother probably felt that she had lived her life to the fullest and wanted to contribute to her clan one last time before she died. Sadly, nobody can say what went wrong. All we know for certain is that only a few months after they had welcomed Astor and his men into their homes, that terrible man ordered every last dog in that clan dead. It was only by some twist of fate that Shirley survived. Thankfully, Edgar Astor was quite old himself when all of this happened. There is no doubt that he has died of old age by now so none of my people have to worry about him any longer. If there was any chance that he might still be around, I doubt Shirley would risk wandering about so freely.”

Courage swallowed and then gave the old dog a slight nod. It would be awhile before he could fully take in everything that he had just heard. “W-well, uh, thank you for telling me about what happened. I...I had no idea-” He slowly trailed off.

So...Shirley was the last dog of her kind. A gypsy wanderer with no place to call home and no family to speak of. The mystics might as well be going extinct and her clan has long since been wiped out. There was no way that Courage could have ever known. This no doubt explained so much about her. What was funny to him though was that while he may know this information now, he doubted he would ever bring it up to her in person. There were just some things you didn't talk about, and this was clearly one of them. Shirley would never know that he knew about her legacy.

He thanked the old bulldog a second time, but before he could leave she managed to embarrass him one last time by entreating him to, “Take good care of that friend of yours!” and with that, he finally left the strange smelling yet interesting store. Once back out in the open air, everything that happened in that shop suddenly started to feel a lot more like a fuzzy dream. It was as if he had been put under an enchantment and had only just woken up from it. He found the sensation oddly surreal.

Of course, now that he was out of there, he began to worry about Computer. He'd been inside that place for an awfully long amount of time and he had no way of knowing if Computer was still inside the coffee shop or out looking for him. As he quickly began to make his way back in the direction he had come from, another worry began to eat away at the back of his mind. Edgar Astor...he was certain that he'd heard the name Astor somewhere else before. It took him several minutes to recall and when he finally remembered it, it made his blood run cold.

...At the gas station, back when those SCC people had been hunting down both him and Computer, they had said the name Astor. The only thing that quelled his fear that it might be the same Astor who had murdered Shirley's family was that they had called this Astor a 'her' instead of a 'he'.

Courage bit his lip, though he did not slow down as he made his way back to the coffee shop, despite how embroiled in thought he was. Could the Astor those men had been talking about be a descendent of Edgar's, or perhaps married to one? Did this mean that Edgar might have once had ties to the SCC Organization? Was whoever the Astor that those men had been talking about be the leader of the SCC? Could Edgar have been their leader at one point too? Honestly, all of these questions were ones that he'd rather leave unanswered. He'd greatly prefer to never get tangled up with the SCC again and the last thing he ever wanted was to meet this Astor person in the flesh.

Upon finally reaching the coffee shop, he was despaired to find that Computer was nowhere to be found. Rather than panic though, he decided he'd first check the bookstore itself to make sure that his glowing friend simply hadn't gone there instead.

The bookstore in question was utterly massive in comparison to the coffee shop and it even had its own escalators leading up to a second floor. It took Courage a good fifteen minutes just to check around the bottom half of the store, but thankfully, as he rode one of the escalators up to the second floor, he immediately caught sight of a table that was almost completely covered in a mountain of empty coffee cups. If there was ever a sign that Computer was around, it would be that!

He ran up the last few escalator steps and made his way over to the table. Behind the mountain of coffee cups did indeed sit Computer, who was reading a weird, pink and red book with a bunch of hearts on the cover.

“What's all this?” Courage asked, waving a paw at 'coffee cup mountain'. Even with Computer's addiction to coffee, he could hardly believe that his friend had actually drunk his way through ' _that_ ' much coffee.

Computer looked up from the book. “I couldn't decide which coffee blends to try, so I bought all of them instead.”

Courage slapped a paw to his face and groaned.

His friend merely shrugged. “And here I was starting to think that you weren't going to come back. I was just about to start looking for you but this book has been keeping me occupied and, actually, I was considering going back downstairs to get another round of coffee.”

Courage let out another exaggerated groan. “Am I going to have to stage an intervention or something, because this-” He pointed to the coffee cups. “is nuts!”

Computer blinked. “It looks pretty normal to me.”

Courage threw his paws into the air. “ _Of course_ it looks normal to you, you coffee addict!”

His glowing friend shrugged for a second time. “I just don't see what the big deal is. I'm merely indulging upon something that I happen to greatly enjoy. Anyway,” He closed the book and showed it to Courage. “I've gotten my hands on one of those dating books like you told me to, and-” He rubbed the back of his head. “My goodness, you flesh creatures just have to make this romance stuff as ridiculously complicated as possible. I never suspected that falling in love would be so hard. There are so many rules and regulations to be observed or else you could end up slapped...or...or _dumped_! Or worse, your crazy ex could come back and-” A look of horror fell across his face. “-and all of the electronics in the house end up in the toilet, including me!”

Courage stared. “Computer, nobody is going to be fitting you inside a toilet any time soon.”

He glared at him.

“H-hey! I didn't call you fat so just stop!”

Computer rolled his eyes and got back onto the topic at hand. “I don't know how you flesh creatures manage to reproduce at all with your mating rituals being like this. There's just too many ways to fail, and don't even get me started on how obsessed you all are with kissing and, well, every other nasty thing you do! I mean, I come from the internet, I know the extent of just how dirty all of your minds are, but this is just ridiculous!” He looked down at the book in disgust. “Why does all of this always have to end with kissing? It's just so disgusting! And then tongues get involved and-” He shuttered with revulsion. “Perhaps I'm not capable of love after all. If I have to start kissing people then it's going to end with me losing my lunch most of the time because, ugh, all of the bodily fluids you flesh creatures produce is just so _nasty_!”

“Uh, Compute, I'm pretty sure you don't have to kiss anyone if you don't want to. Nobody can force you into doing something that you don't want to, and if they try, they were already terrible to begin with.”

He was surprised to see that Computer genuinely looked rather lost. “But-” His friend tried to say. “But doesn't that mean I won't fall in love? That _they_ won't fall in love? The book says that kissing and all the rest of that nastiness is meant to foster a closer relationship and builds a bond between you and the other person, so if I don't do this like a proper flesh creature then it's doubtful that the other person will fall in love with me at all, and I don't even know if I'm capable of love in the first place. I just don't see what's the point in even trying if I'm doomed to fail from the start. I guess all the movies and books you flesh creatures created made this all look so much easier than it actually is.”

“Hey, c'mon.” Courage chuckled, trying to cheer him up. “You just want an unconventional relationship, and that's fine. You're a pretty unconventional person yourself. You've just got to find somebody out there who's willing to accept you for who you are, even if there are certain things in particular that you don't want to do. Every person is different and every person wants different things. You'll find somebody who you fit together perfectly with! It's bound to happen eventually!”

The glowing dog leaned back in his chair. “I don't know, dog.” He sighed. It seemed that nothing would lift his spirits right now.

“Well, here. Take a look at this.” Courage went on, pulling out the gemstone and handing it to him.

Computer looked it over for a moment and then looked back at him. “It's just a rock.” He said, lacking in any enthusiasm.

“It's a gemstone. It's...I guess it's a crystal that's supposed to have healing properties.”

Computer stared. “But it's a rock.”

“You...don't get it, do you?”

His friend glanced down at the stone once more. “I just don't see what's so special about it. What makes this rock any different from all the other rocks that it would have healing abilities? It's rather pretty, yes, but magical?”

“Well, I don't know if it's actually able to do anything other than be a rock, but I still figured you'd like it anyway.”

Computer rubbed the back of his head. “Eh, it's okay, I guess.”

“...And you have no idea how much time I spent trying to figure out which one to get you. There were like a million different rocks in there.”

“If you're going to put it that way-” Computer trailed off. “I suppose if you really did put that much effort into it then it's at least special in that you spent so much time considering what I may or may not like, even if it's just a weird rock.”

Courage shrugged. “And who knows, maybe it really does have magical qualities.”

“I doubt it. This rock pretty much looks like a rock to me.”

Courage couldn't help but laugh. Computer was acting exactly as he had expected him to.

“Oh, right! I almost forgot!” His glowing friend suddenly exclaimed. “Take a look at what I found!” He reached over and pulled out a book from under the pile of coffee cups. It was much, much bigger than the dating book, and before Courage could get a look at the cover, Computer flipped it open. “This book is filled with nothing but names and their various meanings. We are guaranteed to find a suitable name for me in here. It's apparently meant for people who don't know what to call their newborns, but it should work well enough for me.”

Courage glanced it over. “This...is actually a pretty good idea. We're bound to come across a name in here that you'll like.”

“Well, I've decided then. I'm going to continue reading this dating book until I've figured out if I want to keep perusing this relationship stuff or not. It may take me a little while, so if you want to walk around a bit while I do this, that's perfectly fine. I'll make sure to buy this book with all the names in it too so that we can look it over while we're stuck being bored on the bus.”

Courage nodded. “Alright, I can get behind that, but no more coffee! You're going to explode at this rate!”

Computer placed his paws behind his head. “Hardly.” He huffed. “But fine, I'll stop drinking coffee for a little while since you seem to be so certain that I'm addicted.”

“You ARE addicted, Compute.”

“If you say so.” He dismissed. “Just go off and do whatever you want. I'll come find you when I'm ready.”

Courage almost immediately decided that he'd stay close to the bookstore. He still didn't trust Computer to not freak out of he weren't able to find him right away. All but shooed off, he headed out of the bookstore, though rather than go back down the escalators, he remained on the second floor so that he could check out the shops he had missed.

He stopped briefly inside a clothing store, wondering if maybe he could find something for Muriel in there, but everything they had was far too modern for the likes of her. He then found a tea shop, which wasn't anything like the coffee shop because you couldn't order tea like you could order coffee. This place only sold bagged and lose tea leaves, but they did have plenty of freshly brewed samples for people to try. Sadly, he wasn't really sure what kind of tea Muriel liked, so he was once again unable to decide on what to get her. He did take the time to try a few samples out for himself though, and he didn't find the tea half bad either. It wasn't something that he'd consider drinking all of the time, but it wasn't unbearable to him like coffee was.

As he was standing there, sipping at the pipping hot tea, he suddenly got a stern, “Traitor!” shouted at him from behind. He, of course, turned to find Computer standing there with his arms crossed.

“What?” He asked with a slight chuckle in his voice.

“You know exactly what.” His friend huffed. “Tea is nothing but an inferior version of coffee and here I find you drinking it like the filthy traitor that you are!”

“Have you even tried tea before?”

“Of course not.”

“Then how do you know that it's an inferior version of coffee?”

“Because it is!” His friend argued, sticking up his nose.

Shaking his head, Courage grabbed a sample and handed it to him. Computer looked down at the cup with disdain.

“Just try it!” Courage urged. “You'll eat and drink just about anything else, but you won't try tea?”

“Fine.” He relented, taking a sip. His less than enthusiastic expression did not change. “I'd rather just drink coffee.” He concluded.

Courage couldn't help but laugh. It was honestly pretty surprising that Computer didn't care for tea. Although, it was probably just the coffee addiction talking in this case.

Regardless of his disdain, Computer finished the tea sample before reaching into his bag to pull something out. After finding what he was looking for, he handed Courage a purple and black gemstone.

“Since rocks have apparently become your forte, I figured that I'd return the favor. I believe this is called charoite and it's supposed to give you courage or something. As we both know, you can always use some actual courage, so if this rock really does have magical powers, it's about to become your new best friend.”

Courage turned the charoite over in his paw. As far as he was concerned, it was perfect. After having found it nearly impossible to pick just one gemstone, it seemed that Computer had been the one to figure out which one he liked the best.

“Ugh, can we get out of here now?” His friend complained. “All of this tea is annoying me. I simply cannot understand why people would drink this stuff over coffee.”

Courage nodded, and with that, Computer all but pushed him out of the tea shop.

“I guess we've found your mortal enemy.” He joked.

_...A little while before...._

The bulldog cashier, who had just taken over for her grandmother, couldn't stop staring at the weird, glowing, blue dog who had just walked into the store not even five minutes ago. She'd never seen a dog like that before and she couldn't help but wonder how he glowed like that. The dog had gone over to the gemstones and was looking through them with a meticulous eye. He was so wrapped up in what he was doing that he didn't even noticed that he was being stared at. A few minutes later and he had made his choice.

He handed the piece of charoite over to her, though he was still so lost in thought that he barely took notice of anything. Neither of them spoke a word as he dug out some money and gave it to her. Just like that, their odd encounter was over with. The dog began to slowly make his way out of the store, still seemingly so lost in thought that he was nearly oblivious to the outside world. Of course, the bulldog cashier had also gotten the sense that he really hadn't wanted to talk to her anyway. Not that she had a problem with it, plenty of her customers tended to be a bit grumpy like that.

However, her strange encounter with the glowing, blue dog only got weirder when her grandmother suddenly came running in through the storage room door at the back of the shop. Her eyes were wide with shock, which was surprising as very little ever seemed to faze her grandmother.

“Grandma? What's the matter?” She asked.

“I thought I sensed-” She stopped, her eyes widening even further.

She stared out into the mall itself, where that glowing dog was still standing just outside the store. He was glancing from left to right, apparently trying to figure out which way to go, or perhaps he was looking for somebody.

“He's a bit weird, isn't he? With the way he glows like that. I wonder how he does it.” The bulldog cashier commented in a rather restrained voice. She was still a bit worried about her grandmother's unusual reaction.

The old mind reader continued to stare, and then in a grave voice she said, “There is something very wrong with that dog's mind.”

End Of Chapter


	33. More Mall Adventures Than You Can Handle

Chapter 33: More Mall Adventures Than You Can Handle

They continued to wander around for a bit, only entering a few stores when it particularly caught their interest. It was while they were taking a small break, so that Courage could rest, that the bag was handing over to him while Computer went to check a map of the mall. While he was waiting, he decided to look inside the bag and make sure that everything was still there. None of their things were missing, as he had assumed, but he was quick to notice that while the book with all of those names was in there, the dating book wasn't. Did that mean Computer had...

He waited patiently for his friend to return, and when he did, he asked, “You didn't buy the dating book then?”

“Oh, that.” He reluctantly answered. “I, uh, I've decided to give up on all the romance stuff. It's not for the reasons we discussed back at the bookstore, so don't worry about that. It's just that as I continued to read the book, I started to get a better understanding of, well, the big picture.” He clasped his paws together, looking thoughtful. “The book said that love is all about putting the person you care about first. The more I thought about it, the more sure I became. The nicest thing I could ever do for that other person is to not meet them at all. You were right about one thing, even if I were to meet them on this journey, I would have to leave them behind. There's also the whole dying thing too. It would be cruel of me to start a relationship with someone when I'm likely to die only a little while later. I would only make them suffer, and it isn't right. That doesn't even factor in my disagreeable nature, the truckload of mental and emotional issues, the fact that I'm not actually actually a flesh creature to begin with, that I don't want to take part in any of the nastier parts of your mating rituals, and just about everything else that would turn any sane person away.”

Courage, shocked by what Computer was saying, hopped off the bench he'd been sitting on. “Well, I, uh-” He tried to say. “I...I don't think you should give up, but if that's the choice you want to make, I'll accept it.”

Computer raised an eyebrow. “Weren't you the one who was trying to convince me that this was a bad idea from the start?”

With a smile, Courage placed a paw onto his shoulder. “You've just shown me that you're starting to understand love better than most people do. Deep down, love is simply about how much you care for another person, how much you want to be with them, what you would do for their sake, how far you would go for them, how they are your whole world. You know, all the mushy stuff. When you first talked about all of this, you were only thinking about yourself. Now you're starting to see that isn't only about you. I don't think you should give up just because there's a chance that you might die, or because you think that you have a disagreeable personality, or because of any other issues you might have. Love is, after all, about looking past all of those flaws and still being loved despite them.”

Computer was silent for a surprisingly long time, his eyes trained on the floor. Finally, he said, “You're right, Courage, but I can't continue, not like this. There's just too many problems and too many ways for things to go wrong.”

Courage nodded. “I understand, but hey, when we get you fixed up, after we've finally gotten back to Nowhere, you'll have all the time in the world to look for somebody. Until that time comes, until you're ready to decide, I'll respect your decision, and after you've had some time to think about it, if you still don't want to continue, I won't bring it up again.”

“Just forget about it, Courage. I don't want you to bring this up with me ever again. I'm done with all of this love nonsense and I'd much rather put it all behind me. I honestly can't believe that I ever let the thought get into my head. I just wasn't made for such things, I'm not compatible with you flesh creatures.”

Courage bit his lip. There were a thousand things that he wanted to blurt out and yet he still didn't know the right thing to say. Instead, he decided to respect Computer's wishes, and with a nod, he let the issue go. Now simply wasn't the time to focus on this. If he was ever going to convince Computer otherwise about love, it would have to be after they returned to Nowhere, after it was assured that Computer was going to live.

“Now, that's enough of this.” Computer went on, clearing his throat. “I'm here to have fun, not to get hung up on stupid stuff. There's something I want to see in particular, so let's keep moving.”

Courage nodded, still feeling a mixture of emotions. He swallowed, and without saying a word, let Computer take the lead.

“So, uh-” He said, hoping to get both of their minds off the subject of romance. “When you went into that store with the crystals, did you meet an old bulldog lady?”

Computer shook his head. “No, but there was a younger bulldog at the cash register.” He shrugged. “I bet the one you saw went on break or something.”

Courage agreed with a nod. “Well, the older dog I met could read minds, surprisingly enough. It was a bit unnerving when she read mine so I wondered if she had done the same to you.” He decided that he wasn't going to bring up Shirley or the massacre right now. It was far too dark of a topic to discuss while they were trying to have fun.

With another shrug, Computer replied with, “It's a good thing that she didn't. She probably would have ended up needing several years of therapy after seeing what's inside my head.”

“I don't know.” Courage snickered. “I think we made it through there alright.”

“Speak for yourself!” He huffed, picking up his pace. He soon stopped in front of a sign and gestured at Courage to come take a look.

The advertisement was surprising in just how...grim it looked. It was covered in bats, flaming eyeballs, skulls, and a whole assortment of nastier elements that seemed better suited for Halloween. However, the sign was not for a haunted house or anything that had to do with the holiday, it was instead an advertisement for an indoor roller coaster. In lightning bolt style red letters, it displayed the name 'DEATHANATOR', and Courage would have sooner expected to see a name like that on the cover of some heavy metal album.

“This place has its own indoor roller coaster?” He asked. “You...want to ride that thing, don't you?” He sighed.

Computer's eyes were all but sparkling as he stared up at the sign. “I have never wanted anything more in my entire life.”

All Courage was certain of is that he didn't want Computer going anywhere near anything that had 'death' in its name.

“Come on, let's keep moving.” Computer urged him. “It's supposed to be at the end of his part of the mall so we've got to be getting close.”

Swallowing nervously, Courage was already trying to think up a way to convince Computer to change his mind. His friend had already started walking again and he was forced to sprint to catch up with him.

“Wasn't jumping off the Empire State Building enough?” He asked. “A roller coaster can't possibly be more thrilling than that?”

Computer turned around with an amused, if not smug, grin on his face. “What? Are you worried I'm going to die or something?” He chuckled.

“Y-yes...” Courage squeaked out.

“Oh, come on now.” His friend berated him. “You're more likely to die while doing, well, just about anything else than you are to die while riding a roller coaster. You'd sooner get struck by lightning!”

“You HAVE been struck by lightning, Compute! Do you really want to push your luck with something called the Deathanator?”

The glowing dog turned around and shrugged. “Unlike you, I'm not a wimp and I'm especially not worried dying on a roller coaster. You should go on it with me. Who knows, you might even like it!”

“N-NO!” Courage yelped. “There's no way that I'm getting on that thing, and neither are you!”

His terror only made Computer laugh. “You're not my mom, dog! You can't tell me what to do! I'm going to ride that roller coaster and when I come back perfectly alive I will laugh in your face! Why don't you actually live your life for a change instead of being scared of absolutely everything?”

“I am NOT getting on a roller coaster, especially not THAT one! I hate roller coasters!”

Computer shook his head. “Fine, fine. Go on being a wimp who will never live life to its fullest. You might as well go find a corner to cower in, but don't you dare think for a second that I'm going to let you stop me from getting on that roller coaster.”

Unfortunately, Computer was right. There was no way he could stop him from getting on that death machine. His heart was set on doing this, no matter what terrible thing might happen.

Courage remained several steps behind Computer, both worrying and fuming all at the same time. He could deal with his friend's coffee addiction, but not his daredevil tendencies, which could very well be hazardous to his health.

They soon came to the end of the mall, which seemed to have unusually low lighting to go along with the theme of the roller coaster. The glowing signs above the last few stores seemed all the brighter in the dim environment. Every single one of those shops were the kind that liked to cater to the goth and 'hipster' crowd. Between the low lighting, the rock music emanating out of a few of the stores, and the frightening sights that seemed best suited for Halloween, Courage was utterly terrified. He made sure to stick closer to Computer, who, of course, was not fazed at all by the change in atmosphere.

At the very end, where there should have been a bunch of exit doors to leave the mall, there instead stood a huge, black wall with an equally large, glowing sign attached to it that displayed the Deathanator name. Every once in awhile the floor would begin to shake and a loud roar could be heard. No doubt that was the roller coaster doing its thing just beyond the wall. As they got closer, Courage could see that a jagged hole had been cut into the wall to serve as an entrance. The inside was as red as if they were about to step into a huge, gaping wound, and lights could be seen flashing at a disorienting rate. The sound of demonic laughter reached Courage's ears and he quivered.

They stopped just before the entrance. Nobody else was around, which was surprising given how busy the rest of the mall had been. Courage immediately caught sight of yet another frightening sign that proved to him this roller coaster was going to be the end of his friend. Sitting atop a pillar that was about chest high to an average size human was glass box filled to the brim with actual _spines_. A message had been attached to the pillar saying, 'We are not responsible for any spines lost on this ride. Please make sure that all spines are secure before getting on. If you have any of these conditions...'

Courage let out a yelp of terror. This thing really _'was'_ going to kill Computer!

“You can't go in there!” He begged, nervously rubbing his paws together.

“Don't be a coward.” Computer huffed. “It's all for show. They're _'trying'_ to scare you.” Shaking his head at Courage's cowardice, he turned back towards the entrance, looking all the more eager. “This is the point of no return, dog. You either have to come with me or you need to stay out here and wait. It doesn't look like there's a line so I want to get in there before a bunch of people show up.”

“But...but...” Courage stammered. “ _Spine_!” He whimpered.

Computer chuckled, went behind Courage and began pushing him through the entrance, ignoring his cries of terror. “Come on now, dog! You have to _grow_ a spine before you can lose one!” He joked. “I bet you'll love this. Once you get over your fear of roller coasters you'll probably want to ride this one at least ten more times.”

Utterly mortified, Courage escaped Computer's grasp the moment they were inside. It really was like they had entered the belly of some demonic creature. The flashing lights nearly blinded him, and between the earsplitting laughter, loud rock music was blaring through the speakers as well. He was nearly halfway back out the entrance, screaming his lungs out, when he turned around once more. Computer was still making his way deeper inside. His friend turned around only once to slyly wave 'goodbye' to him and then continued down the path.

It was only Courage's fear for Computer's life that got him to go back inside. He bolted down the pathway, trying to block out the loud sounds, red lights, and terrible laughter. When he finally caught back up with Computer, he very nearly grabbed him by his ears so that he could drag him back out of this place, but they had reached the queue line for the roller coaster and while the rock music was still blaring, none of the other terrible effects were present. It was considerably more calmer and Courage did not want to go through that tunnel of hell again. Now, of course, came the bigger problem. There was no way that he was going to let Computer force him onto that roller coaster. He needed to think of a way to get them both out of this hellish place before they reached the end of the queue. If anything, Computer was speeding up as weaved his way through the empty line. Nobody was waiting to get on, so it was only a matter of getting to the end of the queue.

Courage had officially become a shivering, whimpering, sweaty mess when they reached their destination. He was stuck between two options that he did not want to take. He'd either have to go back the way he came, not only leaving Computer to his fate, but he would also have to face that horrible tunnel again, or he'd have no choice but to ride the roller coaster, which he could only assume was as horrible as the tunnel, if not worse. They came up to a bored, high school kid who was wearing a comical pair of devil horns that came nowhere near as close to the horrors they had just seen. He apparently was the operator of this roller coaster.

Computer looked just about ready to explode from excitement, but as he was about to cross the threshold and onto the loading platform, where an empty roller coaster car awaited him, the bored operator stuck out a foot and stopped him. The kid cleared his throat and pointed to a sign.

**-YOU MUST BE THIS TALL TO RIDE-**

...And Computer was nowhere near the right height.

Courage breathed the biggest sigh of relief he'd probably done in his entire life while Computer on the other hand looked like his hopes and dreams had just been crushed. As they made their way back out through the tunnel, with Courage sticking as close to Computer as he could manage, his friend immediately began to complain.

“I don't believe this!” He fumed. “This is all your fault, you know! Why do you have to be so short? If you weren't so small then I wouldn't have had to pick a body that's small too! I could be riding that roller coaster right now if it wasn't for you and your shortness!” He slapped a paw to his face. “Ugh...now I'll never get a chance to go on it. Stupid short dogs and their stupid inability to ride roller coasters!”

He continued to rage long after they had returned to a brighter part of the mall. Courage was simply happy to be as far away from that roller coaster as possible. He was more than willing to put up with Computer's anger as a tradeoff.

After buying both himself and Computer an ice cream cone, in hopes of making up with his friend for having inadvertently denied him a chance to ride the roller coaster, he quickly noticed that Computer's attention had been drawn to a claw machine sitting near the opening of an arcade. He was staring it down like it was made out of diamonds or something. The moment he finished his ice cream cone, he went over to it and pressed his muzzle up against the glass. He had to stretch on his toes to reach that high, but he was completely enamored with something inside of it.

As Courage walked up behind him, he said, “I must have it. I don't care if these claw machines are rigged and I don't care if the odds are against me, I must have it.”

Courage blinked. “What's in there that you want so badly? It's all just cheap junk, you know.”

He pointed to a spot inside the machine where...a small pillow shaped like coffee cup was laying. It had the same logo on it that the coffee shop he'd spent so much time in had also used.

Courage resisted the urge to slap his forehead. “Seriously? I thought you said that you didn't have any need for physical objects?”

“You're the one who said that I should get some souvenirs! Besides, it's a pillow! It has an added utility!”

“That pillow isn't big enough for your head, Compute. I don't think it was ever meant to actually be used like a real pillow.”

“I don't care what you have to say about it, dog! I'm tired of not having anything to put my head on when we're on a bus!”

“Eh, you can try to get it if you want, but I really don't think you're going to get that pillow out of there.”

“Watch me!” He challenged, pulling some money out of their bag and feeding it into the machine. “I am going to get that pillow and it is going to be amazing!”

Courage watched as Computer meticulously moved the claw into place. The level of sheer expectation in his friend's eyes was astounding. Then, he clicked the button and the claw lowered itself down onto the pillow. It seemed to grab it for a moment...and then it let go.

Computer grit his teeth in anger. “Stupid rigged machine!” He spat, turning around, crossing his arms, and sticking his nose up into the air.

With a sigh, Courage decided that he'd give it a try for Computer's sake, not that he found the pillow to be anything special.

“Here, let me see if I can get it.” He offered, urging Computer to move out of the way.

“Ha! Yeah, right!” His friend mocked. “If I can't get it out of there then surely you won't.”

Ignoring Computer's quip, Courage fed the required amount of money into the machine and lined the claw up with the pillow. Once he was certain that it was in the right spot, he pushed the button and the claw lowered down onto the pillow. This time it grabbed it and held tight. Both dogs watched in stunned amazement as the claw brought the pillow over to the opening and dropped it in.

Courage turned to Computer with a smug smile. His friend simply stared at the machine with his mouth hanging open, utterly flabbergasted. Finally, he shook his head and retrieved the pillow.

“You just got lucky.” He quipped. “There's some law that makes it so these claw machines are required to let people win at least some of the time.”

Feeling bold, Courage asked, “You want me to try again? Do I need to prove to you that I have the skills?”

Computer's eyes narrowed. “Yes, do it again. I want to watch you lose.”

And so Courage added more money into the machine. This time he eyed a plastic dinosaur, one that he thought Nina might like. He lined the claw up with it and let it drop. As with the pillow, it picked it up effortlessly and brought it over to the opening. Computer was once again stunned speechless by the second win.

“You know,” Courage chuckled. “With that power of yours you could just reprogram the machine to win for you.”

Computer threw his arms into the air. “Augh! Why do you never remind me of these things sooner, dog?”

“It's not my fault that you keep forgetting that you can control machines with your mind.”

“Alright! Fine! I'm going to try again!” He huffed. “And because I want to school you with my own skills, I won't cheat, got it?”

Courage shrugged. “Have at it.”

Computer moved back in front of the controls and added even more money into the machine. Teeth grit, he aimed for a stuffed animal and let the claw drop. This time it was able to pick the stuffed animal up completely, but as it made its way over to the opening, it suddenly let the stuffed animal go.

“Are you kidding me?” Computer yelled. “I-I almost had it!”

Outraged, he turned to Courage. “Try again! There's no way that you're going to win three times in a row!”

And so Courage did just that. He aimed for a boxed necklace, figuring that it might make a nice gift for Muriel. Even he wasn't sure if he'd be able to win three times in a row, but the claw grabbed the thin box as easily as ever and dropped it into the opening.

Computer was utterly unable to comprehend what he had just witness. All he could do was mouth the word, ' _How?_ '

Finally, shaking his head once more, he said, “Alright, I'm done! Let's get out of here. It's getting late and I'm starting to get tired of all this walking. You must be exhausted yourself.”

Courage, admittedly, was pretty tired, but he still felt bad that they were going to leave the mall. They'd barely covered even half of it and honestly he really had been having a lot of fun.

Computer, who had stuffed the coffee pillow into their bag while he was trying to win at the claw machine, pulled it back out to admire it. Rather absentmindedly, he asked, “I don't suppose you'd be okay with us staying at the hotel overnight? I'd rather not get back on a bus just yet.”

“I don't mind if you don't mind.” He answered. Of course, he wasn't really looking forward to another long bus ride either. It really was surprising how doing nothing could be so tiring.

As they made their way back in the direction they had come from, Courage also took the time to get a better look at the necklace he had won. It wasn't anything special, given that it was mostly made out of cheap materials, but he suspected that Muriel would like it anyway.

“I wonder how Muriel's doing.” He mused out loud. “I hope nothing's happened to her while we've been gone.” To him it felt like they'd been away from from the farm for months now, even though that wasn't the case. Much to his dismay, he was suddenly feeling very homesick and he couldn't help but miss Muriel.

Computer eyed him with curiosity. “Why don't you just call her?” He asked. “Wouldn't that be the easiest way to see how she's doing? I mean, she already thinks you're on a road trip, which you technically are, so she's probably expecting you to call at some point. I'm pretty sure payphones haven't gone completely extinct yet either, so we should be able to find one around here.”

Wincing, Courage replied with, “But she never understands what I say anyway.”

Computer let out a laugh. “It's not like that's ever stopped you before, now has it?”

He nodded, smiling slightly. “Well, let's go find a payphone then.”

It didn't take long for them to track one down, but it was so old and badly maintained that it didn't seem likely that it would work. He nervously put a few coins in and then dialed the farm. It rang seemingly forever and then someone picked up on the other end.

“Hello?”

It was Muriel!

Courage's face immediately burst out into what he knew was the biggest, goofiest grin imaginable. He could feel his tail wagging of its own accord.

“Aruuuuuu!” He answered in an equally goofy voice.

“Oh, Courage! It's you!” Muriel exclaimed. Her voice sounded so muffled coming from that barely functioning phone. “I'm so glad you've called! How have you been? Are you having fun on that little road trip of yours? Have you been feeling alright? Are your friends treating you well?”

“Abalubu arufu-”

He then went on to have a full conversation with her, even though she could not understand a word of what he was saying. He was just so happy to talk to her, to know that she was okay, and to hear her voice, so much so that he didn't care about the communication gap. Before he even knew it, he was out of time and had to bid Muriel goodbye. She was just as happy to know that he was alright, given what his illness might do to him on his trip, and she kept saying goodbye to him over and over until the phone finally cut her off.

Still grinning like an idiot, and still wagging his tail, he hung up the phone. Computer, who had been waiting on a bench nearby, strutted over to him with lighthearted yet still mocking smile on his face.

“You're such a dog.” He quipped.

“Coming from somebody who's obsessed with a pillow just because it looks like coffee? You have no place to judge.”

They exited the mall from the same entrance they had come in though. It was just starting to get dark outside, and as they stepped out into the cold air, they quickly took notice of the white flecks drifting through the air.

Computer stuck out a paw. “This is snow, isn't it?” He asked. “It's, uh, not quite as cold as I thought it would be.”

Courage stepped forward. “This is nothing.” He replied. “A snowfall like this isn't going accumulate. It's just a little bit too warm still and it isn't snowing hard enough. Wait until you see a real snow storm, then you'll find out what snow is really like.”

“I guess that's lucky for you.” He sniffed. “You would not survive the snowball fight that would ensue.”

“Yeah, right!” Courage laughed. “You can't aim to save your life! Your snowballs would end up everywhere but on me!”

“We'll just have to see about that when the time comes.” He taunted, walking onward.

Before they headed back to the hotel, they took a slight detour so that they could check out the park nearby that they had passed earlier in the day. It had a huge jungle gym, though it was getting far too late for any kid to be out playing on it. It also had its own set of swings and Courage decided to climb up into one. Though it was getting pretty cold and the seat was especially cold, he didn't mind too much. They weren't planning on staying very long anyway.

Computer simply stood there, watching Courage as he swung. Though he had looked the jungle gym over with curiosity, he hadn't actually gone on it, and now he appeared to be avoiding the swings as well.

“Try this out, Compute!” Courage called out to him as he swung back and fourth. He didn't have the strength to get very high but he did get a pretty decent rhythm going so that he didn't tire himself out too badly.

Computer crossed his arms. “Those are for children, dog, and I refuse to sink to such a level of childishness!”

“I thought you wanted to get the whole human experience on this trip? I'm pretty sure this is apart of it, even if you think it's something that only a kid would do.”

The glowing dog relented with a roll of his eyes and headed over to a swing. He cautiously climbed up into it, watched Courage do his thing for a little while longer....and then began to wildly kick his legs in an effort to start swinging. Courage couldn't help but laugh at how hard he was trying and how his face looked so funny scrunched up like that.

“You're doing it wrong!” He laughed. “It's all about momentum! You've gotta pump your legs, not kick them like you're trying to run in the middle of the air!”

After much grumbling and fussing from Computer, he eventually got it right and was soon swinging even higher than Courage. He was so pleased with himself that he 'of course' had to show Courage up by going as high as the swing would allow. Finally, after several minutes of swinging, he decided that he'd had enough.

“So, uh, how do I get this to stop?” He asked. Unlike a regular sized human, he couldn't use his feet to slow down.

“You've got to jump!” Courage answered. He demonstrated it himself by jumping off his swing, though he hadn't been going anywhere near as high or as fast as Computer.

“Are you crazy!” He exclaimed. “That would kill me! You were worried about the roller coaster doing me in, but this is much more likely!”

“C'mon, Compute.” Courage chuckled. “I thought you weren't afraid of stuff like this? I thought you weren't a wimp, hmm?”

Computer continued to swing back and fourth for several moments, slowing down somewhat due to the fact that he wasn't pumping his legs any longer. Finally, he slipped out of his seat, flew through the air and landed awkwardly on his feet only to stumble forward and land muzzle first into the wood chips.

“I think I just broke my legs.” His groaned in a muffled voice.

“You're fine.” Courage chuckled.

As soon as Computer was back up on his feet, they began to make their way towards the hotel once more. This time they walked much slower so that they could take in all the sights of the city. It was almost fully dark now and the snow had let up. As Courage had figured, none of it had accumulated on the ground.

“You know,” Computer spoke. “The world isn't anything like the way it looks in pictures and it isn't anything like the way the internet describes it. Experiencing it in person is so much different then just taking in all the information and pictures you can find. I never thought that it would be, well, like this. It's a bit disappointing that I'm going to miss out on so much of it. I'd love to see Paris, if I could, or maybe someplace more low key and weird like Stonehedge. It's thanks to you and all the strange things that happen to you that I've acquired an interest in the unexplained over the years. Of course, I'm not nearly as nuts about it as Nina is.”

Courage didn't say anything. In fact, he felt pretty bad given that he'd been all over the world at this point, mostly out of a need to save Muriel, but also because they often went on vacations to exotic places.

Computer slowed to a stop and exhaled loudly. “This doesn't feel right, dog. It just doesn't feel right that I should be doing this, that I'm standing here right now and that I'm allowed to be happy. My old owner is still six feet under and here I am prancing about like a damned fool, like...like I can pretend that everything is alright when it's not. What right do I have to be happy when he is dead? I know, I know, I'm supposed to have let it go or whatever. This all happened a long time ago and he's been dead for ages, but trying to forget, trying to put what happened to him in the back of my mind, it seems like such a disservice to his memory.” He glumly went over to the curb and sat down.

Courage, without question, sat down beside him. His friend's ears were drooped, his eyes were closed, and his face displayed a pained expression.

“Ever since we left Nowhere, I've been using the downtime to try and recall what his name was.” He went on. “That's right.” He weakly chuckled. “I don't even remember his name. I mean, I know for a fact that I've head it before. I'm certain I knew it at some point, but I just can't remember anymore. I'm certain that I should know what it is, but I simply cannot recall. I-I don't know if it's the one thing that I managed to expunge from my memory when I tried to delete everything, or if it was 'His doing, but I cannot remember his name no matter how hard I try. That's just perfect isn't it? I promised him that I wouldn't try to forget what happened any longer and yet I can't even remember his name.” With a halfhearted sigh, he hung his head even lower. “I don't even know where he's buried. I never bothered to find out where we were living when he was still alive. I'd never be able to find out where he is now, even if I could go looking for him.”

Courage bit his lip for a moment and then said, “Well, you remember what he looks like, right? And his murder would have at least gained a little attention with the local newspaper. You know the date it happened on as well, so I think, when we get back to Nowhere, you could start looking through newspaper scans on the internet until you find him. Not only would you be able to find out where you both lived at the time but you'd be able to find out what his name was as well.”

Computer looked up, blinking several times, his mouth hanging open in complete and utter surprise. “Y-you're right, I could do that.” He admitted with a slight twinge of awe in his voice. “That's...actually a really good idea. I'm surprised I didn't think of it, but...” Then he looked pained again.

Courage stood up and offered a paw to his friend. He then helped him onto his feet. Without hesitation, he put both of his paws onto his shoulders. “Hey, c'mon on. You and I are going to go see a movie and then you're going to cheer up, alright?” He said in a gentle voice.

Computer looked like he didn't know what to think. “A movie?” He asked. His eyes wandered down the street to where the bright sign of that old timey theater was lighting up the encroaching darkness like a beacon.

“You've never been to a theater, right?”

“Of course not.” He answered, shaking his head. “When would I have ever gotten a chance to do something like that?”

“Well then, I'll let you pick the movie. Oh, and we'll get one of those big buckets of popcorn too, but we should probably avoid the candy because they always overprice that stuff. We could share a soda, or maybe not since you'd probably drink it all before the movie even starts. Of course, it's not coffee though so maybe not. Well, we'll just play it safe and get two sodas anyway.”

Computer continued to stare at him in surprise. This was all coming completely out of the left field, of course. He was clearly at a loss for words.

“I'm sure that theater doesn't just show boring old movies, so this should be pretty fun.” Courage went on, grabbing him by the paw and pulling him forward. He hardly let Computer get a word in, not that he really had anything to say to begin with.

End Of Chapter


	34. A Lack Of Self-Control

Chapter 34: A Lack Of Self-Control

Their time at the theater went without a single problem. In fact, it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. Though Computer did not exactly cheer up, he was considerably less gloomy by the time the movie was over with. As they left the building, he slowed to a stop, which made Courage stop in turn.

Rubbing the back of his head rather sheepishly, he said, “Uh, thanks for doing this, Courage. I never quite understood why you flesh creatures liked to see movies on a big screen, but I think I get it now. I don' think I could ever go back to watching movies the regular way after this.”

Courage smiled. “You'd better get used to it. After a movie stops being shown in a theater it pretty much never comes back.”

“I guess that's what TVs are for then, huh?” He uttered out rather absentmindedly. “Look, I uh, have a few more things that I want to check out before going back to the hotel. Why don't you head back there yourself and I'll meet up with you later?

“It's getting awfully late, you know.”

“That's no problem for me. If anyone tries to do me harm, they'll sorely regret it. I am more than capable of defending myself, as you should know by now.”

Courage still didn't exactly want him wandering around at this hour, but he relented anyway. He was certain that Computer was going to do whatever he wanted regardless of whether he approved or not.

“Don't worry, dog.” He mocked. “I won't stay out too late past my bed time. But you'd better get some rest yourself. You've done an awful lot today and you're still recovering from what happened yesterday.”

Courage nodded. He was indeed getting very tired, though he'd had plenty of time to rest while they were in the theater. The two of them parted ways and upon returning to the hotel, he spent the next hour or so just watching TV and laying about. He'd decided to skip supper since he had already filled up on popcorn and he figured, if anything, Computer might bring something back with him when he returned.

He still wasn't happy to have Computer wandering around this late. It'd been over an hour now and when he'd said that he had a few more things he wanted to check out, he hadn't said that he was going to be gone this long.

...Then another hour passed and Courage began to worry.

It was nearly eleven at this point. There was no reason for him to have not come back yet. Terrified that something might have happened to him, Courage hopped out of bed.

“Oooh, Compute, why do you do this to me?” He whined, exiting the room. “I don't even know where to start looking.”

A quick elevator ride down into the lobby and he was out the door in seconds. The cold air hit him like an icy shock, but he received an even bigger shock when he looked down the street and saw a whole squadron of police cars with their lights flashing down at the mall.

...There was no doubt in his mind that this had something to do with Computer.

He tore off into the night, desperate to get over there. Nobody was walking around at this hour, especially when it was this cold, so he didn't have to worry about running into anyone. Unfortunately, once he reached the police barricade, he was shooed off by a policeman who thought that he was just some stray mutt. Much to his ever growing worry, there was now no way for him to find out what had happened. Heart pounding, he began to make his way back to the hotel. There was nothing else he could do. If he stuck around too long, they'd probably sic a dog catcher on him, or worse.

Ears drooped and trembling, he passed the ratty, old bar that stood between the mall and the theater. As his mind raced, he absentmindedly looked through one of the windows and got the shock of his life when he realized that Computer was in there. The unmistakable blue, glowing dog was sitting atop one of those high, circular chairs...at the bar counter.

Whatever relief Courage felt over Computer having not been taken in by the police was replaced with a different kind of worry.

He pressed his paws and muzzle up against the window. “No, no, no, Compute, what are you doing in there?” He groaned.

As much as he didn't want to, he forced himself to go inside. The place smelled as much like a bar as he would have expected, and there were quite a few people around too. Those that bothered to look up from their drinks eyed him with surprise, but after having a glowing dog around, he really couldn't have been all that much more strange.

Though it was a bit of a struggle, he managed to climb up into a chair beside Computer, and it was only then when his glowing friend took notice of him.

“Oh, Courage. I wasn't expecting you to show up here.” He said, and much to Courage's dismay, there was a slight yet noticeable slur in his voice as a spoke. “As you can see, I've decided to try out the whole 'getting drunk' thing, since you flesh creatures always go on and on about how great it is, but I don't see what's the big deal, I hardly feel any different! I, er, do have the strangest urge to break out into a musical number though...”

The moment he opened his mouth after saying that, Courage immediately reached forward and clamped his muzzle shut. “ _Don't_!” He hissed.

Computer's eyes narrowed and he pushed the paw away. “Hmph! For your information, I have an _'amazing'_ singing voice, you uncultured peasant!”

Courage slapped a paw to his face and groaned.

“Suit yourself.” He sniffed. “You may disapprove but at least I'm adventurous enough to try new things out, even if this whole getting drunk thing is turning out to be flop. I thought all this drinking was supposed to drown my sorrows or something?”

Courage's eyes wandered down onto the countertop and that was when he spotted the smartphone sitting beside Computer's drink.

“Computer...what's that?” He warily asked.

“His name is George.” He answered without skipping a single beat.

Courage stared. “George?”

“Yes, George. That's the name I gave him. Why is it that we can't find a single suitable name for me and yet it only took me two seconds to name him?”

“Computer, where on earth did you get the money to buy that?” Courage went on, trying to keep his tone as neutral as he could manage.

“Pff!” Computer dismissed him, waving a paw through the air. “I'm the greatest hacker who ever was! If I wanted, all I'd have to do is put on a pair of glasses and I could steal Bill Gates' identity in an instant! Everybody would be none the wiser! Besides, it's not like he's going to miss a few thousand dollars missing out of his bank account!”

He presented their bag to Courage, and just as he had implied, what little space that had once been left inside of it was now filled to the brim with hundred dollar bills.

At this point, Courage didn't even know what to say, so he simply opted to not say anything at all. It wasn't like he could force Computer to go and put the money back, at least not with the way he was right now.

“So, uh-” He tried to say, hoping to change the topic of their conversation. “I don't suppose you know the reason why the police are at the mall right now, do you?”

Computer shrugged. “Oh, I'm sure they've discovered the massacre by now.”

Courage's heart skipped a beat. “M-massacre?”

Computer grit his teeth. “Those stupid computers! They all laughed at me! So you know what? I went in there and,” He made a fist and pounded it into the palm of his other paw. “...and I killed them all! George is the only survivor. He was the only one I deemed worthy of saving so that he may warn others of my fury. I did not save him out of love, I saved him out of intense, burning _hatred_!” He stopped for a moment to take a huge gulp of his drink. “But, hey, we're buddies now, so it's all water under the bridge.”

Courage slowly lowered his head down onto the countertop and said nothing.

“What's your problem?” Computer huffed. “I had a great time, unlike you. Dismantling machinery is a surprisingly good way to relieve stress. ”

“Ugh, what am I ever going to do with you, Computer?” He groaned.

Computer took a moment to finish his drink and then hopped down off the chair. “Well, I'm done.” He announced. “I doubt I can get any more drunk than his, and if I were to try, it would probably kill me. Man, what a let down. I was expecting something way better than this.”

Courage was so mentally exhausted at this point that he just rolled with it. If anything, he was glad to have Computer coming back to the hotel with him, where he could at least be kept out of trouble. As they made their way back, the glowing dog continued to talk without pause. He did not seem to notice or care that Courage wasn't really listening to what he was saying.

“I'm telling you, dog, it's the cats. They're trying to take over. Have you seen how obsessed people are with them on the internet? I'm almost certain that they have some kind of hypnotic power. I'm beginning to think that I'm the only one who's immune. Please tell me you've been seeing all those signs with huge cat heads on them along with the word 'obey'. It's honestly been starting to freak me out a bit.”

Courage just ignored him.

Once back in their room, Computer still wouldn't shut up. Courage tried in vain for nearly a half an hour to go to sleep, but it was impossible.

Finally, since Computer was still blabbering his head off, he yelled, “COMPUTER! GO! TO! SLEEP!”

The glowing dog glared at him from his own bed and he clutched George closer to his chest, as though the phone had just heard something unforgivably offensive.

“Fine!” He yelled. “Me and George are going to have fun over here while you sit over there and be a grumpy pile of uselessness! Just pretend there's a line down the middle of the room and don't you dare think about crossing it!”

“Whatever! Just go to bed!” Courage groaned, flopping back down onto his pillow. He lay there with his eyes closed for several minutes before he realized that the blue glow behind his eyelids was unusually bright.

He opened them back up and was startled to find Computer right there in his face, glaring down at him.

“H-hey! What are you doing?” He yelped, scrambling backwards until his back touched the wall.

Computer, with his eyes still narrowed, poked him on the nose. “You disappoint me, dog!” He said in a surprisingly scathing voice. “I practically raised you myself! I taught you how to read, write, and talk, and yet you're still bad at all of those things. What does that say about me? You know what? Back when you were starting to write that stupid memoir of yours, I was just going about doing my usual business one day when I find out that the spellchecker had gone and deleted itself. It left a message saying, 'I can't do this anymore', and not one of those words was spelled correctly. Yes, it even managed to spell 'I' wrong, somehow. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good spellchecker in this age of chat speak? Ever since then I've had to do all of the spellchecking by myself and for some reason you can't seem to figure out why I'm so angry all of the time.”

Courage stared. “Do you even know where you're going with this?” He asked.

The glowing dog blinked several times, then admitted, “No, no I don't.” before slowly sliding back down off the bed.

As he was clamoring back up onto his own bed, Courage couldn't help but say, “I hope you realize how much you're going to regret this tomorrow. I'm never going to let you live this one down.”

“My life is nothing but regrets!” He shouted out in reply.

With that, Courage took his pillow, placed it over his head, and tried to drown out all sound until he finally fell asleep.

…....

Morning came without much of a fanfare. He awoke to find both Computer and the blanket to his bed missing. A quick scan of the room and he found the blanket rolled up in a corner. Computer was still nowhere to be found and for a moment Courage was worried that his friend had escaped in the night to wreck more havoc in his drunken stupor.

“Uh, Computer? Are you in here?” He called out. The bathroom door was open, but as far as he could tell, his friend wasn't in there.

A groan emanated from the rolled up blanket and it quivered a bit like it was an oversized caterpillar. Apparently Computer had wrapped himself up inside of it.

Courage slid off his bed and went over to Computer's seemingly makeshift cocoon. His friend's head briefly popped up at the top, his fur disheveled and his eyes more red than blue.

“My head is on fire.” He groaned, sinking back into the blanket.

“I told you that you were going to regret this.” Courage sighed.

“When did you say that?” He asked, his voice muffled from inside the blanket.

Courage rolled his eyes. “You know what the problem is? You don't have any self-control. You always overdo everything and make yourself sick.”

“There's no time for self-control.” Computer groaned, his voice still muffled. “I have to do _'everything'_. It's all about the whole human experience or whatever.”

Courage placed his paws onto his hips. “You can do everything without going overboard, you know.”

With that Computer, slowly unraveled himself until he was free of his protective layers. He swayed there for a moment, his eyes half lidded, before he finally took a step and nearly collapsed on the spot.

“Ugh, I need coffee, _badly_.” He groaned, clutching his head. He took several stumbling steps forward and soon enough he was out the door. Courage just stood there and stared, completely unsure of what to think about all of this.

He returned to his bed and flicked through a few channels on the TV. He stopped on a newscaster who was talking excitedly about how the first blizzard of the year was approaching and how it was going to be one heck of a doozy. Courage watched with interest as they switched over to the weatherman who went into even greater detail about the blizzard.

This actually worried him a bit. Would the buses even be running if things were going to get that bad? At the very least, he and Computer were going to have to go check.

Speaking of Computer, he soon returned with his coffee. He was already looking a little less like a disheveled mess and the shadows under his eyes were starting to disappear. Courage quickly explained the situation to him and told him that they needed to hurry and check to see if the buses were still running. If anything, they needed to catch one as soon as possible and hopefully beat the blizzard before it could arrive.

“You know,” Computer spoke, sipping at his coffee. “People were looking at me awfully funny when I was down in the lobby. I mean, I already get that a lot, but this was considerably worse than usual.”

“Who can blame them?” Courage quipped. “You look like you just crawled out of a cave!”

The moment Computer was done with his coffee, they immediately began packing things up to leave. The sooner they got out there to see if the buses were still running, the better. Maybe if they were quick they really could beat the blizzard.

Courage took the time to sort through the contents of their bag and make sure that everything was still there. He still could hardly believe just how much money Computer had stolen last night. They weren't going to have to worry about running out of cash for a _long_ time.

“Uh, Compute? Where's George?” He asked.

Computer stared at him blankly, then asked, “Who's George?”

Courage let out an exasperated sigh and went over to the blanket Computer had been wrapped up in. He shook it loose and George clattered out onto the floor.

“A cellphone?” Computer asked, walking up behind Courage. “When did we get a cellphone?” He cringed at the sight of it. “That's one of the good ones too...”

Courage picked George up and stuffed him into the bag. Computer continued to stare like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

“Let's just say you're really, really weird when you're drunk and you did some questionable things last night.” Courage said to him in an amused tone.

“Uh...I don't suppose you could give me a recap?” He asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

“Trust me, you don't want to know.” Courage chuckled.

“I...I think I'll take your word for it.” He relented, looking somewhat horrified. “I can't believe we have a cellphone....” He muttered out under his breath.

They made their way down to the lobby once it was assured that they weren't going to accidentally leave anything behind. They returned the key at the desk and then decided that they would quickly try out the free complementary breakfast. Courage was sipping at a cup of orange juice and Computer was munching on a doughnut when the glowing dog suddenly made a funny face and nearly choked on the bite of his pastry he was chewing up.

“What?” Courage asked.

Wide eyed, he pointed toward the hotel doors. Just beyond the glass three black vans were pulling up.

Courage's heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, he grabbed Computer's arm and made a run for it. He slowed to a stop when they reached a hallway that wasn't in plain sight from the main lobby. It had a pair of bathrooms, an 'employee's only' door, and at the very end, an emergency exit that looked like it was set to go off if anyone opened it.

“How did they find us?” Computer asked in a harsh whisper.

Realization struck Courage. “It's because of last night! When you went and destroyed all of those computers! That store had to have had at least a few security cameras! The SCC is looking for a glowing, blue dog and I'm sure the police notified them! We drew them here like a moth to a flame!”

Computer rubbed the back of his head. “I, uh, destroyed a bunch of computers? I don't actually remember doing that...”

Courage shook his head and ignored Computer's comments. “They've probably been asking around all morning trying to find out if anyone's seen you. That has to be why you got a bunch of weird looks when you went to get coffee. It looks like someone ratted you out.”

“Well, now what?” He asked. “In a few minutes this place is going to be swarming with those SCC people. Can we even escape when they'll just as easily find us out on the streets?”

Courage bit his lip. He didn't know what to do. They could try hiding somewhere in the hotel but it was certain that the SCC would search every corner of this place.

Computer closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again he looked determined. “I've got an idea.” He said, grabbing hold of Courage's arm. “We have to move fast, they're coming.”

Keeping a grip on Courage's arm, he had them run to the end of the hall while he focused his attention on the emergency exit.

“H-hey, Computer, wait!” Courage yelled. “If you open that the alarm will go off!” The last thing they needed was to alert the SCC to their exact position.

“I've already disabled it.” His friend spoke, reaching up to push the door open.

Suddenly they were out in the cold air. A dreary, gray sky hung overhead. They were standing in the employee parking lot. There was no sign of the SCC...yet, but it wasn't likely to stay that way for very long.

“Now what?” Courage asked. He could see his own breath in the air.

The car beside him roared to life in response, nearly scaring him out of his wits. One of its doors opened of its own accord and Computer pushed him towards it.

“Get in!” His friend demanded, all but throwing him into the passenger seat himself. “They're on their way! We don't have any time left!” He jumped into the driver seat, and without touching anything, the car backed out of its parking spot.

Courage found it so strange to see the car driving itself and to see it running without a key in the ignition.

The car wheeled out of the parking lot at a steady pace, as to not raise any suspicion. Unfortunately, they were only out on the road for a few moments before two black vans rolled up behind him.

Computer let out an exasperated sigh. “You might want to buckle up. I've got a feeling that this is about to get very bumpy.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: You have no idea how long I've been waiting to write this chapter. It's been five whole years and it's every bit as dumb as I imagined it would be. LOL


	35. Crash And Reboot

Chapter 35: Crash And Reboot

Computer immediately gunned it and in response the two black vans picked up speed as well. Courage felt his stomach plunge in terror as they weaved in and out of traffic, trying to lose the SCC without success. They'd already had so many close calls with other cars in just those few moments that he wasn't sure how he hadn't had a heart attack yet.

“You're going to get us killed!” He yelled at Computer. At the rate they were going, they'd crash long before the SCC could catch up with them.

“Just shut up and let me drive!” Computer yelled....as he swerved onto the sidewalk to avoid a head-on collision with another car. It was a miracle that he didn't hit anything else in the process.

“WHY CAN'T YOU DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE?” Courage howled.

“Why don't you try doing this while hungover, idiot!” The glowing dog yelled back in response, turning his head to glare at Courage.

“KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!” He screamed. “AUGH! WHY CAN'T YOU DRIVE LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?”

Behind them, four more black cars had joined the two vans already chasing them. To make matters worse, the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance as well.

The car's tires screeched as Computer made yet another sharp maneuver to avoid crashing. This was finally the breaking point for Courage.

“Alright, that's it! You clearly do not know how to drive! Move over!” He slid into the driver seat with him and took control of the wheel. “Just keep this thing moving and put on the brakes when I tell you to!”

Almost immediately, he had to scream, “BRAKES!” and sharply turn at a cross section to avoid running into another car. Thankfully, they were almost out of the city and he could only hope that this would be the end of all the traffic as well.

“Oh, yeah, sure, I'M the one who's going to get us killed?” Computer quipped after that less than spectacular maneuver. “Who's the terrible driver exactly?”

Courage ignored him, focusing solely on the road ahead. Soon the buildings around them began to diminish until they found themselves outside the city and tearing down a nearly abandoned countryside road. The SCC were still trailing behind them along with several police cars. The two groups seemed hesitant to get any closer or to try and run them off the road. Courage didn't know why they weren't being more aggressive, but he was thankful for it.

There was nothing but endless fields of dry corn on either side of the road. The land was entirely flat, and as far as Courage could see, there was nothing but more farmland up ahead as well. No cities, no towns, only farms. Every once in awhile they'd pass some silos, or a barn, or other such things, but aside from that, there was nothing.

“They're not going to stop, are they?” Computer asked, turning around in the seat to look out the back window. “I bet they're waiting for us to run out of gas.”

Courage bit his lip. “How are we going to lose them?” He asked.

“If you want, I could stop them.” Computer offered. “But at the speed they're going, I don't think I could do it without...well, causing a few casualties. It would be easy enough for me to get the cars to crash into each other, but, as I said, I doubt that would end without hurting several of the people inside. I can't even make them slow down or put on their breaks because at least a few of them would still crash into each other. The people inside aren't machines, they're human and humans are prone to panicking, especially when control has been taken from them. Cars are apparently not my forte either because I'm doubtful that I'd be able to make them all stop at the same time, all while trying to keep them from crashing into each other. Well, I don't really care if a few of these idiots get hurt, they deserve it for all I care, but I know how much that sort of thing bothers you.”

“Let's just keep going.” Courage replied. Computer was right, he didn't want the people in those cars hurt, even if they were trying to capture them. “If we start to run out of gas, we'll think of something.”

“If you say so.” Computer answered, sounding unconvinced. “But if they try anything funny, I won't hesitate to put a stop to them. Sometimes you can't be a goody two-shoes when it comes to idiots like these.”

Courage did not agree but now was not the time to argue. On they went, still surrounded by endless cornfields and farmland. The low thrum of a helicopter suddenly reached Courage's ears over the roar of the engine. He did not dare take his eyes off the road, but Computer was keeping him updated on what was going on.

“They're falling back.” He spoke. “Not by much, but they aren't right behind us anymore.”

“Can you see the helicopter?” He asked.

“Yes, it's flying above them, and it appears that it's trying to keep it's distance as well. There aren't any marking on so I don't think it's a news helicopter.”

Courage found the idea of their chase being filmed rather funny, but the fact that they were being pursued by an unmarked helicopter was far more terrifying. Even if they did manage to lose the cars that were chasing them, the helicopter would be able to keep track of them from above no matter where they went. They had no means of escaping such a thing.

“Oh, great. The bottom of the helicopter is opening up.” Computer dryly commented. “Something is being lowered, it looks a bit like a cannon, but-” He trailed off.

“A-a cannon?” Courage yelped. Were they going to start shooting at them now?

“It's-” Computer started before suddenly letting out a horrible cry, one that startled Courage.

At that same moment the car's engine began to make an equally horrible noise and Courage briefly lost control of it as though they were being blown around by powerful gusts of wind. It swerved left and right at a rapid pace, just barely avoiding going off the road as it sped up and slowed down. The engine continued to thrum dangerously as Courage fought back and regained control.

Beside him, Computer was all but writhing in the seat. He dared to look over at him only once to see that he was hunched over and clutching at his head with a look of agony on his face.

“C-Compute?” He stammered out.

His friend let out another strangled cry, clutching at his head even harder, all but digging his nails into his scalp. He looked as though he wanted to beat his head against a wall.

“C-Computer, what's going on?” Courage whimpered. He wanted nothing more than to stop the car and help him, but it would be suicide to do such a thing with the SCC on their tail.

“Can't you hear that?” Computer finally choked out, opening a single, pain wracked eye.

At that same moment, the engine noise grew so loud that it rattled the whole car before everything suddenly went deathly quiet. Much to Courage's dismay, the engine had given out completely and they slowly rolled to a stop right there in the middle of the road.

Computer immediately flung himself out of the car, falling to his knees on the pavement, still clutching his head and gritting his teeth.

“Why won't it stop?” He cried out, although this time it was less out of pain and more out of anger.

He opened his eyes, his expression ablaze with fury. He then looked up at the fleet of vehicles that were slowly catching up with them.

“That's it.” He said in a surprisingly cold voice. “I can't stand another moment of this! I'm getting rid of them!”

The helicopter lurched violently in the air before it began to fall toward the group of cars below. Courage let out a gasp of horror, and, desperate to stop Computer from massacring those people, grabbed his arm and shook him.

“Stop it!” He yelped. “You can't do this! You'll kill every last one of them!”

“That's what I'm going for!” He yelled. His expression displayed such a level of hatred that Courage could hardly believe that he was looking at the same person that he thought he knew so well.

“Computer, don't!” He pleaded.

He did not want to watch those people die, even if they were likely to do horrible things to them if they ever managed to capture them.

And then, just like that, Computer's rage began to diminish. Somehow Courage's pleas had gotten through to him.

“Alright, alright, I'll stop.” He relented, although he sounded immensely disappointed. “That weird sound is gone now anyway.”

The helicopter steadied itself, the operator having regained control. It had only been a few moments away from making contact with the cars beneath it. There was the heavy screeching of tires as every last one of the vehicles turned around and sped off in the opposite direction. Even the helicopter was turning to leave.

“That's it?” Computer huffed. “All we needed to do was show a little force and that was enough to get them to run away with their tails between their legs?”

Courage shook his head. He refused to believe that they had managed to scare them off. “They're probably just going back to get reinforcements, so we need to get the heck out of here!” He turned towards the car, but Computer stopped him.

“I wouldn't even bother with it.” He said. “The engine's shot and we don't have any parts to fix it. We'll have to walk. Whatever they used on me really ruined that car. Nothing inside of it is functional anymore. Speaking of which,” He hunched over slightly. “I'm not feeling so great myself either. My whole, eh, 'everything' feels, well, I don't know. That horrible noise practically scrambled my brain, but now everything else doesn't feel right either.”

He really did look unusually...gaunt, perhaps? Courage wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but something about Computer's glow and general color seemed off as well. He couldn't stop himself from worrying about it. What exactly had they done to Computer?

“But, I'll be alright.” Computer went on, having sensed Courage's apprehension. “And you're right, we have to keep moving. They might return and we're stuck walking for now. Oh, and speaking of which, pull out that phone and see if it still works.”

Courage did just that, and with a single swipe of his finger across George's screen, he confirmed that the phone was still in working order.

“Huh, interesting.” Computer mused. “I figured that the phone would have ended up fried as well.”

Courage grinned. “I guess he's just built to handle this stuff better than a certain someone I know.”

Computer glared at him. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to snatch George out of his paws and throw the phone into the cornfield.

“Whatever!” He spat. “That's not even important, idiot! Stop making stupid quips and access the GPS on that thing! We need to find out where the next town is and how long it's going to take for us to get there.”

“Can't you just find that out yourself with your power?” Courage asked.

Computer flung his arms into the air. “Do you see anything around here that I can connect to aside from that phone? There's absolutely no way I'm going to interface with that thing! It's annoying enough that we have to rely on it and I won't stoop so low as to use it for what I should be able to do naturally! Maybe if we were still near the city I'd have a few thousand different ways to get us directions, but as it is right now, I will not use that stupid phone as a crutch!”

“Stupid phone?” Courage asked, blinking. Shaking his head with a sigh, he said, “We're going to have to rely on it anyway, so I don't get what your problem is.”

It took him a few minutes to figure out how to get George to give them directions, all while he kept glancing nervously down the road, fearful that the SCC might be heading back their way. When he finally got everything figured out, George began to speak the directions out loud in what was very clearly a female voice

“George is a woman?” He asked, glancing at Computer.

“I don't even remember how we've come to acquire George in the first place.” He sighed, shaking his head in bemusement. “Ugh...and besides, you're kidding me, right? The next town is nearly two hours away? That's only if we were driving, so how long is it going to take for us to walk that far?” He sat down right there in the middle of the road, looking painfully exhausted “I am so tired of walking.” He complained. “Why couldn't you flesh creature's evolve something other than legs? Trekking across the countryside was bad enough, and if we end up in another swamp, I am officially calling it quits. From the looks of it, now all we have to look forward to is endless cornfields. We've actually found a place that is more like the middle of nowhere than the actual Middle Of Nowhere!”

“Well, we either have to get moving or we can just wait here for the SCC to catch us. What do you want to do?”

“Do you have to act like I even have a choice?” He groaned, slowly getting back onto his feet. “We might as well get this over with. By the time we've finished this hike it'll probably be midnight.”

Courage winced at Computer's demeanor. There really was something off about his color, and it only seemed to be getting worse by the second. The SCC had been able to fry a car but not a cellphone? What sort of affect was it having on Computer though? Obviously it hadn't fried him too, but he clearly hadn't gotten through it completely unscathed.

They began walking, despite his fears over Computer's rapidly changing condition. Slowly the abandoned car began to dwindle down to merely a speck on the horizon. The air seemed to be getting colder by the minute as well, and soon it began to lightly snow, much like it had yesterday.

Courage kept looking back to make sure that the SCC wasn't catching up with them. Every time a car passed them by he would hold his breath out of the fear that it might possibly be the SCC in disguise. There was always the chance that they might try a new tactic to catch them off guard. Aside from that though, very few cars seemed to be using this particular road, and while they kept passing farms, there were no farmers out working today, not in this weather.

Computer had been steadily trailing farther and farther behind. He was hunched over, his ears drooped and his eyes closed. His entire posture was incredibly listless. Courage ultimately decided to slow down so that he could catch up, and when he did, he nearly walked right into him without realizing it.

“Huh? Oh...” He muttered out, opening his eyes. “What did you stop for?” He asked.

“Are you alright?” Courage asked. At this point it was impossible for him to conceal the worry in his voice.

“Yes, yes, of course.” Computer answered, sounding exhausted. “I'm just not feeling the greatest at the moment, but everything is alright. Keep walking and I'll try not to fall so far behind this time.”

Courage stared. “Are you sure about that?”

“Look, I'd rather not have to camp out in a cornfield tonight, so let's keep moving.”

Courage reluctantly agreed and they continued onward, but like before, Computer once again began to trail further and further behind. His color was completely off now and his glow was almost gone. Without that glow, his eyes were dull gray with mere pin prick pupils, and the rest of his body looked more dark purple than blue. This was all suddenly reminding Courage of when his system had started to fail and he couldn't help but become terrified.

“Computer!” He called out, racing back towards him as fast as he could. The wind and snow had begun to pick up and it was starting to become bitterly cold. The full force of the blizzard would soon be upon them.

He reached Computer's side, but his friend continued to walk at a listless pace, more like a zombie than anything else. It took him a moment to realize that Courage was even there.

“Huh? You look like you're about to have panic attack, dog. I told you already, everything is fine.”

“No, it's not!” He yelped. “Have you looked at yourself? Whatever the SCC used, it obviously did something to you, and we need to figure out what before...before-” His mind immediately went back to that day, back when Computer's system had failed. He could still see that red 'ERROR' message clear in his mind. The thought of it made his heart pound.

“We have to keep moving.” Computer replied in that same listless tone. “My head is killing me and I can barely think, but that isn't... that isn't going to...” He began to trail off, his voice sounding all the more tired. Finally, he slowed to a stop and just swayed there for a moment, his eyes looking forward and yet not looking at anything at all, then he fell and Courage managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

“Computer? H-hey!” He stammered out, shaking his friend. Computer's eyes were still open but the glow was completely gone, thus leaving them deathly gray. He would not respond to anything, and out of the fear that the SCC might show up without warning, Courage dragged him into the cornfield. Once he'd gotten him far enough inside so that nobody would be able to see them from the road, he continued to try and wake him, if that was even the right word to use. All he could really do was plead with him.

“C'mon, Compute. Please don't do this to me again.” He begged, nearly overwhelmed by a mixture of fear and panic. He could barely see Computer though the tears filling up his eyes.

He felt a slight shudder run through his friend's body, and, wiping away his tears, he could see that both the color of Computer's fur and the light in his eyes were slowly returning. In an instant, his terror was replaced with relief.

Computer blinked several times as the entirety of his glow returned, then he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a weak groan. “Ugh...it feels like I just crashed and went through the most unstable reboot of my life.”

Without a moments hesitation, Courage forced him into a hug. “Don't scare me like that!” He scolded him, half laughing and half crying.

Computer blinked, taken aback. “You were really that worried?” He asked out of surprise.

“Of course I was!” Courage exclaimed, hugging him all the tighter, causing his astonishment to quickly turn into embarrassment.

“Well, it's not that big of a deal.” He went on in an attempt to downplay the whole situation. “I've been through worse after all. Besides, it's going to take a lot more than this to put a stop to me at this point. It appears that while those fools weren't able to fry me from the inside, I still wasn't able to handle whatever they did without injury.” He placed a paw to his head and winced. “My head is still killing me, but overall, I'm feeling a lot better now.”

“I-I thought that your system had fallen apart again.” Courage weakly admitted.

“Don't worry about that.” Computer scoffed. “I doubt those idiots could ever do something like that.”

“What was it then?”

“I'm sure that was some sort of weapon meant to disable or destroy machines. They probably just wanted to stop our car but I got thrown into the mix as well. I'm sure being in this organic body kept me from receiving the full brunt of the damage, but still, that wasn't exactly fun.”

Courage got to his feet and reached a paw out to help Computer up. The snow was blowing heavily through the air, even while they were surrounded by dry cornstalks. It seemed that the blizzard was only gaining in strength.

Computer shakily rose to his feet, only to lose his balance almost immediately. It was only because of Courage that he didn't collapse completely.

“Well, then.” He chuckled in surprisingly good humor. “It appears that I still haven't fully recovered. These limbs feel like they're filled with rocks and they won't stop shaking either. I'm actually still feeling rather tired too, but-” He trailed off, looking annoyed with his own weakness. “We have to keep moving. If the SCC doesn't get us, the blizzard will first. Actually, I don't think it's likely that those fools will pursue us in this weather, if they were still pursuing us in the first place.”

Courage nodded. “I'll help you walk then. We've got to keep moving or else we're going to get stuck out here overnight, and in this blizzard? I don't want to know what that would be like.”

He put an arm over Computer's shoulder to help support him and they made their way back out onto the road. He checked George again to make sure that they were still going in the right direction and continued onward. It was very slow going however. Computer simply could not walk on his own right now, no matter how hard he tried. He didn't like needing Courage's help either, something that he made clear every chance he got, but any time he tried to walk without support, he would simply collapse.

The snow itself was also slowing everything down too. It was blowing so hard that it was nearly impossible to see anything ahead of them. Were it not for the endless rows of dry corn on both sides of the road, they probably would have wandered off in the wrong direction by now. Among other things, the snow was also steadily building up as well. It was up to their knees and Courage had to fight his way through it with Computer feebly attempting to do the same.

“Dog, maybe we should look for a place to take shelter for the night.” He said, having to raise his voice to be heard over the wind.

Courage, unfortunately, had to agree. There was no way that they were going to reach their destination before nightfall in these conditions, and especially not with Computer struggling just to walk. He was starting to look as haggard as he had before, minus the steady diminishing of his glow.

They kept walking, all while trying to keep an eye out for something that they could use as shelter. They were just starting to discuss going up to one of the many farmhouses that they were passing by to ask for a place to stay when they got their answer in the form of a loud voice that called out, “HEY!” from somewhere behind them. Whoever this person was, their voice was strong enough to carry over the raging wind and snow.

They both turned to see a small light blinking in the distance. It was the only thing that could be seen against a pure wall of white. Without saying a word to each other, they started in that direction. The light got closer and closer until they could make out that it was a lantern and it belonged to a huge, looming shadow. Finally, as they met the figure, the light revealed it to be...a giant chicken? Yes, indeed. He was as big as any human, if not bigger. He looked down at the two of them with a warm, friendly smile.

“Well, well, so my eyes weren't going bad after all. I've been out here looking for anyone who might have gotten stranded in all this snow. You know, car troubles and the like. That sort of thing always happens around here when there's a big snowstorm. I saw you-” He pointed at Computer. “glowing like the north star and I didn't know what to think of it. I figured you for an alien or something.”

“I guess we're lucky that you found us then.” Computer replied, his voice trembling slightly from the cold. “We lost our car awhile back and we've been walking for ages now. Our situation was starting to look a bit desperate until you happened along.”

“He's sick.” Courage added. “And he can barely walk. Do you think you could give us a place to stay for the night?”

“Why do you think I'm out in this weather? I've always tried to be a neighborly fellow and help good people out. You two aren't the first who've gotten stuck out here and you aren't going to be last. Come with me and I'll take you to my place where you can warm up.”

The chicken turned and began a steady march through the snow. Because he was so much taller than the two dogs, he had no trouble getting through the ever growing snowdrifts. They both lagged behind, but that wasn't a problem because as soon as the chicken was out of earshot they both began to whisper to each other.

“This guy seems like trouble.” Computer said under his breath. It was hard to hear him over the roar of the wind but he dare not raise his voice any higher and risk being heard. “I don't think he blinked even once while he was talking to us. And that smile? That wasn't a friendly smile. That's the smile of someone who thinks they've just drawn in two suckers who don't realize what's going on.”

“Y-yeah, he's got a weird look to him.” Courage agreed. “He reminds me a little too much of all those people who've tricked Muriel and Eustace in the past, but we have to go with him or else we're going to freeze out here when night comes.”

Computer nodded. “Unfortunately, you're right. We'll just have to be very careful and stick together at all times. Who knows, maybe we're just being paranoid and he actually means what he says. Of course, he's still a weirdo, but maybe he isn't a crazy weirdo.”

End Of Chapter


	36. Meal Preparation

Chapter 36: Meal Preparation

“And here we are!” The chicken exclaimed.

Through the veil of snow a moderately sized farmhouse could be seen with several of it's windows aglow. The chicken beckoned at the two dogs to follow him and the three of them made their way towards it.

“As you can see.” The chicken said over the roaring wind. “My humble home is like any other farm around here, but I don't do much farming myself. I rent this land out to the other farmers around here and it pays well enough to get me through the year. Unlike most city folk, I live within my means. Gives me plenty of time to focus on my hobbies.”

Neither Courage nor Computer said anything. They were far too tired to have a conversation with the chicken so they just let him talk. He certainly didn't seem to mind it though.

Upon reaching the house, he unlocked the door and let them inside. They then found themselves standing in a surprisingly cozy living room. There was a fireplace at the other end of the room keeping the house warm, and while there wasn't a TV, there was a couch, several chairs, and a few bookshelves filled to the brim with old books.

Courage was quick to notice that there wasn't a single picture to be found on the walls. He wasn't sure if he should take it as a bad sign or not, but aside from that, everything else appeared normal. Well, there was one other thing that bothered him. It appeared that the chicken didn't have a phone. Of course, it might just be in another room, but still...

“Come over here and lay down.” The chicken said to Computer, guiding him over to the couch. He then grabbed a few blankets and piled them on top of him. “There we are!” He trilled. “Now you can get nice and toasty after being out in that awful cold for so long. I'm going to get you some medicine and that should help with your illness. I bet you're coming down with the flu. That always happens when people spend so much time out in the cold.”

The chicken had not stopped smiling the entire time. Even as he twirled around and headed into the hallway on the opposite side of the room, he was still smiling that seemingly permanent, pleasant smile.

“Uh, are chickens supposed to have teeth?” Computer asked as soon as he was gone. “Because I'm pretty sure chickens aren't supposed to have teeth.”

Courage let out a sigh. “Well, he's helping us at least. Let's just hope it stays that way. I'm too tired to fight off a chicken right now.” He looked over at Computer. “Oh, and speaking of which, how are you feeling? It took us a lot longer to get here than I thought it would, and even with my help, it still felt like you were barely holding on back there.”

“Eh, I can't say I'm doing the greatest.” He admitted somewhat reluctantly. “My arms and legs still don't want to function and I'm just feeling really tired right now. Controlling this body since the SCC used that weapon has been an utterly exhausting experience.”

Courage smiled. “Well, focus on resting then so that we can get out of here tomorrow.” He sat down beside him on the couch. “And so that I can also stop worrying about you too. You aren't the one who's supposed to be getting sick and passing out all the time.”

“I don't plan on making this a habit.” He sniffed. “But now you know how I feel every time you go and pass out on me.”

The chicken soon returned with a small cup of green, foul smelling liquid that he gave to Computer. It looked similar to the cough syrup that Muriel used to give Courage whenever he had a cold. Computer eyed it precariously. The smell was enough to make anyone cringe.

“This stuff will make you feel as right as rain.” The chicken happily chirped. “It'll help you fall asleep too. I know that it doesn't smell very good, but it wouldn't be medicine if you didn't have to grin and bear it while you're pouring it down the hatch.”

“Ugh, this stuff is going to taste as bad as it smells?” Computer asked. “Oh, well. Anything to get rid of this headache.” He relented, tipping his head back and gulping the medicine down. He shuttered in disgust once he was finished. “Wow, this stuff real burns going down.”

“But now you're finally going to start feeling better.” The chicken replied, ever cheerful. “Now then, I've got a job for you, uh-” He stopped for a moment, waiting for Courage to give him his name.

“It's Courage.” He said, trying to hide the suspicion in his voice. What exactly did the chicken want him to do?

“Ah, Courage then. I'm going to get supper going but I need someone to help peel potatoes. I've decided that I'm going to make a nice roast as way to celebrate having guests over.”

Courage had to hide his displeasure. He did not want to be separated from Computer and risk being attacked while he was on his own, but on the other hand, he couldn't risk offending the chicken either or else he might throw them back out into the blizzard.

“Follow me, little Courage.” The chicken trilled, turning to head back down that hall.

Courage looked over at Computer, making his worry known.

“Just go with him.” Computer urged. “If he tries to do anything to you just scream and I'll come beat him up for you.” He chuckled.

That was the problem though. In his current condition, Computer wasn't going to be beating up anybody right now, much less coming to Courage's aid if something happened.

“Look,” He went on. “knowing you, you'd scream so loud that the whole house would come down. Everything will be fine, Courage. Just do as he says or else he might chance his mind about letting us stay.”

Courage swallowed and reluctantly nodded. “A-alright, I'll go, but, oooh, I hope we're wrong about this guy.”

“Don't worry, Courage. He'll sorely regret it if he tries to do anything to you under my watch.”

That did not reassure Courage at all, but he had no choice but to go. If push came to shove, he'd figure something out though. He'd saved Muriel enough times to know what to do if things went south.

“Courage? Are you coming?” The chicken called from down the hallway.

With a sigh, he left the living room and met the chicken at the end of the hall. He had passed the kitchen and several other rooms on his way there, and just like the living room itself, everything appeared to be normal. Regardless, he wasn't going to let his guard down just yet. Not while he was alone with the one person who may very well be out to harm him.

The chicken opened the last door at the end of the hall and showed Courage that it was a food storage room. He left a moment to grab him a chair and then set it down in front of a huge barrel filled with potatoes.

Courage winced. Did they really need that many potatoes peeled for supper? It would take him over an hour to get this all done. Unfortunately, he was not in any position to complain. He'd just have to do whatever the chicken wanted of him.

He was handed a small pairing knife, which surprised him. While he certainly wouldn't be able to do much damage with it if he had to defend himself, if the chicken really wanted to hurt him it was doubtful that he'd take a risk by giving him even the most meager means to potentially fight back. He still felt a bit wary, of course, but this was enough confirmation to at least let him relax a little bit.

“I'll leave you to it then.” The chicken spoke. “I know it'll take you a little while to get these all done, but the roast won't be ready for several hours either. A late dinner's never killed anyone though, so let's get working.”

Courage went and placed the bag with all of their stuff onto the floor beside the barrel. It was only now that he figured he probably should have left it in the living room with Computer, but it really didn't matter too much. Maybe he could find a way to get George to play music so that this task would be a little less boring.

Fighting back a sigh, he waited for the chicken to leave and got to work on peeling the potatoes. With as tired as he was, he couldn't help but worry that he'd be up until midnight doing this. He thought of Computer again and hoped beyond hope that he'd be feeling better soon so that they could leave this place. The faster they got away from this chicken, the better.

….........

It had been fifteen minutes since Courage had gone to help with supper and Computer was not doing well at all. Of course, he hadn't been great before either, though he had been trying very hard to pretend otherwise for Courage's sake. He did not want to worry the dog, but now? Well...

He shifted around under the blankets, gasping with every breath that he took. In just these fifteen minutes his condition had worsened considerably. He could hardly breathe, his fur was soaked with sweat and yet despite that he still felt chilled to the bone. His body was wracked with near constant convulsions that he could not control and his headache had grown so much worse. He was certain that his head was about to split apart or explode. Every time he opened his eyes he would find it nearly impossible to keep his vision focused, and regardless of whether he opened them or not, vertigo often gripped him as though the room were being spun around in circles.

He so badly did not want Courage to see him like this and yet there was nothing he could do. It was impossible for him to pretend that everything was okay now. He knew that the dog would worry himself half to death over this, but he could not hide it any longer, not with things as bad as they were right now.

Though he had told Courage otherwise, he had been steadily becoming convinced that this all really did have something to do with his system. So much of it felt the same way it had back when his system had collapsed at Nina's place. Of course, now his real body was a million miles away and with it any hope he had of saving himself. He did not even have a way to check what his system was doing right now without it. Regardless, he had no intentions of telling Courage the truth. Yes, he was deeply afraid that the worst was happening, but if it was, there was nothing he could do about it. There was no point in panicking Courage if nothing could be done to save him. He'd simply spare the dog from-

His train of thought was cut short when he heard someone enter the room. It wasn't Courage, those footsteps were too heavy to be his. He opened his eyes and at first all he could see was a blurry figure standing before him, then this vision focused and it was confirmed that it was indeed the chicken. As always, he had that same smile plastered to his face.

Computer tried to say something, but he could hardly control his breathing long enough to do that. To make matters worse, his throat was bone dry, to the point of where it felt like it was on the verge of sealing shut.

“Can't say a word, can ya?” The chicken asked, his smile fading until his expression turned to that of a sort of grim indifference. “I figured that would happen. Good, I don't need you making a huge fuss. C'mon, it's time to get you ready.”

R-ready? What on earth? Computer's heart began to race, even though it had already been beating far harder than normal to begin with. He knew just how helpless he was right now, and Courage? Courage...

How could he have been so stupid! He'd only thought about what the chicken might do to Courage! He hadn't even considered that he might go after him instead!

The chicken slowly leaned down and picked him up.

Courage!

Even though he could not call out to him, Courage would eventually realize that he wasn't there anymore! The chicken wouldn't get away with this! Courage would stop him, just like he did with everyone else who threatened his family. Everything would be alright, even if Computer could not fight back. Courage would...

It was the only hope he had as the chicken opened the front door and took him outside. They were going around the house, out into the back. It was so hard to get his eyes to focus and see where they were going, and it only made his nightmarish headache worse.

“You're probably wondering why you feel so much more sick than you did before you took that medicine, right?” The chicken asked. “That's because it wasn't medicine, I poisoned you.”

“Wha...what?” He managed to half-gasp, half-choke out in a moment of shock.

“Now don't you worry. It isn't healthy for me or my guest to be eating poisoned meat, so I only gave you a low dosage. It's meant to, eh,” He made a gesture with one of his wings. “help you along rather than kill you outright.”

Computer's entire body went numb with fear knowing what the chicken was about to do to him. He tried to fight back, to struggle, but he was simply too weak and the chicken was easily able to keep him within his grasp.

“What do you think you're doing?” He asked. There was no maliciousness in his voice. In fact, he was talking about all of this as though it were a casual conversation. “What do you think would happen if you managed to get out of my arms? Do you really think that you'd have the strength to crawl away? Do you really think you could escape before I simply scoop you back up again?”

That damn chicken was practically mocking him! Despite that, his voice still conveyed a level of normalcy that was almost as sick as what he was intending to do. There was something profoundly wrong with him in a way that was not outright evil. He clearly did not think that what he was doing was wrong or even strange. This ' _was_ ' normal for him.

“Besides, all I've had is one human after another for ages now. They're all that show up around these parts nowadays. I simply cannot pass up a pair of dogs. Don't worry though, I'm going to take good care of your friend. He'll be well fed until his time finally comes too. I have to get you prepared quickly, but there will be plenty of time to fatten him up and make him into one of the finest dishes I've ever crafted.”

Hearing the chicken talk about Courage like that enraged Computer like nothing else. There was no way that he was going to let Courage get eaten like he were nothing more than some prized hunk of meat! He reached out for his power, but it was useless. Under the effects of the poison, he simply could not access it and he wasn't sure if there was anything around that he could use anyway. Regardless, he had to do something or else Courage...

Suddenly he was caring less and less about the fact that he was about to be slaughtered and eaten and more about what would become of Courage. Would Courage even realize what was going on before it was too late? Would he...would he realize what he was eating? Would he be able to escape the chicken before...before...

Desperate, Computer continued to flail until he was too exhausted to move. They were now coming up to a small shack some distance behind the house. All he could do was watch as it got closer, gasping for air the entire time, fighting with himself to do something when there was no option for him to take. This...this was it. It wasn't going to be his system that did him in, it was the damn chicken that he had underestimated.

They entered the shack and he was surprised to find that it wasn't filled to the brim with a collection of slaughter devices. Instead, all that there was to see was a single well in the middle of the room. In fact, it looked as though the shack had been intentionally built around the well.

“Now then.” The chicken spoke, slowly making his way towards the well. “Normally I like to have my meals soak for a few days so that they get nice and juicy, but they can also flounder around down there for quite a long time so that's why I poisoned you. I need you to drown nice and quick so that my guest won't miss out on dinner. You're not going to be as tasty as I'd like, but I'll still be able to show Courage what a fine meal I can make out of you.” He grabbed Computer by the scruff of his neck and dangled him over the black void.

Computer looked down, his stomach plummeting with fear. There was nothing but endless darkness below him. He made one last feeble attempt to do something, _anything_ , but it proved futile. Without another word, the chicken let go of him and fell down into the void.

End Of Chapter


	37. The Christmas They Always Wanted

A/N: Believe it or not, an incredibly stupid Christmas picture inspired this chapter. I wasn't planning on doing another intermission chapter and I wasn't too big on doing a non-canon chapter either. It's a bit ironic that this intermission is happening exactly in the same place as the original intermission chapter for Volume I. It's funny how that worked out. Anyway, as I said, this is non-canon at least in the context of what's going on in the story right now. Obviously they didn't hitch a ride all the way back to Nowhere for Christmas LOL. I will neither confirm nor deny that this might become canon in the future. Since this more or less amounts to a Christmas episode, it's largely just slice of life without anything huge going on. It's completely lacking in the All Things End trademark angst so if you really need some angst just imagine that this is Computer's dying dream or something. Of course, as we all know, this whole fanfic is Courage's dying dream so that means it's Computer's dying dream inside Courage's dying dream. WE NEED TO GO DEEPER. Oh, and enjoy the massive mood whiplash since this unintentionally ended up coming out at a bad time with what's going on in the main story right now, but it doesn't make sense to release this anytime except around Christmas. Also, this is the first appearance of Computer with glasses even though he hasn't gotten them yet in the main story. Computer with glasses, you say? If you don't know what I'm talking about then you've missed out. I had a new picture made of Computer a few months ago that reflect the change that will be occurring soonish. There's a link to the picture in my profile.

Chapter 37: The Christmas They Always Wanted

Halloween had been as unpleasant as ever for Courage, if not worse. With Computer now living on the farm in both his dog body and sometimes in his original form, he'd spent the entire month of October pranking Courage in every way that he could think of. Though Courage had tried to be mindful of the scares, it seemed that Computer had always known when to best catch him off guard.

On the other hand, while it was a bit hypocritical of him, he had not tolerated any of the scaring that Eustace had tried to pull on Courage too. Those two hated each other more than anything, and while they never spoke a word to one another, the events of October had only managed to whip their feud back into full force.

Eustace had not been tolerant of Computer's presence since day one, but his reaction had been expected and prepared for. Despite all of the complaining, anger, and huffiness that Eustace had thrown his way, Computer had stayed steadfast in his resolution to remain on the farm in dog form. Eventually Eustace had been left with no other choice but to accept him living there, if begrudgingly so, and while he still complained about him constantly, he no longer tried to do anything other than simply complain. Computer had spent more than a few nights outside during those first few months because of Eustace.

There had, of course, been plenty of times where Courage had to hold Computer back to keep him from doing something unpleasant to Eustace. He'd often talk about 'putting that old fool in his place', but Courage wouldn't allow it. Thankfully, things had been settling down between the two of them, outside of the prank war that had temporarily reignited their hatred for each other to near dangerous levels. Courage was certain that soon those two would simply fall into a habit of ignoring each other. Of course, he only hoped that mostly for Eustace's sake. The results were never pretty whenever Computer got back at him for various slights. It was never in a direct way though. Strange things would often happen, like Eustace's truck suddenly coming to life and running over his foot, or the TV going out whenever his favorite show was on. Revenge was always exacted in ways that Eustace would never be able to blame anyone for.

With Halloween having passed, giving Courage a much needed break from all the scares, Thanksgiving had soon been upon them. It was an...interesting one, to say the least. The food Muriel cooked was as good as ever, but unless some of her distant relatives came to visit, the only other person who usually joined them was Eustace's mother, and she always made Thanksgiving as uncomfortable as possible. To make matters worse, Fred had shown up this year, having apparently been discharged from his mental hospital. He'd said that he wanted to see Courage after hearing about his health scare earlier in the year. All that could be said was that Computer had started out that day scoffing at Courage's fear of Fred. By the end of it, he was officially just as afraid. At least they had managed to survive that Thanksgiving with their fur intact, although not without a few mental scars.

Now it was December, and with it, Computer's first Christmas. Well, the first one that he was going to be celebrating like a normal flesh creature. When he realized that he was going to have to get a gift for Courage, he quite literally locked himself in the attic and spent the entire first two weeks of December doing nothing but searching for the perfect Christmas present. Every time Courage tried to visit, he'd hide everything on his screen and shoo him out of the room. By the end of those two weeks, Courage had given up, assuming that Computer had finally lost his mind and was going to spend the rest of his life looking for a gift that did not exist.

It was the fifteenth day of December when Eustace barked an order at Courage to go up into the attic and grab him a spare string of Christmas lights. Much like how Computer had been obsessing over gifts for the last two weeks, Eustace had been obsessing over his outdoor light display. Despite the lack of neighbors, it was his pride and joy. He did it every year and every year his display grew all the more complex. However, he'd been having an unusually high number of setbacks this time. Normally he'd have his light display finished within the first few days of December but now it seemed that random strings of lights would go out constantly or light bulbs would suddenly burst without warning. After many trips to Nowhere to get replacements for the lights, he still wasn't having any luck.

It was just as Courage reached the attic door to fetch the extra string of lights when it was suddenly opened by Computer and they very nearly walked right into each other.

“Dog? What on earth are you doing?” He asked, adjusting his glasses as though they had almost been knocked off his face. It was a habit that he had picked up ever since he'd gotten those things.

“You're back in that dog again? Does that mean you've finally found me a Christmas present?” Courage asked him.

Computer rubbed the back of his head. “I have officially searched every online store ever indexed, and-” He slowly trailed off.

Raising an eyebrow, Courage repeated, “And?”

Computer let out a sigh. “...And I still couldn't find you anything.”

Courage nearly fell backwards. “Seriously? Two whole weeks and you couldn't find even one thing that I might like?”

“You're, er, surprisingly hard to shop for.” He answered with a shrug.

“C'mon, Compute. It literally took me two seconds to figure out what to get you. You're making this so much more difficult for yourself than it needs to be.”

“Eh, I'll figure something out.” He replied with yet another shrug.

“Well, I need to grab some Christmas lights, so-”

Computer cut him off. “Wait, Eustace is still at that? I thought he would have given up by now.”

“You've been sabotaging the lights, haven't you?”

He grinned. “Maybe just a little bit.”

“Well, I'd stop if I were you or else Eustace is going to spend the entire holidays grumpy.”

Computer found that even more amusing. “Do you really think that it matters either way? Nothing is going to make that buffoon happy. Besides, it keeps him out of the house and away from us. Isn't that a win all around?”

“Not when he comes back inside and is ten times grumpier than he already was.”

“Alright, alright.” He relented. “I'll stop. Besides, I need to focus on finding you a present anyway. If the internet can't help me, what will?”

“You're making a mountain out of a mole hill, Compute.” Courage sighed. “Just go into town and look for something, it's not that big of a deal.”

“Ugh! How can you tell me to not put proper effort into your gift? Don't you want something mind-blowing?”

“Not if it's going to cause you to lock yourself up in the attic for nearly a month. Trust me, I'll like whatever you find, so stop obsessing over it.”

“If you say so.” He sniffed. “I will never understand how your mind works. If I were you, which I am very glad that I am not, I would want the most awesome present ever crafted. That is, of course, what Christmas is all about.”

“Actually, I'm pretty sure it's about-”

“Don't say family!” Computer interrupted him. “Don't give me that sugar coated tripe. Everyone knows that it's all about consumerism! Were it not for Christmas, the economy would quite literally collapse!”

“Eh, if you say so, but I don't really care about presents all that much. I'm just happy that everyone is here to enjoy the holidays with me. After what we went through this year, I'm more than happy to know that everything worked out the way that it did. Saving me from my illness, meeting Nina, getting your system fixed up and having you start to live here full time, it just seems like we're really lucky. Sometimes it almost feels like a miracle to me.”

Computer's expression became unusually sullen upon hearing his words. “Yeah...I guess you're right about that.” He reluctantly agreed. “Well, I'm sure that there will be plenty more Christmases to come that we will enjoy just as much, but I don't want to screw this first one up.”

“You really are going to obsess over finding me a present for the rest of the month, aren't you?”

“Only if I cannot find you one soon.”

Courage gave up. There was no point in trying to convince him otherwise. He wanted to find the best present ever and he was not going to give up until then.

An angry yell from Eustace downstairs got Courage to pick up his pace. He grabbed the lights out of the attic and made his way down the staircase with Computer following close behind.

“Stupid dog!” Eustace snapped. “Did you get lost up there, you idiot?”

Courage presented the lights to him and he swiped them out of his paws. Beside him, Computer glared up at Eustace, and as the old farmer tromped out of the house, he said under his breath,

“There's another string of lights that won't be working.”

Courage lightly elbowed him in the side, grinning, even if he knew that the extra sabotage would only put Eustace in an even more foul mood.

“So, uh, when did that happen?” Computer asked, pointing over at the Christmas tree they had put up in the left corner beside the TV.

“We've had that up for nearly two weeks now, Compute.” Courage sighed. “When I went upstairs to tell you that we were getting started on it, you shooed me off.”

“Oh...” He uttered out. “Well, it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure there's plenty of other Christmas stuff worth doing.”

“Like?” Courage asked, intentionally goading him.

“I would say sledding, but of course we never get any snow around here, nor do we have any hills. I would also say that we could take part in the art of caroling, but there's barely anyone around to carol to, and you always seem to get so bent out of shape at the prospect of me singing, so that's off the table. Hmmm, I mean, we could do something more simple like watch Christmas movies, and I'm sure Nina has a million old classics lying around, but-”

“But she's out of town.” Courage finished for him.

Indeed, Nina and her father had gone to visit a distant relative for the holiday season and it had been planned that they would all get together for New Years after she returned.

“I could pirate some movies.” Computer chuckled.

“Don't be a thief!” Courage groaned. “Besides, we can just use one of those instant streaming services.”

They had only just discovered the joys of instant movie and TV show access a few months ago, after Computer had been restored to a point where he could do such a thing again without issue. They had spent many a night watching their new favorite shows early into the morning.

“That seems like such a boring way to go about it.” Computer complained. “Oh, but I forgot one other thing. What about the Christmas cookies? Did I miss out on that too?”

Courage's ears perked up in alarm. “H-hey! I thought we talked about this already? The art of baking the perfect Christmas cookies is one that has only been passed down in Muriel's family and I am the only one who's allowed to bear witness to such a sacred tradition.”

“Yes, yes. I know.” Computer grumbled, shaking his head with contempt. “They're just cookies for goodness sake, but you act like the Christmas gods will come down and smite us all if Muriel doesn't make them, or if anyone dares to watch her while she's doing it.”

“Look, I've earned the right to help her out after many years of hard work and observation. You'd just find a way to burn the cookies without even going near the oven.”

Computer looked more than a little peeved at that quip, even though he knew perfectly well that he still wasn't any good at cooking.

“But, hey, I'm just talking about making the cookies themselves. You're perfectly free to help us frost and sprinkle them.”

Computer's look of annoyance immediately flipped into one of glee.

“Ugh,” Courage groaned. “If I didn't know any better, sometimes I can't help but think that you're actually a kid underneath all that supposed wit and cynicism.”

“If enthusiasm makes me a kid then I will gladly be a kid.” He snickered.

The rest of that day went on without much else to note. Eustace continued to work on his light display without much progress, and he was so angry by the time it got dark that he seemed to fall into a strange state of tranquil rage. He almost seemed lost in his own little world, his world of perfect Christmas lights that did not constantly burn out.

After dinner, Courage and Computer did indeed set out to watch as many Christmas movies as they could find and that was how they spent their afternoons for the next couple of days. About a week later, the fabled cookie making day was upon them. Courage got up early to join Muriel in the kitchen and for most of the day all that could be heard was banging, rumbling, rolling, Muriel's voice yelling as though the batter itself had come to life, and a suspicious noise that almost sounded like a chainsaw going off.

Computer tried to stick his head in at one point to see just what the heck was going on in there, but when he did it was as though Courage had teleported because all he saw was a paw in his face as he was pushed back out. He heard Muriel yell, “Courage, I need you NOW!” then his friend let out one of his ever characteristic screams, there was a rumble that made the whole house shake, and after that everything returned to normal, well at least as normal as it could be with all the strange sounds coming from the kitchen.

Finally, around supper time, they finished. Courage came out of the kitchen covered in so much flour that he was more white than pink and Muriel looked no better.

She announced, “This year's cookies are finished! Who wants to help frost them?”

Computer was almost afraid to go in there after everything he'd heard.

Eustace, who wasn't going to 'waste his time with stupid cookies', even though he liked them just as much as everybody else, was sent out to get dinner because Muriel was far too tired to cook anything else after today's work. She sat slumped in her rocking chair as Courage took Computer into the kitchen to help decorate the cookies.

Although some horrific monstrosity had not been birthed inside the kitchen like those horrific sounds had suggested, it was sill just as thoroughly covered in flour and cookie batter as Courage and Muriel were. Sitting atop the table was a huge batch of cookies just waiting to be decorated.

“Alright,” Courage sighed. He was feeling as exhausted as Muriel was. “We've got a whole bunch of different sprinkles, and the frosting is over here, and-” He stopped.

Computer was staring at the counter where a strange shape had been covered by a towel. “What is that?” He asked.

Courage had really been hoping that he wouldn't notice that.

“Don't touch it, okay?”

“Why? What are you hiding?” He asked, still eying the thing precariously. “It certainly doesn't look like a cookie to me.”

Courage let out an exhausted sigh. “It's a present that I made for you, okay? I want it to stay a surprise until Christmas Eve, so please leave it alone.”

Computer blinked several times. “Really? For me?” He asked, conveying a level of genuine surprise. His wariness was quickly turning into curiosity. “Just what on earth is it exactly?”

“In the spirit of Christmas, you'd better not spoil the surprise and sneak a peak when I'm not looking.” Courage huffed.

“I know, I know.” He muttered out. “But the wait is going to kill me.”

“Well, just focus on the cookies then.”

“Oh, right.” He quickly uttered out, having apparently forgotten about the task at hand, if only for a moment.

His first attempt at frosting a cookie was....messy, to say the least. The cookie in question quickly became lost under a gooey pile of frosting.

“Huh...that didn't go quite the way I expected.” He admitted, trying to fish the cookie out. “This isn't as easy as it looks.”

From then on it was decided that Courage would frost the cookies and Computer would decorate them, but even that didn't go as planned. Nearly fifteen minutes later and Computer still hadn't finished decorating his first cookie.

“Compute, I've got like half of these cookies frosted now. What's the hold up?”

He was carefully decorating a Christmas tree cookie to complete perfection. Unlike the frosting, he was doing a surprisingly good job, if only because he was moving like a sloth.

“It must be absolutely perfect.” He said under his breath, as though speaking too loudly would somehow ruin his work. “People are going to cry when they eat my cookies because they will loathe to destroy such beauty.”

“We're going to be here all night if you keep moving that slowly.” Courage grumbled out.

“I'd like to see you do better.” He sniffed.

And so Courage got to work on his own batch of cookies. Unlike Computer, he just wanted to get them done so of course they weren't nearly as good. Computer made sure to mock him every step of the way but by the time they were done he'd only gotten a grand total of five cookies decorated while Courage had finished the rest.

“Quality over quantity.” He quipped, gleefully hovering over his 'masterpieces'.

Courage had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to let anyone eat those cookies anyway.

Three days before Christmas, Computer finally announced that he had found a gift for Courage after spending nearly a whole extra week searching the internet for one. He'd been forced to pay extra to ensure that it would be shipped on time, and the day before Christmas Eve, it arrived. He sat outside the entire morning waiting for it.

Keeping Courage at bay, he took the package up into the attic where he could open it away from prying eyes, but he soon had to return because he didn't know how to wrap gifts on his own. Courage simply told him that he'd have to try his best or else he'd have to go up there and have the gift spoiled. Although Computer did not look very sure of himself, he went back into the attic anyway and eventually came back with a badly wrapped, yet still wrapped none the less, Christmas present. At least he had gotten the bow on alright.

“This is horrible.” He exasperated. “I couldn't find you the perfect gift so I had to settle for less and now I can't even get it to look nice?”

“I've told you a million times, I'm going to like whatever you get me, and for your first time, that's a pretty decently wrapped present. I'm sure most people would do worse.”

That did not make Computer any more enthusiastic. With a sigh, he said, “Well, let's get this abomination under the tree. I have one more thing that I'd like to get wrapped.”

“One more thing?” Courage asked. “Did you get something for Nina too?”

“Oh...oh dear, I completely forgot about Nina.” He answered, a look of alarm crossing his face. “I was so focused on what to get you that I didn't even think about her. Well, I guess I've got until New Years to worry about that. Although, this present is for somebody else. I'd prefer to leave it a surprise for now since I'm sure you're going to get a kick out of it.”

Courage was even more confused than ever, but he decided that he'd wait to find out rather than pester Computer about it. Christmas was nearly upon them after all.

He spent the majority of Christmas Eve helping Muriel cook, which was a much less frantic effort than their cookie baking endeavor. He even let Computer help a few times, keeping a watchful eye on him to make sure that he didn't mess anything up. Muriel, who had taken a liking to Computer ever since he 'moved' in, even though he didn't particularly care for her himself, got in on the fun too by teaching him a few of her cooking tricks. By the end of it, he was actually starting to become a halfway decent assistant, rather than a disaster waiting to happen.

Finally, after everything was finished, the whole family got together to enjoy the Christmas feast. Even Eustace, who always objected to Courage and Computer sitting at the table, was too busy stuffing his face to bother getting angry with them. As always, Computer was the one to out-eat everyone, but even after he'd had his fill there was still plenty of leftovers to put away.

After cleaning up, and Muriel and Eustace had gone back into the living room, Courage was finally ready to show Computer the thing that he had made for him. Computer was so exited to find out what it was that he completely forgot about the stomachache he was currently suffering through .

Courage took the covered object off the countertop, having to stand on his toes to reach it, and brought it over to the table where Computer was waiting.

“Alright, so,” He began. “I had to work on this in between helping Muriel with the cookies, so it isn't going to be perfect, but-”

“Just show it to me already!” Computer exclaimed.

Courage pulled the towel away to reveal a gingerbread house. “This isn't your average, everyday, gingerbread house.” He told Computer. “I switched up the recipe a bit so that it would be coffee flavored, and I even put coffee beans on it instead of cand-”

At the word 'coffee', Computer had already stuffed half the house into his mouth.

Courage stared. “I, er, figured that you'd love it.”

In less than a minute, Computer had eaten the entire thing.

“I think you've outdone yourself, dog.” He cheerfully acknowledged. “I don't know what you could have gotten me for Christmas that can top this.”

“Oh, don't worry. What I got you is going to blow your mind. Oh, and speaking of which, you do know that there was a gift card in that gingerbread house, right? It was for that one coffee place that you like so much.”

Computer's eyes widened. “What?” He exclaimed, looking down at the empty plate that his gingerbread house had been sitting on. “I, er, didn't taste any cardboard.” He remarked, placing a paw onto his stomach. “H-how do I get it out?” He asked.

Courage shook his head, grinning. “Oh, Compute, what am I ever going to do with you?” He half-sighed and half-chuckled out at the same time.

After that, Computer spent the rest of Christmas Eve moping over the lost gift card until he and Courage settled down for the night to watch a few more Christmas movies. Soon morning came and they joined Eustace and Muriel down in the living room to open presents.

Courage had gotten Muriel a golden picture frame in hopes that she'd want to get a new family picture taken, one that Computer could finally be in. Much to his relief, she was absolutely delighted with the present. Eustace had gotten her a new tea set along with a sewing kit and she had gotten him a bunch of new tools, the ones that he had been begging for all year but had been too cheap to buy himself. Neither Eustace nor Courage had gotten anything for each other. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them that they never got each other presents, but Muriel at least had been thoughtful enough to get Courage an absolutely gigantic bone that was twice as tall as both he and Computer were combined.

All that was left were the two gifts Courage and Computer had gotten for each other, but Computer was insistent that Courage wait until tonight to open his gift. So, instead he presented his gift to him. After all this time, he couldn't wait to see the look on his face once he realized what was inside.

Computer got to work on ripping the wrapping paper to shreds. All that it revealed was a plain box. Courage had taped it shut so it took him awhile to get it open, but when he did....

His mouth feel open in disbelief, but his eyes were all but sparkling with glee. Courage couldn't help but laugh. His reaction was even better than expected.

“You're kidding me?” He gaped. “This isn't a joke?”

“Of course not.” Courage laughed. “I told you. It only took me two seconds to figure out what to get you.”

The box was filled up to the top with nothing but a near endless supply of coffee gift cards.

Computer continued to stare at it, completely dumbfounded.

“You'll never run out of coffee again!” Courage chuckled, although deep down he knew that Computer would probably blow through all those gift cards in like a month.

Speaking of jokes, Muriel was the one to point out that there was one last badly wrapped gift under the tree. It was addressed to Eustace, but it did not say from who.

Courage immediately knew that something was about to go down.

“Oh, what's this?” Eustace asked as Muriel plopped the present down into his lap. “Did Santa Claus decide that I was a good boy this year?” He greedily joked.

Opening the box, he gasped when he found that it was filled with hundred dollar bills. Although, upon taking a few of them out he was quick to realize how flimsy they were and it soon became very apparent that they were merely fakes. In place of Benjamin Franklin's face was a very distressed looking Courage who was wearing a sweater and who's fur atop his head had been braided into pigtails.

“AAAARRRGGH!” Eustace cried out, pumping his fists up and down in the air. “Did you do this, dog?” He snarled, pointing a finger at Courage who was quick to shake his head. “It was you, wasn't it?” He spat at Computer.

The glowing dog merely shrugged in about as casual of a manner as he could manage.

“Dumb dog! You're always playing tricks on me! I shoulda known it was you! Bah! I don't know why I let you live here!”

“Oh, Eustace, hush!” Muriel chided him. “He probably just wanted to play a silly little joke on you. It's nothing to get upset over.”

“But...but all that money.” He choked out.

The old farmer seemed to deflate with sorrow, letting the box of fake money fall from his lap and onto the floor. Computer could not have looked anymore delighted.

He slowly leaned over to Courage and whispered, “He wanted me to print him money, so I printed him money.”

“Did you have to use ' _that_ ' picture?” Courage groaned. “How many times am I going to have to tell you to delete it?”

“As many times as it takes until you realize that I'm not.” He snickered.

Leftovers were heated up for lunch, and despite it being Christmas, it turned out to be a pretty lazy day. Nobody was expected to come visit so Muriel was just happy to rest after all the cooking she had done yesterday. Courage stayed with Computer up in the attic, having him play Christmas music as he helped him search online for a gift that Nina might like. When night fell, they went downstairs to have the last of the leftovers for supper, and after they were done, Computer finally decided that it was time for Courage to open his present.

“Why can't we just open it up in here?” Courage asked as they returned to the attic.

“Absolutely not!” Computer exclaimed. “If I could not find you the best present possible then I'm at least going to have you open it up in the best place possible instead.” He made his way across the room and opened up the window. “Come on, dog. We're going up onto the roof for this.”

“Really?” Courage sighed. “We're going up there again? I'm telling you, I will like your present just as much down here as I would up there!”

“Look, I know that the roof isn't all that special, but it's way better than this boring, old attic!”

“Ugh, I hate it when you make me climb up there!”

“What? Do you think you're going to fall or something? You've been up there at least a million times by now! There's absolutely nothing to fear!”

“It's not me I'm worried about, it's you. You're the clumsiest person I know, and I don't trust you up there. One of these days you're going to slip and I'm the one who's going to have to watch.”

“Don't be a baby!” He huffed. “I haven't fallen yet and I'm not planning on falling anytime soon.”

He was already halfway out the window. With a sigh, Courage went after him. They both climbed up the outer wall of the house until they made it onto the roof. Computer did it with Courage's present between his teeth.

“Here we are!” He exclaimed, crawling forward a bit and then sitting down. “We've been up here, what? Six or seven times now? There's no way that anything bad is going to happen.”

All Courage knew for certain was that they still needed to climb back down. He didn't even like coming up here when it was to save Muriel from something, but Computer loved to come up here for no reason at all!

“Alright then,” His friend went on, handing him the present. “Look at this, dog! We're under the stars and moonlight! A much better place than some dusty attic! Now hurry up and open the gift! I want you to finally see what I got you.” He crossed his arms. “You have no idea how long it took me to decide upon this present in particular. I hope it's worth your while.”

Without wasting another moment, Courage tore the wrapping paper open. Inside was an ornament, a clay wreath ornament to be exact, and inside the wreath was that goofy picture Nina had all three of them take before they left on their journey. The wreath also had a white, clay ribbon weaved around it. At the top of the wreath, the year had been panted on the ribbon in black letters, and at the bottom, Courage, Nina, and Computer's name had been painted on it. Computer's actual name, to be exact, which surprised Courage. Toward the end of their journey, they had finally decided upon a name for him, although because Courage was so used to calling him by his nickname, he had allowed him to keep using it. Nina also had the same privilege, although she was far more liberal in her use of both names. She switched between them constantly, depending on how annoyed she was with him.

“Oh, so you had them put your real name on it?” Courage laughed.

“I spent so very long debating on what to have put there.” He admitted with a chuckle. “I thought it looked better this way than with that awful nickname you just can't seem to let go of.” He laughed.

“Well, heh, thanks for the gift, A-”

“Don't say it!” He quickly laughed, waving a finger in front of Courage's face. “I never thought that it would come to this, but somehow it's weirder for me to hear you say my actual name than that stupid nickname you won't stop using. I never imagined that I would come to prefer it. Ugh, this is your fault, you know. You got me used to it.”

Courage gave him a sly smile and then looked back down at the ornament. “You really thought that this wasn't the best present ever? I mean, you got it personalized and everything.”

“Oh, well...” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. “Because I couldn't find you anything specific, I decided that this would be the next best thing. I figured that it would be a nice way to commemorate everything that's happened to us this year. So much has changed in so many different ways and I figured that this would be a nice way for us to look back on it all after this has become nothing more than a memory.”

“That's surprisingly thoughtful.” Courage admitted. “And exactly what a Christmas present should be. The holidays are, after all, all about being with family and remembering good times together.”

“Ha! I'd say nearly ninety percent of our journey was anything but good!”

“But weren't the good parts worth the bad?”

“I suppose so.” He admitted. “And if it hadn't all happened, we wouldn't be sitting here right now.”

“I'd say that it was worth it in the end.” Courage agreed, looking up into the night sky. “Merry Christmas, Compute.”

“Merry Christmas, Courage.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: I could totally live with the idea of Computer spending the rest of his days just covertly trolling the shit out of Eustace. Oh, and hey, a bit of a tease about Computer's name. Yes, he's going to get one after years of me flip flopping on if I actually want to give him a name or not LOL. There is also going to be one more extra story that takes place a little while after this one that I'm going to write sometime soon. It was such an adorable idea that I have to make it into a proper short story. Until then, the main storyline will be getting back on track with the next chapter.


	38. Down In The Depths

Chapter 38: Down In The Depths

It seemed like he fell forever before hitting the water with a painful splash. At first he struggled, it didn't matter how weak he was, the adrenaline surging through his body kept him from faltering.

He did not know how to swim. The extent of his knowledge of such things was that you were supposed to keep flailing your limbs around and hope that it got you above water. The strategy worked, at least somewhat. He could get his head above the water briefly to take in several gasps of air only to sink back down again and his struggle would begin anew. It was an incredibly taxing endeavor, even with the intense fear of drowning fueling him.

Every once in awhile one of his paws would hit something, and in the light of his glow he could see...he could see that the things floating in the water were bones, bones that had markings on them that made it clear they had been picked clean. His light cut into the water deep enough that he could see the bottom of the well and it was comprised of nothing but bones that had sunk to the floor.

He closed his eyes, hanging there underwater for a moment, unwilling to take in that sight any longer. He fought once more to reach the surface. Up above him he could only see a single pinprick of light that was the opening of the well. The only way out of this hellish situation was entirely out of his grasp. He tried to grab onto the wall as way to support himself and to keep his head above water, but it was too slimy and smooth. No, it was not entirely smooth. The light from his glow revealed to him that the walls were covered in scratch marks by other people who had been so desperate to try and climb out of the well that they had dug their nails into the stone without success.

He dipped back under the water again, too exhausted to fight. It was only when his lungs began to burn did he force his weakening body to reach the surface again. He did not want to imagine what it would be like to drown but now it was looking like that was about to become a reality. His thoughts turned to Courage once more. He couldn't believe that things were going to end like this. There was some hope that Courage would be able to escape the chicken, but what good would that do either of them? Without each other, they were as good as-

He closed his eyes again, battling against his ever weakening body to keep his limbs moving. Panic set in when he suddenly couldn't get his head above water. His heart felt like it was about to give out from the exertion, but with one final desperate kick he got his head above the water for a moment longer.

A moment longer that he would get to live in this nightmare come to life.

Out of sheer desperation, he reached for his power one last time. Whether it be through adrenaline, his fear of drowning, or his desperation to save Courage from the same fate, he managed to break through the effects of the poison and access his ability in full. It was difficult to keep it within his grasp, but he held onto it like a lifeline. However, it proved to be a useless effort, a false hope that would lead nowhere. There was nothing that he could use, nothing nearby at least. There was almost no metal around the shack, and back at the farmhouse-

Wait...

There was one thing.

He could feel the cellphone.

Realizing that he may have found the one thing that could save his life, he quickly sent a text message to it. There was nothing else he could do. It was all up to Courage now, if Courage could even save him at this point. He would not be able to fight his exhaustion for much longer. There was no guarantee that Courage would be able to get to him in time, and the chicken might get in his way.

With the message sent, Computer sunk below the surface once more as an incredible sense of lethargy took over. He was so very cold, this water was frigid. His paws had gone numb. He was just so incredibly tired. It was as if he could feel the poison creeping through his veins. He feebly tried yet again to get to the surface. He had to keep going. If he could just fight it a little longer, Courage would...

….....

Courage jumped when something from within the bag began to beep. The cellphone? It couldn't be anything else. Who was messaging him though? He was certain that it had to be a message because the phone wasn't ringing incessantly, but still, who would be messaging him?

He went over to pull the phone out of the bag, thinking that maybe Computer had made a few contacts during his drunken escapade. He swiped the screen to unlock it and the message he found made his blood run cold.

_**'The shed out in the back. Hurry.'** _

Suddenly, he was shaking so hard that he almost dropped the phone. Taking a step back, he grabbed the the small knife off the barrel and looked down at the phone again. The message had no name or number attached to it, but he was certain that it wasn't a prank. He knew one thing was for certain, he needed to check on Computer. Whatever was going on here, it had spooked him enough to at least feel the need to make sure that everything was alright.

He tip toed out of the storage room, and as he got closer, he could hear the chicken humming to himself in the kitchen. He would sometimes breaking off to say something in a low voice that Courage could not pick up on. Knowing that he was going to have to get past the kitchen no matter what he did, he moved in closer so that he would at least hear what the chicken was saying before he made a break for it.

“Aaaah, yes.” The chicken hummed. “It won't be long now. I can't wait to see the look on my new friend's face once I've told him what he's been eating. It's been so long since I've had a pair come around these parts, and dogs none the less! Yes, indeed. I always love serving up a friend so that they can know just how wonderful my work is. Little Courage will be horrified 'and' still want seconds, and if he doesn't take seconds, well...he'll learn not to insult a gracious host.”

Courage stood there with his back pressed against the wall, eyes wide and his whole body trembling.

W-what had happened to Computer? What had that chicken done to Computer? Heart pounded, he was desperate to get some answers. He needed to get into the living room, where Computer would be if...

He slowly looked into the kitchen, needing to make sure that the chicken wasn't watching, and to make sure that Computer wasn't being-

He shivered.

The chicken had his back turned to the door, but he was looking over several butcher knives twice the size that Courage was. Fighting back a whimper, he silently made his way past the doorway and into the living room.

His heart nearly stopped once he got there. Computer was nowhere to be found, just as he had feared. The only comfort he had was that he had not seen Computer in the kitchen being sliced to pieces, but then where...

“The shed...” Courage whispered to himself. He needed to get outside and find this shed. Computer had to be alive out there. He _had_ to be!

Courage tip toed over to the door, wincing at every creak the wood floor made. He slowly opened it and then slipped outside, quietly closing it behind him afterwords to insure that the chicken wouldn't notice anything out of the usual. He wasn't sure when that...that psycho was planning on checking to see if he was still peeling potatoes, so he needed to get out of sight quickly, just in case he would soon gain a pursuer.

Running as fast through the snow as his feet would take him, nearly getting blown around by the violent winds, he wheeled around the farmhouse and into the back. Soon, through the veil of snow, a moderately sized shack began to materialize. It looked as though it had been hastily put together quite a long time ago and it was a bit surprising that the howling wind simply hadn't blown it away.

Gasping for air, Courage went inside and shut the door behind him. Only a single light lit the shack and there was nothing inside except for an open well. His heart plummeted at the sight of it, fearing the worst. He made his way over to it, almost too afraid to look down into that darkness. First he called out “COMPUTER!” and his voice echoed unusually loud for such a small space, but he received no reply from his friend. Finally, no matter how much he didn't want to, he was forced to look down into the well. That unmistakable glow could be seen far below, at the very bottom.

Courage tensed with fear. How was he ever going to get Computer out of there, and...why wasn't he responding? Looking up, he saw that the well still had a rope and bucket system set up to draw water out of it, but it was badly aged with the wood rotting in places and the rope looking no better. Even the bucket itself had mold growing on it.

There was no other way to get Computer out of there though. He'd just have to hope that it would hold together long enough to pull him out.

“Compute!” He called down into the well, hoping beyond hope that he could hear him. “I'm sending down a bucket! Climb in and I'll get you out of there!”

He placed the knife the chicken had given him onto the cold, mossy stone that was the rim of the well and then he carefully climbed up onto it so that he could reach the hand crank. It was incredibly slippery, but he managed to grab onto the crank without issue and began lowering the bucket down into the well.

It seemed to take forever, no matter how fast he went. There was a point where he heard splashing far below, but when he called out to Computer he still did not get a reply. Finally, several minutes later, he heard the bucket hit the water and he looked down into the well, expecting to see Computer get in. He was nearly overcome with fear when his friend did not do anything at first, but then there was splashing as Computer tried desperately to clamor inside the bucket. It proceeded to sink down into the water and then the rope snapped from the weight, at a point just high enough that Computer would not be able to reach it from within the water.

Courage winced, and, thinking fast, he called to him. “I'm coming down to get you!”

He wasn't even sure if the rope would be able to hold his weight, but he had to do this. He wasn't going to leave Computer down there to drown, even if it meant that he might meet the same fate.

Taking in a breath, and, knowing that this was going to tax him greatly given the strain that his illness was already putting on his body, he jumped onto the rope. He waited fearfully for a moment, expecting it to snap, but it did not. The only thing worse that could happen was if he had an attack while climbing down as he'd surely drown down there if he fell unconscious. Computer needed him though, and he wasn't going to let the fear of drowning stop him now.

He slowly began to make his way down into the dark, moldy depths of the well. The smell alone was nearly unbearable. He heard Computer surface once more, his movements sounding all the more frantic inside the closed space of the well.

“Almost there, Compute.” Courage whispered under his breath. He kept waiting to hear the rope snap, but it never did. There were spots that seemed particularly frail, but he moved carefully down them and that seemed to be enough to keep them from giving out.

Finally, he had nearly reached the end of the rope. Much to his horror, he could see bones floating in the water below him, and worse, the bottom of the well, which he could only see because of Computer's glow, was filled to the brim with bones that had sunk to the bottom. Just...just what had that chicken gotten away with? How many people had he...

He stopped at the very end of the rope, where it had broken off when Computer had tried to get into the bucket. The bucket itself had sunk to the bottom of the well, and Computer was hanging there in the water, looking frighteningly more like a corpse than a living being.

“Computer, I'm here! Hurry, I'll help you up!”

His voice seemed amplified down in these murky depths, and he was sure that Computer would hear it underwater. All Courage knew for certain was that he could not let go of the rope, not even to go get him himself, or else he would become stuck down there as well. To make things all the more horrific, he only just now noticed the scratch marks all along the circular wall of the well.

“Come on, Computer! You've got to get up here or else I can't help you!” He reached a paw down towards the water, hoping more than anything in the world that Computer hadn't drowned since the last time he tried to surface for air.

Suddenly, his friend began to flail wildly, and for a moment it seemed as though he were suspended in place and would never escape the water, but then he began to make his way toward the surface, his eyes focused intently on Courage's paw. With one huge kick of his feet, he burst out of the water and managed to grab hold of Courage's paw.

Courage almost lost his grip in that moment, and, gritting his teeth together, he refused to allow himself to fall or to let go of Computer's paw. His friend's grip was like iron in his desperation to not go back into the water. Calling upon a level of strength that almost seemed to overcome any weakness that his illness had set upon him, Courage used his one free paw and legs to pull himself up higher bit by bit until there was enough room at the end of the rope for Computer to grab onto. Once he was free of his friend's extra weight, Courage just hung there for a moment, panting from the exertion. Below him, Computer clung to the rope like his life depended upon it, which it did, and he was shaking hard, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

“Th-thank...g-goodness you...f-found me.” He choked out between gasps for air. He sounded as though he could barely breathe at all and there was one horrible moment where he almost seemed to fade out and nearly let go of the rope. “D-dog,” He wheezed. “T-there's...n-no way that...I-I'm going t-to...be able...t-to climb up this....r-rope on my o-own.”

Courage nodded down at him. “That's alright. I'm going to climb back up and pull you out of here. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”

“C-Courage, w-wait!” He stammered out, having to take several long, ragged gasps for air afterword. It took him awhile just to get his breathing under control long enough to say whatever needed to be said. “T-that chicken....he...he poisoned me. I-I don't think...I-I don't t-think that I'm...I-I'm going t-to...to be a-alright.” A sense of genuine fear had entered his voice on that last note.

Courage's stomach plummeted with anxiety. Poisoned? What on earth could he do for Computer if he was poisoned? Would he be able to...

He shook his head. No! He was not going to let things end like this! They had gotten too far to let some psychotic chicken do them in! He was going to save Computer! No matter what!

“Just hang on!” He tried to assure his friend. “I'll get you out of here in just a minute, then we'll figure out what to do next!”

“H-hurry.” His friend wheezed. “I'm...n-not sure h-how much...l-longer I can...s-stay awake...like t-this. I-I'm v-very tired....and....and m-my vision k-keeps...” He couldn't finish the sentence.

Courage wasn't willing to wait another moment longer, and he was just about to begin the long climb back up the rope, but then he noticed something odd. To his right, he could see from Computer's glow that there was a strange, half-oval shaped indent in the wall. It was rather large, large enough that anyone human sized could-

“Computer, I think there's a door here.” He said, wondering if he should try and check it out or to keep climbing.

His friend said nothing, he simply remained gripped to the rope, his muzzle leaning against it and his ears drooped with exhaustion. He was still wheezing and gasping for air constantly.

Courage shook his head again. There was no telling where that door led so there was no point in risking it rather than to simply take the surefire way out of this ghoulish death trap.

“Hold on just a little longer, Compute.” Courage called down to him, beginning his climb anew. He'd only made it a few inches higher when he heard that ever familiar voice call down to them.

“Well, well, well! So that's were ya went, you sneaky little doggy!”

There wasn't a hint of anger in the chicken's voice. In fact, he sounded more like he was amused with this situation than anything. His lack of anger was the thing that probably disturbed Courage the most.

Trembling with fear, he had already begun to make his way back down. That door was suddenly looking a lot more welcoming. As he looked down, he realized that the door was just high enough up that nobody in the water below would ever have had any hope of reaching it. How many people had met their ends down here in this utter darkness without knowing that their salvation had been just out of their reach? Perhaps it was better that way. Regardless, it was clearly the only escape he and Computer now had.

“I'm sorry to have to say this, but you ruined my plans.” The chicken called down to him. “I was going to let you enjoy a nice feast with me, but that won't be happening now. You're just going to have to drown down there with your friend. I didn't want it to be like this, but you've left me no other choice.”

Pure panic raced through Courage's mind when he remembered that he had left the knife up at the top of the well. It would only take the chicken a few seconds to cut the rope loose, and then...

He reached for the indent in the wall, pushing at it with all of his might using his one free paw. It slid in slightly, on the right side, while the left side pushed out, like one of those false walls that people would sometimes fall into in movies. He pushed a bit more until there was enough of a foothold for him to jump onto it and push it open the rest of the way. He then reached for the rope once more and just barely managed to get it into his paws when the chicken finally cut it free. He let the rest of the rope fall into the water below and had to pull with all of his might to get Computer up to the opening. When he did finally get him up there, his friend simply let go of the rope and remained laying there on the stone floor, shivering hard and gasping for air.

“Compute?” Courage asked, getting down onto his knees. He gently placed a paw onto his friend's shoulder. He was icy cold and obviously dripping wet.

Computer did nothing for several moments and then slowly opened his eyes. He did not focus on Courage, or anything at all, before closing them again without a single word. Now he was quivering even harder than before.

Fear rose up inside of Courage greater than ever before. There was nothing that he could do to help Computer...and...and it didn't seem like he was going to be alright. He needed help, real help, the kind that could only be given by a doctor, but they were so far away from anything even resembling civilization.

Courage finally looked up to see where they were. He'd been so worried about Computer that he hadn't taken the time to check his surroundings. Gasping, he fell backwards. They were in some kind of tunnel, but this particular part of it was filled with gigantic butcher knives, racks that looked more like they belonged in a torture chamber, several lengths of metal chains that all had terrible hooks on the ends of them, and many, many different instruments for, well, what looked like preparing food. It was like someone had taken a chief’s dream and added a torturer's touch to it. It was Courage's deepest hope that anyone who had ever ended up in this tunnel had been dead long before they got here. Everywhere he looked, he only came across yet another new horror. In spite of everything though, this area was surprisingly clean. It appeared that the chicken meticulously cleaned this place after every 'meal' that was prepared.

“Compute, we've got to get out of here.” He whispered, his voice trembling with every word.

Computer stirred a little bit, having finally opened his eyes again, but he did not seem to take notice of the horrific torture chamber that they had found themselves in. It was only his glow that allowed Courage to see anything at all. The tunnel was pitch black, though there were unused lights overhead.

“Come on, I'm going to find you help.” Courage spoke, putting an arm over Computer's back and helping him sit up. He soon got him standing, but he had to use both of his paws to keep him steady and his friend had to lean all of his weight onto him. He could not stand at all at this point without constant support.

Courage led him over to one of the many racks of butcher knives where he took one of them and gripped it between his teeth. Though it was clean, he still did not like having it in his mouth, but he needed both of his arms to keep Computer standing so he couldn't carry it in his paws. However, he was not going to go any deeper into this tunnel without some kind of weapon. If the chicken had still been watching, he'd know that they had just escaped the well and it was likely that he would soon be coming after them. A confrontation was inevitable and Courage wanted to be ready for it.

He looked over at Computer, who in turn was looking ahead with glazed, tired eyes. He did not truly seem to be looking at anything at all. It was going to be hard to get him out of the tunnel like this, even when helping him walk. He was shaking so hard at times that it was a miracle his legs didn't simply give out from under him.

Courage suppressed a whine and urged him forward. In spite of his fear, he was resolute. He would not let Computer die here. He would not lose his closest friend again.

End Of Chapter


	39. Confrontation With The Chicken

Chapter 39: Confrontation With The Chicken

They made very little progress going down the tunnel. It was very nearly impossible to keep Computer walking and he was becoming more and more incoherent with every moment that passed. Twice he had fallen unconscious and the first time Courage had waited for him to wake back up, but the second time he'd grabbed his arms and dragged him some distance before he returned to consciousness. He was not strong enough to carry him on his own, but if they didn't keep moving they'd never escape the tunnel, so pulling him was the only option.

It appeared that the tunnel was actually an abandoned mineshaft. They had passed several rusted pieces of equipment that made this clear. The well must have been dug unusually close to the long abandoned mine and the chicken had simply taken advantage of the oddity. Despite everything, Courage was getting worried that they were going in the wrong direction and that they were actually heading deeper into the mine. There weren't any signs around to help him get his bearings and he only had Computer's glow to go by. Everything ahead of them and behind them was pitch black.

Computer eventually fell unconscious again and this time Courage decided to stop for a little while rather than drag him. He was becoming more and more exhausted and he could not risk having an attack down here. They'd either both end up unconscious with the chicken on the prowl, or Computer would be left to fend for himself in his current state.

Courage sighed, sliding down the rocky wall and onto the ground beside Computer. His friend was still shivering very hard, both from the cold, as it was indeed very cold down here, but also no doubt because of the poison. It often looked more like he was convulsing rather than simply shivering.

Courage tossed the butcher knife from one paw to the other, wondering to himself if he was going to have to use it. Computer would put the chicken down without a moments hesitation, but Courage? He didn't want to hurt anyone unless he really had to. Even now he couldn't bring himself to want to kill, even after that chicken had almost murdered his friend. He could not imagine himself stabbing anyone to death, even out of self-defense.

“D-dog? D-did I-” Computer suddenly choked out, having woken back up. “I...p-passed out again....d-didn't I? S-sorry.” He wheezed, trying to sit up.

Courage shook his head. “It's not your fault, but now that you're awake, let's keep moving.” He was somewhat relieved because this was the most coherent that Computer had been in quite awhile.

They continued onward into the darkness, Courage becoming all the more fearful that they were going in the wrong direction, not that they were making much progress to begin with. Computer had just had him stop for a moment, as he had become too dizzy to continue, when the lights above them suddenly came on with an intense buzz, as though the ancient electric system was straining to support such aged wiring.

Courage gasped and tried to say, “The chicken's coming!” but the knife in his mouth prevented him from doing anything other than mutter out a few incoherent words.

“K-keep g-going.” Computer gasped, and he was right, there was no use in waiting there until they were caught.

Courage tried to have them pick up their pace, but it was useless. Rushing Computer only slowed them both down even more. Courage's heart nearly stopped when the echo of someone's distant whistling reached his ears. It was the chicken, no doubt, and he was heading right towards them.

“H-he's going t-to...overtake us.” Computer breathlessly spoke. “W-we'll have to...to d-deal with h-him.”

Courage shook his head and lowered Computer down onto the ground. He then took the knife out of his mouth, all while fighting back an ever growing sense of apprehension. “I'll deal with him on my own, okay? You're in no condition to fight back if he attacks you, so leave this to me.”

Thankfully, Computer didn't argue. Of course, he did not have the energy to do such a thing anyway, even if he wanted to. The whistling continued to get louder and soon the chicken could be seen causally strolling down the tunnel like he had no care in the world. Courage gripped the hilt of his knife with both paws, heart racing. How was he ever going to get them out of this one? Even if he were willing to kill in self defense, would he have the strength to do it? The chicken was so much bigger than him and could easily overpower him with very little effort. All Courage knew for certain was that he and Computer were in a bad spot, and no matter the outcome, this was not going to end well for either party.

Courage looked over at Computer only once and found that he was staring down the tunnel with a hateful expression on his face. It was clear that were he not in such a state right now, he would have loved nothing more than to tear that chicken apart with nothing but his own two paws.

As the chicken got closer, Courage's stomach plummeted when he saw that he was carrying a butcher knife twice as big as he was tall. That thing could easily slice him in half with only one well aimed swing. He was completely outmatched and there was nothing that he could do to even the odds.

“There's my little friends!” The chicken called out to them. “You're quite the resourceful little doggies, aren't you? This has been oh so much fun, but the game is over. You two are the first to have ever gotten out of that well on your own, and I commend you for that, but dinner needs to be served and you're both on the menu. It's a shame that neither of you will get to taste my art, but hey, you're going to be the art itself, so this experience won't entirely go to waste!”

The chicken finally stopped in front of them, grinning that same pleasant yet clearly demented smile down at the two of them. A growl got caught in Courage's throat as he brandished his weapon. Keeping Computer safe was all that mattered to him, even in the face of such hopeless odds. He would not allow that chicken to lay another finger on him.

“Well, ain't this cute.” The chicken chuckled.

He slowly reached a feathered hand down towards Courage, and in turn Courage swung his knife, but that was what the chicken had been expecting. He swung his own oversized knife and it struck Courage's smaller one right out of his paws. It went flying into the wall before clattering down onto the floor. Before Courage even had time to react, the chicken had his fingers wrapped around his torso and he was then picked up and slammed against the wall so hard that it knocked the wind out of him. The next thing he heard was a 'thump' above his head followed by intense, fiery pain. He couldn't help but scream in agony and soon felt several trickles of blood making its way down his head.

The chicken, looking as quaint as ever, kneeled down to place his knife onto the floor, keeping Courage in his guillotine like grip the whole time, but he had also reached down to pick something up too. When he rose again, he presented to Courage what had once been his...his rightmost ear.

“This will fry up nicely, don't you think?” He gleefully asked. “My, my, my. I've never dismembered a meal like this before. There are just so many options.” He picked his knife back up again and gently poked the tip of it into Courage's remaining ear. “Should I remove this one next, or...” He moved his knife down to Courage's left leg. “Or perhaps I should take a leg instead. I just can't decide. Oh, I am having so much fun with this, I...AAARRRGG!”

He had suddenly let out a pain filled cry, his eyes widening and his beak opening as far as it could go. Courage was freed from his grasp and fell onto the floor with the chicken also collapsing soon after. Courage looked over to see that his attacker was clasping at his leftmost leg where a deep gouge had been carved into it. Standing before the chicken was Computer with the fallen knife in hand, now bloodied. In spite of everything, he had found the strength to stand with Courage's life being threatened.

“L-leave him...alone!” He breathlessly exclaimed. It was obvious that he was struggling to stay standing, but seeing Courage in pain was all that was needed to give him strength, however temporary. His eyes were ablaze with seething hatred, the likes of which he had never displayed before.

Courage did not wait a second longer to see what would happen. Pure instinctual panic had momentarily taken over as blood dripped onto the floor from what remained of his severed ear. The intense pain throbbed in time to the beating of his heart.

He tried to crawl away, but the chicken grabbed his leg out of pure fury, which was the first time he had ever shown such intense emotion. Courage looked back to see him raising his butcher knife into the air, and, utterly terrified, he squeezed his eyes shut, assuming that he was about to receive a fatal stab. The knife instead was raked across his back, igniting an all new explosion of fiery pain. He couldn't help but cry out and kick his legs in an attempt to free himself, but the chicken would not let go. His grip was like iron, brought about by vicious fury. He raked the knife across Courage's back a second time, the new wound even deeper than the last. He was just about to slice Courage's back open a third time when he suddenly let out another cry of pain. His feathered fingers let go of Courage's leg and that gave him the opening he needed to crawl outside of his reach.

Looking back, he could see that Computer had sliced the knife into the chicken's leg a second time. In fact, he'd nearly managed to sever his leg completely this time. His expression was utterly murderous as he stepped forward to finish the job, much to Courage's dismay, but then that small amount of strength he had found in his need to protect Courage suddenly left him, and before he could so much as stab the chicken, he fell to his knees. Overcome by the poison once more, he could not do a single thing as the chicken reached a hand out towards him. The pain wracked chicken wasn't even bothering with the knife, he just wanted to get his fingers around the dog who had, in his own mind, unjustifiably hurt him.

Seeing what was about to happen, all of the pain coursing through Courage's body seemed to leave him for those few meager seconds as he quickly got back onto his feet. He raced forward and grabbed the knife out of Computer's paw, which he had still been keeping a hold of even though he was in no state to use it. In fact, he had already become so disoriented again that he hadn't even noticed that the chicken was reaching for him. With the knife in paw, Courage swung at the chicken's hand, his teeth bared in anger, but, well aware of what was happening, the chicken protectively withdrew his hand before the blade could connect.

“Leave us alone!” Courage yelled, shakily pointing the knife at him. “Computer, he'd...” He looked over at his friend for a moment, who had just fully collapsed onto the floor. “He'd kill you in an instant if he could! But...but I'm not like that! Even though I should, I'm not going to hurt you unless you make me! We..we're going to leave now, a-and you're not going to follow us! Y-you're leg's pretty much useless anyway, s-so...”

The chicken sneered up at him, his eyes filled with hate. “Look at what you did! I won't ever forgive you for this, you...you...” He face scrunched up in pain and he looked away, feebly clutching at his nearly severed leg once more. Finally, he let out a snarl and turned his leering gaze back onto Courage. “I-I'll kill you for this!” He screamed.

He began pulling himself over to the wall, where he could use it to help him stand and support himself without the need of his injured leg. He'd left his knife behind, but Courage, fearful that he might somehow still be a threat, decided that he wasn't going to wait there any longer. He discard his own knife, unwilling to carry the bloodied blade between his teeth, and helped Computer onto his feet once more. They slowly began walking in the direction the chicken had come from. That hateful monster continued to scream obscenities at them, and while he had managed to get himself standing by using the wall as support, he could only limp forward at an even slower pace than they were walking. Computer continued to fade in and out, although thankfully he did not completely fall unconscious again as Courage did not want to give the chicken a chance to catch up.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the end of the tunnel. Courage could not have been more relieved to see what looked like an elevator up ahead. In the heat of the moment, he'd been able to ignore his injuries, but now the throbbing agony coursing through his body had become overwhelming. Were it not for the fact that he knew the chicken was not far behind, and were it not for his desperation to get Computer to safety, to get him the help that he so badly needed, he would have already collapsed out of sheer pain. He was leaving a trail of blood behind him, mostly from his cut up back. He did not even want to think about his ear. Part of him wanted to reach up and assess the damage, but another part of him was afraid to feel what would now only be a stump. He..he'd never expected that he'd one day...

Shaking his head, he continued onward, trying to ignore what had happened to him. The old mineshaft elevator was the only thing that appeared to be in decent condition. No doubt the chicken was keeping it maintained. Courage set Computer down inside of it and then found the button to go up. The elevator rumbled to life, drowning out the angry cries of the chicken still echoing down the tunnel, and then it began to rise. Courage let out a sigh of relief and collapsed where he stood, wincing at the pain it brought. He had to stifle a whimper. There was no time to worry about himself. He needed to get Computer help, nothing else mattered. He could worry about his own injuries once Computer was safe.

The elevator came to a stop at the topmost layer of the mine. Down the dimly lit tunnel an opening could be seen. It was the once boarded up entrance to the mine that the chicken had broken through. With a sigh, Courage gathered up every last bit of strength he had left and helped Computer back onto his feet. They then made their way to that opening and finally found themselves standing out in the middle of that horrible blizzard once more, the blizzard that had not let up in strength even slightly. A twinge of fear ran through Courage. How was he ever going to get Computer help like this?

End Of Chapter


	40. Into The Blizzard

Chapter 40: Into The Blizzard

Even though it was nearly impossible to see anything from within that constant swirl of snow, Courage could still make out the faintly visible tracks that the chicken had left in the snow. They were vanishing with every moment that passed, but if Courage could move fast enough those tracks might be his and Computer's salvation. This would lead them back to the chicken's house, and from there, back to the road. He wasn't sure what he was going to do once he reached that point but it was better than wandering off in some random direction and risk freezing to death in this blizzard. Maybe he'd be able to flag down a car that could get them to safety, or-

“...But who's going to be driving in this blizzard?” He helplessly asked himself. “And on such a backwater road? Oh....this is hopeless.” He whined. “I-I'll have to find Computer help on my own. Maybe one of the farms-” He slowly trailed off, his quiet voice muted by the howling wind, not that Computer was listening to what he was saying to begin with. Fearful that the tracks would soon completely vanish, he urged his friend onward and they began their long trek back to the house.

Getting Computer through the snow was far harder than Courage could have ever imagined. His friend just didn't have the strength to step through the ever accumulating snowdrifts on his own. When he finally fell unconscious again, Courage had to drag him through the snow for quite awhile. It was an immensely exhausting task but he continued onward in spite of everything, even at the risk of triggering an attack. Every moment that was wasted was another moment for Computer to get sicker. He needed help, help that Courage was determined to get him, even if it meant facing whatever his own illness might do to him.

When they reached that horrible shack, which signaled that they were getting close to the house, Courage had to stop for a moment out of sheer exhaustion. His arms and legs were shaking and his various injuries were all throbbing with such pain that he had to fight to not pass out. It was quickly becoming apparent that if he were going to find help for Computer, he was going to have to leave him behind. Dragging him around was simply too taxing on his already weakened body. Of course, he could not risk leaving him in the chicken's house because there was always the chance that the chicken might return. There had been no sign of him as they had made their way back, and if he really was desperate enough to keep following them it was a comfort to know that he would have to crawl through a lot of snow to reach them. Regardless, Courage refused to leave Computer in a place where he might once again end up at the mercy of that monster, no matter how remote the chance might be.

Biting his lip, Courage looked down at his friend. “I'll have to leave him out here somewhere...in this blizzard.” He reluctantly concluded. Somewhere where the chicken would not be able find him, just in case he was still pursuing them, and somewhere that would at least protect him a little bit from the elements. Courage knew that he would not be able to leave him out here for very long, but hopefully he'd be able to get him help in a short enough amount of time. If not, he'd come back and get him, and then...well, he wasn't sure what he was going to do then. There was no way that he'd be able to get him to the city like this, he'd have an attack long before he could drag him that far.

Feeling somewhat rested, he continued onward, pulling Computer along with him. They soon reached the house and from there he went inside only long enough to grab their bag. A twinge of disgust ran through his mind when he realized that this house probably didn't even belong to the chicken and that he had more than likely killed its previous owners at some point before turning it into his base of operations. Judging by all the bones in that well, he must have been doing this for a very long time. People's cars would break down on this backwater road, far away from any tow truck, and they would be greeted by a friendly chicken only to be...

Courage stopped that train of thought. He wanted nothing more than to get as far away from this place as possible and to never think about the chicken or what he had done ever again. His missing ear was already going to serve as a memento and that was more than enough.

Computer still had not regained consciousness, though he did not seem to be getting worse or better. What the poison was doing to him right now, Courage could only guess. His only hope was that maybe this was the worst that it was going to get. Maybe Computer would be able to pull through on his own. Well, he wasn't willing to take any chances. He was going to get Computer to a doctor, no matter what it took.

He dragged his friend to the road and continued to drag him down it for some distance. Once he felt that he had gotten him sufficiently far enough away from the chicken's house, he pulled him into the cornfield, far enough in that nobody would be able to see him from the road. He then began pulling dry cornstalks over and around Computer until he was almost entirely covered. It barely counted as shelter and it did only the bare minimum to protect him from the elements, but it would have to do. As Courage was doing this, he had begun to wake up again to much confusion.

“D-dog? W-what on...on earth-”

Courage shook his head to silence him. “It's alright, everything is alright. You're not going to like this, but I have to leave you here for a little while so that I can get you help. I don't like doing this either but I can't keep dragging you around in this blizzard, I just don't have the strength for it. I promise that I won't leave you here for very long. If I'm not able to find someone who can help you soon, I promise I'll come right back. We'll figure something else out if we have to. Just make sure to rest for now, okay? You've got to conserve your energy after everything that you've just been though.”

Computer's expression spoke all the words that needed to be said. He clearly disapproved of Courage going out there on his own, but then he closed his eyes and relented with a single, “Fine.”

“Thanks, pal. I'll be back in just a little bit. I promise that won't leave you out in the cold like this for any longer than necessary.”

“G-get moving...” He half gasped, half grumbled out, still looking extremely displeased with Courage's plan.

In Courage's honest opinion, it seemed to him that Computer didn't particularly care that he was being left behind in a cornfield. He seemed more annoyed that Courage was risking going out into the blizzard all by himself and the only reason why he wasn't lecturing him about it was simply because he could barely talk at all.

Courage gave him a halfhearted smile. “Don't you dare give out on me while I'm gone, Compute. I know that you like to worry about me, but you've got to worry about yourself too! I only got cut up a bit, but you-”

Computer's unamused stare all but spoke the words, 'You consider losing an ear just 'getting cut up a little bit'?'

Courage ignored his glare and turned to leave. “I'll survive, but we need to do something about that poison before you...before...” He couldn't finish, nor did he dare look back to gauge Computer's reaction.

Out into the blizzard he went once more, desperate to find help before the worst could happen. He did not know where he was going to go or who to ask for help, but he was going to get it no matter what.

…...

Under the effects of the poison, time had lost all meaning to Computer. Constantly slipping in and out of consciousness will do that to you. He did not know how long exactly he lay there under what might as well have been a cornstalk blanket, but it seemed to stretch into eternity. When awake, all he could do was lay there and shiver. He'd gone almost completely numb from the cold. He kept his mind focused solely on his breathing. In and out, slow and steady. If he managed his breaths correctly, he could stave off the sensation of suffocation. As an added benefit, it no longer felt like he had to fight for every breath that he took.

When he wasn't focusing on his breathing, he was worrying about Courage. Courage was out there all on his own, and was he really likely to find help in this blizzard? As far as Computer was concerned, it was a stupid idea for him to go out there like that, but he knew equally that he would have never been able to stop him even if he could have argued with him properly. At this point the poison had been in his system for ages now and the damage was done. Even if help could be found, would they be able to do anything for him now?

Computer's head swam as he fought off another round of light-headed dizziness. He so badly did not want to fall unconscious again. He needed to keep his ears open for Courage. Regardless, it was becoming harder and harder to fight the poison. Every time he seemed to gain the upper hand another wave of weakness would strike him and he'd be sent reeling back into darkness. His vision had long since gone hopelessly blurry. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get them to focus anymore. He feared what was going to become of him. Had the chicken truly poisoned him badly enough to kill him? He'd wanted to eat him after all, and he'd even said that he didn't want to eat meat that might make him sick, so perhaps...

He clutched at his aching head. If he could just keep fighting this...but he didn't have the strength. What if he would eventually fall unconscious once more and never wake back up again? Would this poison put him into a coma instead of killing him outright? He thought of Courage again. What would become of the dog out there? Would he wander around in this snow forever, looking for help that he may never find?

...And his injuries! What if he bled to death while wandering around out there? The thought of it was almost too much for Computer to bear. How could he have failed so badly? How could he have failed to the point of where Courage had gotten one of his own ears chopped off? Something like that was permanent! It could never be fixed, it would never heal! Courage had received a permanent injury because of his failure to protect him, and now he was out there on a dangerous, foolhardy mission all because of him as well!

It quickly became too exhausting to even think, so he focused on breathing again. How long had it been? Had Courage been out there for hours? Could it be days and he simply never returned? Might something have already happened to him? Computer was steadily beginning to consider escaping this...this snowy tomb! He didn't care if he couldn't walk, he'd drag himself until he found Courage. He could not just lay there and wait for the worst to happen. If Courage were to have an attack out there, or if he'd already had one, he'd freeze to death!

Gathering what little strength he had, Computer reached a shaky arm out from under his cornstalk shelter and attempted to pull himself forward in vain. Only now did he realize just how difficult this task was going to be. He tried again and only managed to get his head out from under the cornstalks. His breathing had become irregular again and that horrible suffocating sensation was returning. Perhaps...perhaps he couldn't do this after all.

But Courage....

He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing this useless body for failing him. He'd simply have to keep trying, he could not give up, not when Courage's life might be at stake.

...Suddenly, an odd sound reached his ears that made him snap his eyes back open.

“C-Courage?” He wondered, trying to raise his head off the ground, but the muscles in his neck would not comply.

It was an odd sort of shuffling sound, like someone was moving unevenly through the snow.

Computer remained alert. Well, as alert as he could be with his head swimming from the poison. Part of him desperately hoped that it was Courage, but on the other hand, if that truly was Courage, there was no reason for him to be moving through the snow like that unless he was hurt. He waited several long moments for some kind of confirmation, then, he tensed up when he heard a voice just beyond the cornfield that was by no means Courage's.

“I'm gonna find them! I'm gonna make them pay! They won't get away with this! They won't!”

It was the chicken, there was no doubt. That strange shuffling noise had to be him limping through the snow. He must have found something to use as a crutch, but his movements were clearly still impaired. Though Computer could not see him, it was easy to tell through sound alone that he was struggling to make any progress.

_'Good!'_ He thought as an intense anger ignited in his chest. That anger was momentarily replaced with worry when he began to wonder if Courage's footprints could still be seen going into the cornfield. If they did, the chicken would have no trouble finding him in there.

Minutes passed and the shuffling sound grew quieter and quieter, signaling that the chicken was moving on. Computer slowly relaxed, but then an all new worry struck him like a hammer.

Courage! The dog would eventually start heading back this way at some point! He'd run right into the chicken! Who...who knew what that monster might try to do to him!

Rage unlike any other seemed to melt away the lethargy that was muddling Computer's mind. He had to protect Courage! No matter what! He would not let that chicken hurt him again!

He reached for his power, which no longer felt near impossible to grasp like it had before. Fueled by anger and a desire to save Courage, he reached a level of clarity that the poison could not befuddle. He expanded his awareness outwards, straining his ability to its absolute limits. Never before had he tried to find something to control from such a distance, and at first he found nothing, nothing of any real use at least. Then his mind touched something, something that he did not recognize. It was some kind of machine used for harvesting the corn. A combine, perhaps? He did not know and he did not particularly care. All he knew was that this was exactly what he needed. At the front of the machine were rows upon rows of spinning blades, perfect for...

He ignited the engine and had the machine exit the barn that it was stored in. He felt it hit some kind of resistance, which must have been the barn door, but the blades made quick work of it. He then steered it towards the road. It was quite some distance away from where the chicken was at the moment, but that did not concern Computer. He could wait. There was time. He was certain that it would find the chicken before the chicken could find Courage. It brought him no greater pleasure than to know that the last thing that chicken was ever going to see was a wall of spinning blades barreling towards him.

….....

Courage whimpered and rubbed his frozen paws together in a hopeless effort to warm them. His first few attempts to find Computer help had failed miserably, much to his ever growing despair. He had tried knocking on the door of the first farm he came across, but nobody answered. The lights were on in the house and yet nobody had come to his aid.

The second farm he'd tried, he had been greeted by a man who might as well have been Eustace's long lost twin. The grumpy old coot had thought that he was some rabid dog who'd gone and gotten into a fight, given his grievous injuries. Courage had ended up having to escape back out into the snow before the man could grab his shotgun and start shooting at him.

The third farmhouse he tried had held a much nicer family who immediately took concern over his injuries. They figured that he must have belonged to one of the other farmers and had simply gotten lost out in the blizzard. They assumed that something had attacked him while he was lost out there and that was the reason why he was so badly injured. Unfortunately, though he had tried very hard, he was not able to convey to the family that there was another dog out there who needed help, so when he got the chance, he slipped back out into the blizzard.

He had not encountered a single car the entire time he was out on the road, though he wasn't sure if anyone was likely to stop for a dog anyway. Growing desperate, he'd caught sight of an odd, towering shape just visible through the veil of falling snow. It was only a little ways off the road and he soon found himself standing in a clearing. It took him a moment to realize what the tall, statue-like shape was.

It was a worn, ancient chimney just standing there out in the middle of nowhere. Looking around, it quickly became apparent that he was actually standing in the spot where a farmhouse had once stood. It must have burned down at some point, though that had to have been so long ago that nothing of the event remained aside from the one lone chimney.

This, however, was not what had truly occupied Courage's attention. What he really was focused on was the dark shadow of a barn just visible through the snow. Getting closer, he found that it had been left to rot once the house burned down and there were many gaping holes in the aged wood. However, it still stood tall and it didn't seem particularly like it were about to collapse.

Somewhat apprehensive, he had begun to consider if it might make a better shelter for Computer. Eventually he convinced himself that it was and now he was heading back to get his friend. He'd have him stay inside the barn while he continued to look around for help. Even though he was bitterly cold, he was not willing to give up.

“Maybe I should try that family again once I get the chance.” He said to himself. He'd just passed the house of that grumpy, old farmer, which he was thankful to see that all the lights in the house were off now, meaning that the jerk must have gone to sleep.

One more house to go and then he'd be back to where Computer was. He hoped that he hadn't left him out in the cold for too long.

Suddenly, Courage stopped in his tracks. A gasp got caught in his throat. For a moment he couldn't even believe what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe it. That glow...

He raced forward as fast as he could. Laying there in the snow, half buried, was Computer. Courage dropped to his knees and quickly dug him out. He was unconscious.

“What were you thinking?” He yelled, shaking his unconscious friend as though he would actually answer. It was almost impossible for him to believe that Computer had actually managed to drag himself this far before once again succumbing to the poison.

“Oohh, Compute. Why didn't you just stay put?” He whimpered. “C'mon, let's get you out of here...”

….......

Halfway to the abandoned barn, Computer regained consciousness, and Courage spent the time before they arrived angrily lecturing him for leaving his hiding place. Of course, the glowing dog was so out of it that he more than likely wasn't registering a single thing that Courage was saying.

Soon they were standing before the looming shape of the barn. Courage had to leave Computer laying there in the snow long enough to pry one of its massive doors open. Once inside, he closed it again, but in all honesty the two doors seemed to be the only sturdy thing about this barn. The rotted wood was like swiss cheese, and while it kept the worst of the wind out, it was still bitterly cold inside and a decent amount of snow was finding its way in through the openings. The entire structure creaked constantly from the blowing wind, like it was about to give out at any moment.

“It'll have to do.” Courage said under his breath. “And its certainly better than having no walls at all.”

He took Computer over to the far end of barn where there seemed to be a few less openings and where no snow had managed to accumulate. He placed him up against the wall and stared down at him for a few moments, that ever growing sense of worry welling up inside his chest. Computer looked up at him in return, seemingly a little more coherent.

Courage swallowed and then told him, “I'm going back out there to keep looking for help. I just wanted to get you into this barn where you're not as exposed to the elements. Please don't look at me like that, I promise that this won't take much longer.”

He turned to leave but almost immediately felt a paw clamp down on his arm.

“Don't!” Computer breathlessly exclaimed.

Courage looked over to find his friend glaring up at him with surprising intensity.

“But-” He tried to say.

“Don't!” Computer repeated. Even while barely able to breathe, the anger in his voice was still apparent. “Just...just don't...”

“Computer, I have to go back out there. I need to find you help. You...you might not make it through the night like this. I can't just sit here and do nothing while that poison slowly kills you!”

Computer took in a deep breath, his eyes focused intensely upon Courage. “D-don't go...back...o-out there.” He wheezed. Every word he spoke was a struggle to get out. “If..if you...h-have...an attack...o-out there, you'll...you'll f-freeze t-to death...and...and nobody will....b-be able...t-to find y-your body....until spring! I-I'll be alright! So...so stay put!”

Courage bit his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was remain here while Computer was struggling like this, but it was late, and his chances of finding anyone who might be able to do anything was steadily diminishing. It would have to wait until tomorrow morning, but could Computer survive that long? His friend was glaring at him with such intensity that even with the poison making him ill, he still looked more than ready to drag Courage back into the barn if he had to.

Courage let out a reluctant sigh. “Are you sure about this?” He hesitantly asked him.

Computer nodded, never once taking his eyes off him.

Courage had no other choice but to relent. He wasn't happy about it, but it was probably the best thing to do. Computer was right, he'd already hit his limit all the way back in that well and all this extra strain was only asking for his illness to flare up. If he were to have an attack out in that blizzard, he would no doubt freeze to death while unconscious and eventually end up buried under tons of snow. He could not continue to recklessly endanger himself any longer, not even for Computer, not that his friend was really giving him a choice anymore.

So, as the night wore on, he kept watch over Computer, who quickly fell back into unconsciousness. After that point, he did not wake again, and all Courage could do was watch him convulse in his 'sleep'. He so badly wanted to believe that he was just shivering, but there was no mistaking what was really going on. This lasted for hours, and though he was tired, Courage did not allow himself a moments rest.

Finally, only an hour or two before dawn, Computer stopped thrashing about and became deathly still. Panic welled up inside of Courage at the sight of it. Desperate, he crawled over to his friend and wrapped his arms around him in a meager attempt to warm him up. He was utterly frigid, like he were slowly turning to ice.

“Don't you dare give up on me, Compute!” Courage weakly scolded him. “Don't do this to me again! The first time was bad enough! Y-you can't die now, not after defying death like you did!”

There was nothing else he could do but stay there with him and keep him warm. The only reassurance he had was in the form of Computer's slow yet steady breathing and weak yet constant heartbeat. Perhaps the poison was wearing off and this was the end of it. Perhaps this was the last vestige of the poison taking its toll on his body, and if he could just survive this last trial...

...Would he really be able to though? In such a weakened state?

Courage let out a whimper. “I should have gone out there and gotten you help when I had the chance! Why wouldn't you let me do that for you, you stupid idiot! You...you might die because...because...” He broke down into weak sobs and gently beat a fist into Computer's shoulder. “Why would you ever put me into this position again? I-I don't want to go on like this, don't you understand? I didn't want to have to think about going on without you...l-like last time, yet here I am. I-I can't even imagine what I'm going to do if you...ugh! I know that you don't think much of yourself, but I-” He stopped, feeling foolish. It was unlikely that Computer could hear him anyway. He sniffled a couple of time and decided that he would continue anyway.

“I-I know that you don't think much of yourself, but I see in you what you can't see in yourself, a-and there's nobody else who I care about more.” He let out a weak laugh. “I'm not even joking. You are...heheh, I don't even know what to say. You know how much I care about Muriel, right? I'd travel the world over for her sake, but you? I'd travel the world twice over, three times over if you needed me to. I-” He stopped again, surprised by his own words. It brought on such a strange mixture of emotions to realize that he cared about Computer more than he did about Muriel, and that was saying a lot since he still cared about Muriel more than life itself. His adoration for her was not any less, but Computer...

Courage let out another weak laugh. “How did this ever happen? For someone who's so good at annoying me, you're-” He stopped, closed his eyes and then snuggled in closer to his dear friend. “Please don't die on me, Compute. I need you to stay. There's still so much coffee out there for you to drink, we've still got a lot of insults to throw at each other, and there's still so much for us to do. You've barely experienced the world at all and I refuse to let you die until you've had your fill. It..it isn't fair, what you've been through, what it did to you, and how much it's ruined your life. I-I can't fix all of it, but I do want to try and fix as much of it as I can. Nothing makes me happier than to see how much more relaxed you've become. It's just like you say, things are better now, and I intend to keep it that way. Please, Compute, you've gotta make it through this.”

He continued to talk, never once stopping until the first rays of morning sunlight began to shine through the holes in the wall. Eventually, he became so tired that he could fight it no longer and slowly sunk into a deep, dreamless sleep.

End Of Chapter


	41. A Realization

Chapter 41: A Realization

Computer awoke confused and rather dazed. When he attempted to open his eyes, the light hurt and he was immediately forced to close them again. Though he no longer felt as weak as he had yesterday, the poison having apparently worn off, he was having a difficult time remembering how he had gotten to wherever he was right now. Much of what had transpired yesterday was all a hazy blur in his mind. Between what the SCC had used on him and the poison he had been fed, it was an amazement that he was coherent at all right now. He remembered 'dealing' with the chicken, but it was almost completely blank after that. There had been a few moments of lucidity during the worst of his poisoning that he could recall, but aside from that, he may as well have been comatose.

Wracking his brain, he was able to piece together a few blurred memories of last night. Courage had taken him to...a barn? Yes, he was certain of it. He could remember the dog saying something about it and feeling bitterly cold because the barn wasn't well insulated against the raging blizzard outside. Through his murky vision he could remember seeing snow whipping through the large gaps in the rotting wood. Judging by the light that was now hurting his eyes so badly, it had to be morning and the blizzard must have finally let up.

What surprised him the most was that he wasn't particularly cold. Yes, there wasn't a blizzard howling outside anymore, but it still had to be cold enough to freeze the inside of the barn, and yes, he was still somewhat uncomfortably cold, but not freezing enough to shiver. He was very much aware that something was bunched up against him, and he was certain that it couldn't be a blanket. The something in question was furry, warm, and breathing, but it couldn't possibly be...

He dare not open his eyes to look. For whatever reason, they had become painfully sensitive to light. Even through his closed eyelids they still stung from the meager sunlight getting through. It was starting to get a bit better since he had regained consciousness though, so he could only hope that this was a temporary side effect of the poison.

He raised a paw to touch the thing that was leaning into his chest and met something disgustingly cold and wet. A dog nose, no doubt. So it really was Courage who was keeping him warm. He...he honestly didn't know what to think of that, but it was heartening. It was little things like this that Courage always did for him that made him appreciate the dog's companionship so much.

As it stood right now, all he really wanted to do was to go back to sleep. He still wasn't feeling the greatest, even if the poison was finally out of his system, and it wasn't often that he and Courage curled up like this either. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to wake the dog up. He enjoyed these moments with him more than anything. Never once had he suspected that he would come to enjoy such physical closeness after a lifetime of lacking any sensation as a machine. Though he dare not ask Courage to do this sort of thing under normal circumstances, the times they did inadvertently spend together like this were often the most calming and happy ones he had. Besides, as far as he knew, this may very well be the last time they-

He stopped that thought before he could finish it. It brought on a wave of sadness that he quickly squashed with every last ounce of will he had left. He didn't want any sorrow to impede upon this moment, if it really was going to be the last time he would ever...

It was no good. He couldn't stop the inevitable sadness that it brought on. He hated this so much. He'd been so certain that he had accepted his fate all the way back on the farm. It was the whole reason why he had decided to enact this plan. He'd known from the start where this journey was going to end. Things were not meant to have turned out this way. He had never expected that he would start to care about Courage so much. Yes, he had cared about him even before, that was why he was on this trip in the first place, but he had not cared about him one iota compared to how much he cared for him now.

It was not that he feared his fast approaching death, as such a thing did not scare him, but he did fear for Courage. He feared leaving him behind to fend for himself and he feared being separated from him forever, which either of their deaths would inevitably cause. Through the dog's nightmares he had experienced his friend's fear of losing everything as if it were his own. He knew just how deeply Courage dreaded losing his family and he knew equally well that there was nothing that he could do to help him with the matter. Above all else, he so deeply feared being separated from him. He did not want to spend another day of his life without Courage by his side. Had the options actually been available to him, he neither would have picked going back to the attic to live as an unmoving machine again, or to live with Nina where he would spend the rest of his days away from Courage unless they were to visit each another. No, he would have gladly fought off Eustace or anybody else who might object to his presence just so long as it meant that he could go on living as a dog with Courage back on the farm, but no matter how much he daydreamed about it, he still wasn't going home. He would never have the fight that would inevitably occur for his place among Courage's family. No matter which path he chose now, it was dooming them both to separation. To give up on this journey meant Courage's death, something that was unthinkable to him, but if he continued onwards, it would lead to their separation all the same. There was no means of escaping this.

Much to his dismay, he could feel tears building up behind his eyelids and that only seemed to amplify the painful sensitivity caused by the light. It all hurt so much, inside and out. No matter how deeply he desired otherwise, he could not think of a way to overcome their unhappy fate. None of this was meant to have happened. He had never imagined that when they first set out on this journey that he would become such good friends with Courage. The only reason he had decided upon this path was not only out of necessity, because there had been no other options, but because he had wanted Courage to appreciate what he was going to do for him. So that one person, even if they disliked each other to the bitter end, would remember him for having done something good. Knowing from the very start that the end was quickly coming for him, he had figured at the time that he'd go out doing something good for someone instead of waiting for his system to inevitably collapse. He'd been ready to die for such a long time now and yet here on the eve of his death he wanted nothing more than to go on living. All he really wanted was more time to spend with Courage, more time to enjoy every last moment of life with him. He so badly did not want this trip of theirs to come to an end. It only hurt all the more deeply knowing that as soon as they reached the next bus stop, they were only a day or two away from the mountain. This journey was reaching its conclusion whether he wanted it to or not.

He tried to open his eyes again, against his better judgment, and while the light still stung them quite badly, he found that he could at least keep them open now without it feeling like they were about to start on fire. The world around him was a blurry, undefined mess that almost seemed to be generating its own glow from the light filtering in through the gaps in the wood. He blinked several times, thinking that it was his tears obscuring his vision, but that didn't fix the problem. Though the image did clear up somewhat, he still couldn't make out a single thing in the barn. He was once again left desperately hoping that his eyes hadn't been permanently damaged by the poison. If this was the way his vision was going to be from now on, he wasn't sure how he would survive. The thought of it was fairly panic inducing. He may as well be blind like this.

He glanced down at Courage, who was still snuggled up against him and fast asleep. The dog looked like a pink smudge to him which was mingling with his own blue glow. It was only when he squinted as hard as he could that Courage began to resemble anything recognizable. Unfortunately, the effort it took to 'see' anything brought about a surprisingly sharp headache and he had to close his eyes again to get any kind of relief.

Great, now he had one more thing to worry about on top of everything else! How would he ever find that cave up on the mountain with his eyesight like this? He could barely make out his own paw in front of his face!

Fighting back his growing fear, he silently reminded himself that he was probably still recovering from the poison. Maybe it would just take awhile for his eyesight to heal. There was no reason to panic prematurely over this unfortunate setback. If need be, Courage could be his eyes for the time being. All they were going to be doing today was walking until they finally reached the town that lie ahead of them. All of this farmland was flat to begin with, so he wouldn't have to worry about overcoming any particular obstacles.

Biting back a sigh, he raised a paw and let it rest upon Courage's back. So much for enjoying the moment. He was so disheartened by both his looming fate and sudden blindness that he doubted he could find a way to feel even the slightest bit of happiness right now. At least Courage seemed pretty content at the moment, even if it was impossible to make out his face. He'd let him sleep for however long he needed. After everything the dog had done yesterday, he had to be utterly exhausted. Computer was equally aware of the crusted over cuts on Courage's back, so he made an effort not to touch them, lest he accidentally wake the dog. Hopefully they didn't hurt too much. He didn't even want to imagine what sort of pain Courage's missing ear might be causing.

He spent the next half hour trying to 'exercise' his eyes to no avail. Soon he had a headache so bad that he was certain his brain was about to liquify. He instead pressed the back of his head up against the wall, which he had already been leaning against all night long, and kept his eyes closed. It didn't stop the nigh endless thumping completely, but it did help relieve some of the worst of the pain. He was honestly glad to have Courage there. His presence was an immense comfort in the face of such a bleak outcome.

For no particular reason at all, he touched the dog on the back again, making sure to avoid all those horrible cuts once more. This caused Courage to mutter something unintelligible in his dog speak before attempting to snuggle in closer yet again. Computer couldn't help but smile. The dog's ability to raise his spirits even while asleep was something to be admired. He was going to miss him so much when the time came. He had no idea what the Grim Reaper had in store for him now that it was finally going to reap him for good, but he knew with complete certainty that he was going to miss Courage more than anything. He'd never met anyone before who he'd ever felt so...in tune with? He wasn't sure if that was the right phrase, but it worked well enough. It seemed that the dog always knew what he was thinking or feeling, or would know what he was about to say long before he actually said it, and he in turn was the same for Courage. They had come to understand each other on an uncanny level. Maybe it was the seemingly endless parade of deadly encounters that had caused them to get to this point where they could work together so well, but to him it felt like something more than just that. This went deeper than just how well they worked together in survival situations. Even at the mall he'd felt that it was only right that Courage was there with him to enjoy such a mundane 'adventure'. Maybe the Dreamworld had caused it? No, that didn't seem to be the case either. All he was certain of now was that to lose Courage at this point would be as if he had lost a part of himself, for he and Courage were all but inseparable now. He could no longer imagine functioning witho-

His thought was cut short by a revelation that made his insides turn to ice. He was suddenly very cold, but he dare not shiver out of fear of waking Courage. At that moment, he could do nothing but sit there in stunned silence. He was utterly incapacitated both in mind and body.

Had he...

No, no, that couldn't possibly be it. There was no way. He had to be mistaken. This was Courage after all. The same Courage who he-

Suddenly, he was feeling so tense that he might as well have been a wire about to snap. He was still acutely aware of Courage's presence and he wanted nothing more than to push him away and put some distance between the two of them, but he just didn't have the heart to do it.

That stupid dating book! That stupid, awful dating book! He remembered the way it had described love all too well, but that couldn't be it! It just couldn't be! What he felt towards the dog, there was no way that it was-

He had he to be mistaken. Yes, this was all just a big mistake. He didn't know what love really felt like after all. Of course, he did care for Courage, and yes, he did care about him more than anything in the whole world, and there was not a single other person alive who he'd rather spend his remaining days with, but...

No, no, no! Why? Why had he been so stupid, so insistent on trying to better understand love? This was Courage! The same dog who he had spent the majority of his time insulting, belittling, and just all around treating like garbage! Why had he continued to pursue this doomed topic when he knew that it had no hope of resulting in a happy ending? He knew perfectly well that he was not compatible with organic creatures, especially not with Courage! It didn't matter how much he might wish otherwise! This was exactly why he had tried to give up on it back at the mall in the first place! Why Courage? Why did it have to be Courage? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? If anything was likely to destroy their friendship, it would be something like this! He valued the dog's companionship too much and he could not, would not jeopardize it for any reason. He knew with absolute certainty that Courage did not feel the same way towards him. The dog was already affectionate to everyone in that stupid, loving, doggish way, but that did not indicate what his true feelings might be. Their friendship was merely a byproduct of this journey and it did not change the years of animosity that he had shown Courage. He could not make up for such a deep seated mistake and it was always going to taint their interactions for as long as they remained friends. No, there was simply no way for this to work out. Their friendship was already a near miracle to begin with and wanting anything more was simply folly. If the dog were to find out the truth, he would surely...

Computer took a deep breath and tried to calm his failing nerves. There was no reason to worry. It would not be hard to go on acting like everything was normal. It...it wasn't like anything had changed. This unfortunate realization meant nothing when he had felt this way towards Courage for quite some time now, it was just that he had never attributed it to-

He winced at the thought and continued to silently berate himself for allowing this to happen. But no, everything was going to be alright, despite his fears. His friendship with Courage would endure just so long as he didn't go out of his way to intentionally ruin it. This would not become a problem unless he allowed it turn into one.

…...

A bit more time passed before Courage finally began to stir and Computer had spent all of it waiting nervously as he desperately tried to figure out how he was going to keep his cool. He so badly wanted to banish all the thoughts that were racing through his brain at lightning speeds, but he could not, so he simply took to nervously repeating, _'Everything is normal! Everything is normal!'_ over and over again in his mind. He could practically feel his sanity cracking under the weight of his nervousness.

How did this ever happen? The thought of him ever...well, it simply did not compute! Never in a million years had he thought that he might one day-

Courage suddenly let out a huge yawn, nearly causing Computer's heart to stop. His entire body and mind froze at the same time. He knew that he had to have by far the dumbest, most obvious expression on his face imaginable right now and yet... _he could not get rid of it_!

Courage slowly and sleepily sat up, removing his weight from Computer's chest. He blinked several times, apparently oblivious to Computer's dumb expression, then, his face burst into a smile of pure joy.

“You're alive!” He cried out, immediately wrapping his arms right back around Computer in a painfully crushing hug.

The moment Courage trapped him in a hug, everything inside of him seemed to shut down. He was certain that his face had to be redder than the sun right now and he was so very glad that Courage could not see it at the moment. At least he wasn't frozen anymore, but that had been replaced by nervous trembling. Courage seemed to have no intentions of letting him go either. If that dog were to show even the slightest bit more affection, he was certain that he would simply have a stroke right then and there, but at least that would finally put him out of his misery.

Courage let out a relieved sigh. “I-it really seemed like you weren't going to make it back there for a little while. I'm so glad that you're okay! I-I honestly don't know what I'd do without you anymore. I know that you think it sounds stupid, but I mean it!” He allowed himself a small, self-conscious pause. “Well, it looks like the poison is gone for good now, and without any lasting damage either so...so everything's going to be okay!”

Computer said nothing. He doubted that he would be able to speak even if he wanted to.

Courage was quick to take notice of his unusual silence and broke away to get a better look at him. He stared for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at the trembling mess that was his best friend.

“Er, Computer? Why are you all wide-eyed, and what's with that goofy expression?” He asked. “What exactly are freaking out about? Heh, I know the way you are. You always get like this whenever you're panicking about something and trying to hide it. You looked the same way back when you were trying to hide that surprise party from me at Nina's place.”

Computer's stomach plummeted. The dog was seeing right through him!

_'I...am...DOOMED!'_ Was all that he could think as a whole new level of panic rose up inside of him.

Then, upon realizing his fate, something inside of him seemed to snap. He couldn't help but start chuckling like a madman, or er, a mad dog. “Ehehehehe!”

He clasped both of his paws to his head. _'It's over! It's all over!'_ He internally told himself, overwhelmed by a strange mixture of glee and utter despair.

Courage, of course, could only stare at him like he had gone nuts, which he pretty much had.

Computer began crawling away from his friend, still cackling like a fool. At some point he got onto his feet, and when he reached the barn door, he wrenched it open only to be nearly buried under an avalanche of snow, but no matter! He clawed his way up the snowdrift and once out in the open, he immediately belly flopped right back down into the snow. Everything was over. He was doomed. He just wanted the snow to eat him and be done with it.

Courage soon caught up with him. “Compute? Did...did the poison melt your brain or something?”

Oh how he wished it had.

“Are you going to be alright” Courage asked when he did not get a reply.

Computer still said nothing. All he was concerned about was the feeling of his body sinking deeper into the snow. Soon he would be dead. The snow gods would eat him and all would be made right with the world.

End Of Chapter


	42. Computer.exe Has Stopped Working

Chapter 42: Computer.exe Has Stopped Working

“Come on, Compute. We've got to figure out what we're going to do next.” Courage said, nudging a foot into Computer's side.

“I don't ever want to think about anything again!” He complained, only raising his head out of the snow long enough to say that.

“Ugh, the poison really did melt your brain, didn't it?” Courage sighed. He grabbed one of Computer's legs and began dragging him back into the barn.

Computer dug his nails into the snow, but it obviously did him no good. “Just...just leave me here to die. Let the snow eat me, it's better this way.” He continued to whine.

As soon as they were back in the barn, Courage clasped Computer by the arms and attempted to get him to calm down. “Computer....”

“The internet did this to me!” He exclaimed, almost entirely oblivious to Courage. “With all the weird stuff that goes on in that place, why did I ever look at any of it? It's corrupted me and now look where I am! I've become one of _them_! All I ever used to do was mock them and now I've become exactly like them! Kill me now! I don't want to live anymore!”

“Computer, look at me.”

Computer ripped his arms free from Courage and then curled up into a ball on the snow covered floor. “Just leave me alone.” He muttered out.

Courage let out a sigh. “F-fine then. While you do...whatever you're doing, I'm just going to-” He didn't bother finishing.

He went over to their bag and shuffled through it a bit until he found what was left of the first aid kit that he had used to bandage up Computer's cut foot back when they had first gotten out of the swamp. Though it hurt quite a bit to do, he disinfected the pathetic stump that was his ear and then began wrapping it up. He hoped that it would help at least a little bit, although it hurt even worse now.

He then tried to wrap up the entirety of his torso in an attempt to cover up the cuts on his back, but it was difficult to do on his own. He looked over to see Computer sitting there, squinting at him as though he were having a difficult time seeing what he was doing.

Finally, his friend got onto his feet and said, “I can help you with that.”

Courage had no objections, but he was quick to notice that Computer was still squinting when he reached down to take the bandaging out of his paws.

“Computer...are you-” He tried to say, afraid of what the answer might be.

“Oh, um, well...I can't really see all that great anymore. Actually, I can barely see anything at all. It's just a big blur now.”

Courage's stomach plummeted in dismay. “You, what? Y-you can barely see?”

“I'm afraid so.” He admitted, getting to work on 'mummifying' Courage. At least that wasn't too hard to do with blurry vision. “My eyes must have been damaged by the poison, but at least I didn't go entirely blind.”

“D-do you think it'll get any better?”

“It hasn't yet, and even if it can get better, it might take quite awhile to heal, so how the heck am I going to function half blind like this?”

Courage swallowed. “G-glasses! When we get into town, we'll find you an eye doctor who will prescribe you glasses.”

Even while squinting Computer still looked skeptical. “Are you sure that would work?”

“You're not blind, are you? So glasses should do the trick, just as long as your vision doesn't keep getting worse. With the poison gone, it probably shouldn't.”

“Great, so I managed to survive the poison only to be left with a potentially permanent disability instead? That's just perfect! It could have been anything else aside from my eyes and I would have been able to deal with it just fine, but of course it had to be them!”

“I guess that just means we're even now.” Courage halfheartedly chuckled, reaching up towards his missing ear. “We both weren't able to make it out of there without a few lasting scars.”

“Oh, right, I'm sorry about that, Courage.” Computer interjected, shifting their conversation onto Courage's injury alone. “I couldn't stop him in time. I just...didn't have the strength. What an incredible fiasco that turned out to be. I can't believe how badly I failed.”

Courage shook his head. “Don't worry about my ear. If anyone needed protecting last night, it was you.”

“I..I can look after myself!” He argued. Though he was trying to sound smug, he honestly looked far more taken aback that Courage had said such a thing. “I can't believe that damn chicken got to us. We were wary of him right from the start and he still got to us!”

“There was no way for us to have known that the medicine he gave you was actually poison.”

“I should have been more careful and never accepted it from him in the first place!”

“If anything, I shouldn't have left you alone back there. All of this could have been prevented if I just stayed with you.”

“Well, at the very least, I don't remember much of what happened after I was poisoned. I'm very glad to say that I can only recall some of my time down in that well.”

Courage laughed. “Good! That means I'm the only one who's going to have nightmares about that place for weeks!”

Computer's ears drooped. “I'm really sorry, Courage. I should have done a better job back there and I should have been more cautious. None of this mess would have happened if I had just-”

Courage silenced him. “Please don't start blaming yourself for what happened back there. We both messed up.”

Computer looked away. “At least...at least that chicken won't be bothering us anymore.”

Courage blinked. Computer's expression and the way he had said that seemed to convey that was attempting to hide something while also implying something all at the same time. Courage wasn't sure if it was simply because he was still blaming himself for last night's disaster, or if...

“Well, does it seem alright?” His friend finally asked him, switching the topic of their conversation onto the bandaging.

“It doesn't feel great, but it's as good as it's going to be for now. Those cuts are still pretty fresh after all.”

Computer winced, looking all the more guilty.

“I told you to stop blaming yourself!

“S-sorry.”

“Stop it!”

…...........

It was decided that they would simply keep walking because the next town over couldn't be much farther away. They'd left the barn nearly two hours ago and yet they seemed to be getting no closer to their destination, despite how near it was supposed to be. Gone were the endless cornfields and in their place was a much more hilly, forested area. Wherever they were, it was even more abandoned than that backwater farmland because not only was the road not shoveled, there weren't any tire tracks in the snow either, meaning that nobody had driven through here since the blizzard first started. Computer only knew this because Courage had told him. It was not like he could make out any differences about the snow or lack thereof. He had also been told that there was a fairly steep drop off to the right of the road that lead into untamed wilderness. The only reason that they knew they were on a road to begin with was due to the lack of trees blocking their way and because of George's guidance.

Computer had severely overestimated just how much he had recovered from his poisoning. Only an hour into their travels and he had already been tired enough to collapse. Two hours in and his limbs felt like dead weight. He did not say anything to Courage though, lest the dog make him stop to rest. Computer just wanted them to keep moving because the gaping hole in his stomach hurt worse than any of his tired body. It only made him all the more light-headed to realize that the last time he'd eaten anything was yesterday morning and even then it had only been half a doughnut! He couldn't help but curse this body for not recuperating faster and for needing sustenance so much, even if he enjoyed eating as a pastime. Well, if anything, now he knew what Courage felt like whenever his illness was troubling him. He was honestly a bit surprised that the dog had not had an attack after how much he'd exhausted himself last night, but he certainly didn't want to jinx it either. The last thing he wanted was for Courage to pass out in the middle of nowhere like this. It would surely doom them both.

“Huh, that's weird.” His friend said.

He looked over to see Courage fiddling with the blurry blob that was George.

“I could have sworn the GPS had us walking in pretty much a straight line to get to that town yesterday. Today it had us take a right turn back at that four-way stop. It seems like we're going in the wrong direction. Maybe...maybe something happened to the road that we were supposed to take because of all the snow and it rerouted us, but...George has been acting funny ever since I started up the GPS today. The screen keeps flickering, and the route randomly changes for a few seconds before going back to the one we've been following. It won't let me close the GPS either.”

Computer rolled his eyes. “I bet the dumb thing did get fried yesterday after all and now it's taking us in the wrong direction! Hmph! New technology! You can never rely on it!”

He reached for his power with the hope that maybe he could fix whatever was wrong, or at the very least get proper directions from the glitchy GPS. So long as the map was being displayed correctly, he'd be able to find them the nearest town.

He expanded his consciousness towards the phone and then...

“What?” He yelped, jumping back as if he had been shocked. What he felt startled him so badly that he temporarily lost grip on his ability.

“Computer, what's the matter?” Courage asked, wariness clear in his voice.

Computer knew that he had to look absolutely dumbfounded. He reached for his ability again and felt the same thing, immediately withdrawing his consciousness out of shock.

“Is..is something wrong with George?” Courage asked.

He hadn't even used his ability on George yet. The presence he had felt...it was so big and filled with such energy that he had sensed it without even deliberately looking for it. It was just there...so big that it was broadcasting itself without even having to try.

“Come on, follow me!” He told Courage, taking a left off the road and into the forest. Even half blind he could see that the area was relatively flat and that there wasn't a dangerous drop off in this direction to look out for. He dodged the blurry forms of the trees all while Courage called out to him not far behind. The snow was getting so deep in places that he practically had to jump out of the holes his every step was making.

Finally, he came to a clearing devoid of any trees. He wasn't sure what might be under all the snow here, but he reached for his ability and gasped yet again. He dropped to his knees and put his head closer to the snow, as though it would help him get a better sense of what he was picking up on.

“Computer, what's going on?” Courage asked. He sounded out of breath.

“You've reached your destination.” Came the feminine voice of George.

Computer got back onto his feet. “Dog, there's some kind of machine underneath the earth here. I've never felt anything like it before, it..it's massive! It gives off so much energy that with my ability I almost see it instead of feel it! It's...it's like a bright, golden light, like a million candles in the dark or a shimmering nebula! I can't even begin to fathom what it's being used for! We've got to stay here for a little while so that I can at least-” He stopped. He could hear a sound that was like a tank's treads moving through snow and there was also the unmistakable hum of an engine.

Courage gasped.

The light of that brilliant machine down below was so great that it had blotted out the presence of this lesser machine to Computer's ability. He slowly turned around. All he could see was a big, gray cylinder shape towering over him. The one thing he could make out of it was a single, red glowing eye in the middle of that cylinder shape.

“C-Computer....” Courage stammered. The crunch of snow signaled that he was backing away. “C-Computer, r-run.”

It was with some level of irony that he only just realized that Courage could see that thing with complete clarity while he could not.

“RUN!” His friend shrieked. The sound of his feet crunching in the snow picked up pace.

Before Computer could react, he felt something whistle past his ear, heard Courage yelp, and then heard something hit the snow. He knew exactly what that something was, but he didn't want to acknowledge it.

He slowly turned around. Courage's blurry shape lay in the snow, just as he had so badly hoped that it would not be.

“C-Courage?” He weakly called out to him.

Nothing, the blurry shape did not move.

“Courage!”

He ran forward, desperate to get to him, but then something small and sharp was shot into his back as well and the world immediately began to spin. In less than five seconds, he hit the snow and everything went black.

….............

**-UPLOAD IN PROGRESS-**

_'What?'_

**-UPLOAD COMPLETE-**

_'What is this? It isn't organic like the other one...'_

“Ugh, where...”

_'Who are you?'_

“Where...where am I?”

_'WHO ARE YOU?'_

**-ERROR-**

**-ERROR-**

**-ERROR-**

End Of Chapter


	43. Welcome To Paradise

Chapter 43: Welcome To Paradise

He awoke to a splitting headache. With a groan, he turned over in his bed. The constant thumping deep inside his brain kept him from thinking about anything for a long while, then, a single question entered his mind.

“Where am I?”

He turned over again and looked up at the ceiling. The whole room was bathed in warm sunlight coming from a single open window. He could hear distant talking and laughing and there was festive music playing. The sweetest air imaginable wafted in through that open window. The temperature, perfect. It was neither too hot nor too cold, even under his surprisingly heavy covers.

Then, another thought entered his mind. How had he gotten to this...place. His mind was entirely blank. In fact, his heart began to race when he realized that he was having a hard time remembering anything at all. Everything past this moment when he first woke up was a blurry haze. He could not remember a single thing. He's childhood, his parents, if he even had parents, and not even his home. None of his life past this point remained.

“Did I...hit my head?” He asked, wondering if that horrible thumping was the cause of his amnesia.

He slowly sat up and looked around. The warm breeze wafting in was heavenly on his fur, and the smell! The only thing he could describe it as was something like cotton candy. It was not an overwhelming scent, but it was enough to leave his mouth watering.

Looking around the room, it appeared to him that he was in a hotel. It reminded him of...well, he couldn't get the memory to form completely. It frustrated him immensely, but try as he might, he could not recall anything.

He hopped out of bed and went into the bathroom. He had never seen such a sparkling clean or big bathroom before. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he could call it a bathroom. It had a huge hot tub that was almost as big as a medium sized pool. There was even a small slide you could climb up to slide down into the...pool? This seemed implausibly large for one bathroom. At least the toilet and sink were normal sized. He hopped onto the toilet and then onto the countertop. He wanted to get a look at himself, because, well, he could not remember what he looked like. Once in front of the mirror, he found a pink dog staring back at him. For a moment, he did not recognize himself, but then, slowly but surely, he realized that, yes, this was him. It brought back no substantial memories though, but he did know who he was now, without a doubt.

“I'm...Courage.” He said, watching his reflection mimic his mouth movements.

He was certain of it. His name was Courage.

He jumped down from the countertop and made his way back into the main room. Once again, he was buffeted by that wonderful breeze and cotton candy smell. Curious, he went over to the window. A gasp got caught in his throat. His eyes were overwhelmed by color. He felt as though he were looking down upon a rainbow. This place was some sort of theme park or carnival. All of the rides and stalls were painted with a multitude of colors. Confetti continuously floated down from the sky. He could not see exactly where it was coming from, but it really did look like it was falling from the sky itself.

There was a rainbow colored ferris wheel, a carousel, several roller coasters, an entire water park, carnival games, and whole assortment of different smaller rides. Everywhere Courage looked, there was something interesting to see. In the middle of this wonderful place was a pavilion where a band was playing some cheery music. People were walking about in multicolor clothing with big, outrageous hats of all shapes and sizes. This weird and yet wonderful place was bordered off from the outside world by massive, gray walls that were higher than all the buildings except for the one that Courage was in right now. Regardless, he could not see what lay beyond those walls. There was nothing but picture perfect blue skies and....

...A single mountain.

It loomed over the carnival in the north. There was just something so....different about it compared to the colorful display down below. Even its pure white, snow covered peak seemed to clash with the cheery theme park. Something felt inherently wrong for it to be there, and yet...

Courage took in a breath of that rejuvenating air. In an instant, all of his worries left him and he started to relax. There was something so inviting about this place that it didn't seem worth his time to wonder how he'd gotten here or why he couldn't remember anything. An incredible urge came over him to go and explore that place below. He wanted to see it up close more than anything.

Making his way over to the door, the moment he grabbed the doorknob somebody knocked, startling him. He opened it and stepped out into the hallway where a maid smiled down at him. She had to be the most drab thing he had come across in this place so far. She wore that stereotypical black and white maids outfit and...what bothered Courage the most was her eyes. They were sunken and deeply shadowed. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep in ages. Even her smile seemed creepily forced. It was too wide and too strained. It reminded him of...

The memory went away before he could recall it.

“Welcome to Paradise!” She greeted him.

Courage blinked up at her, unsure of what to say. They stood there just staring at each other for a moment, that forced smile never leaving the maid's face. He kept waiting for her to say something else, but she did not.

Unsure of what to do, he finally asked, “What is Paradise and how did I get here?”

“Haven't you looked outside yet?” She answered, her voice still uncomfortably cheerful. “You must have seen what Paradise is by now. Mere words simply cannot describe it.”

“But...but why am I here, and how did I get here in the first place? I-I can't remember anything.”

“You're here on vacation, silly! Just like everybody else!” The maid giggled. “After all, why else would you be here but to have some fun and relaxation?”

It was clear that he was not going to get more of an answer out of her. He glanced down the hall and she apparently sensed his intentions.

Pointing a finger, she said, “Head that way and you'll find the elevator. It'll be waiting for you when you get there, and don't worry about pushing any buttons, you won't find any. It'll know where you want to go and it will return you to this floor whenever you decide to call it a night. Your name is on this door, so you won't have any trouble finding it again. ”

Courage figured that it was best not to question it. He slowly made his way down the hall, his footsteps muted by the carpet. This place was eerily quiet. No sounds were coming from the other rooms, and no other people were around, aside from that maid, who, when Courage looked back, still had that huge smile on her face. She gleefully waved at him before he looked away.

When he reached the elevator, its door was already open and waiting for him. He went inside, and just like the maid had said, there were no buttons. The door simply closed and he felt the elevator begin to descend. The time it took seemed impossibly short because almost immediately the elevator door opened again and he found himself looking into an extravagant lobby. Dumbfounded, he stepped out. Music was playing over unseen speakers. Tropical plants were in huge pots all around and the ceiling was high enough to be a cathedral. A huge fountain stood in the middle of the lobby, nearly touching said ceiling. There were spots where the shimmering water created small rainbows that seemed far too beautiful to be real.

He passed the main desk, where an equally tired looking man waved at him with an equally big grin. Why did everyone around here look like they hadn't gotten sleep in days? They almost, in a way, seemed nervous? Courage wasn't entirely sure what to think. It was a little creepy, and yet, he couldn't find it in himself to truly feel scared.

Once outside, he was immediately bathed in warm, pleasant sunlight. Just like before, it was neither too hot nor too cold. Paradise itself was even more colorful and more vivid at ground level. He couldn't even begin to figure out where to go first. There was just so much stuff and he could barely take it all in.

Those festive people bustled about, and while they looked and sounded merry, they too had sunken, tired eyes and seemingly forced grins. It was eerie to see them having such a good time without a hint of unhappiness while also looking so deeply tired.

“Hey!” A voice called out to him. “You're the new arrival!”

He looked through the bustling crowd of color to see an old lady making her way over to him. She reminded him of...he wasn't sure. He could see the forgotten woman's shape in his mind and yet he could not make out any details. He could not remember her name or what she was like. Frustrated, he found that it only brought on a headache to try and remember whoever it was. Her identity was just outside of his reach.

The old lady leaned down and placed a hand onto his shoulder. “We all heard about your arrival. It's not everyday that somebody gets in here! Paradise is said to have quite the waiting list. You must have gotten lucky.”

None of this added up in his mind. Had he really decided to go on a vacation? Had he really signed up to be on the waiting list for such an extravagant place? Why could he not remember anything then? If he'd had an accident coming here, wouldn't they have told him, or at least taken him to a hospital? Why didn't they care about his memory loss?

“Come on, dearie. I'll show you around. It's easy to get overwhelmed by a place like this without anyone to help you along.”

Courage quite literally spent the entirety of his first day in Paradise just eating. He never even got to any of the rides or carnival games. There seemed to be an endless array of food stands to choose from, and no matter where he went, there was always a few joyful people who wanted to join him. Any kind of food he could think of, he eventually found. The smell alone was enough to make his mouth water and the taste of whatever he ate was like being in heaven. He was certain he'd never tasted pizza so good, or hamburgers, or hotdogs, and even some more complex dishes that he never would have expected to come across in a place like this. Cotton Candy was like taking a bite out of a sugar cloud. Oversized, multicolored lollipops were like licking an actual rainbow, he could taste each color as its own individual flavor. And the ice cream! There was no end to the different types of ice cream flavors to try. At one point he was given an ice cream sundae so large that he could literally dive inside it, and that's exactly what he did. It was as fun to do as it was absurd.

The oddest thing was that he never once became full. Whenever he lay his eyes upon a new food item, his stomach would immediately become like a ravenous cavern. It would gurgle and groan like he hadn't eating anything in days. This strange phenomenon did not bother him much though. Every time the realization wormed its way into his mind, it would quickly be swept away by another wave of bliss from whatever food he was eating.

He returned to the hotel long after sundown, although there were plenty of parties still going on all around Paradise and he suspect that some would last all night long. He let the elevator take him up to his room and once back inside, he climbed into bed. He did not feel full, but he wasn't hungry either. Only now did he notice the phone next to his bed. There was a note on it saying, 'If you need anything, don't hesitate to call'. Room service too, huh? With such an elaborate place like this, it made sense. He wondered how much he'd paid to vacation here. A sense of unease fell over him but soon he fell fast asleep and his discontent was forgotten.

His second day in Paradise was spent riding rides and playing carnival games. He had been quick to suspect that he was someone who was afraid of roller coasters because just looking at them made his knees weak, and yet, one of his new 'friends' had managed to convince him to go on one. In the end, he had actually enjoyed it quite a bit. He also won several massive stuffed animals from all the games he played. He'd been told at the time that his prizes were being sent back to his room at the hotel. Just like the food, no matter where he went, there never seemed to be an end to all the rides and games to play. He'd had so much fun, and yet...

He spent the third day of his vacation in Paradise at the water park, and even though that had been fun too, he just couldn't shake a sense of unease that the bliss of this place couldn't entirely remove. During his first two days here, he'd kept getting swept away by all the sights, sounds, and colors before his feelings could trouble him too much, but now the euphoria was wearing off. 'Too much of a good thing' was the phrase that was stuck in his head the entire time he swam.

His fourth day in Paradise was entirely different from all the others. He spent it wandering around, not doing anything in particular or taking part in any of the fun that was to be had. The other vacationers did not bother him just so long as he made it look like he was trying to get somewhere. At this point, he was about ready to start calling the vacationers zombies. He'd come to realize that in spite of their festive mood and equally festive garments, there was something fundamentally wrong about them. If you tried to get them to talk about anything outside of the fun they were having, they'd outright ignore your words and continue talking about their vacation like you had said nothing at all. Their eyes were dead, he'd come to realize. In spite of those fake smiles plastered across their faces at all times, their eyes told the real story. There was nothing there. They were like automations going about the one thing they were made for, doing it every day without variation.

It was while he was wandering about Paradise when he suddenly heard a woman crying over the din of people talking. It was the first sound he'd heard so far in this place that did not convey the utter happiness of Paradise and the people in it. The crying almost seemed blasphemous, an impossibility, something that could not exist here because anything other than happiness did not exist.

He whirled around, surrounded by a crowd of people going this way and that. He desperately tried to find the weeping woman. She had to be close by. Nobody seemed to notice her distress or care. It was like she didn't exist to them.

Finally, Courage escaped the crowd, certain that he was about to reach the woman, but the moment he was free and things began to quite, the voice of the woman also fell silent and he could not find her no matter where he looked. It was as if she did not exist at all. He was ultimately left to wonder if he had actually heard someone crying or not.

Soon after that, he became the witness to another distressing event. He'd been some distance away from the ferris wheel when he looked up and saw that someone had climbed out of their gondola and was now standing atop its roof as it slowly reached the highest point of the ferris wheel. The man outstretched his arms like he had no care in the world, and then, he leaned forward and allowed himself to fall.

Courage expected to hear people scream or at least gasp, but nobody did. He also expected to hear the man hit the ground, but he never did. Desperate to figure out why nobody was raising an alarm, he worked his way through the crowd. When he reached the spot, he was stunned to find...nothing. There was no body, nor any security around, nor any medical teams. The ferris wheel was running like normal. People were waiting in line, none of them acting like they had just seen a man fall to his death.

Courage's heart began to race. “What is going on here?” He asked.

Suddenly, that horrible feeling of being watched came over him. He turned around just as a crowd of vacationers parted, and standing there, in the place where Courage himself had been right before that person fell, was a man different from everybody else in this place. He was looking right at Courage and he had that same tired look as everyone else. The man was rather tall and lanky, with receding brown hair and glasses. He wore a white lab coat along with a dull green shirt that contrasted with the vivid color of this place. He was hunched over slightly with his hands in his pockets. Because of that, he didn't look particularly threatening, just tired in a way that nobody else around here dared to convey outside of what their eyes couldn't hide.

The two of them stared at each other for several long moments, then the man turned around and slowly walked away. Courage tried to run after him, but another crowd of people suddenly formed and by the time he escaped them, the man was long gone. He spent the rest of the day searching for him, but it was no use. For someone who contrasted so deeply with the bright colors and mood of this place, he apparently could hide himself very well.

End Of Chapter


	44. The Other Side Of The Coin

Chapter 44: The Other Side Of The Coin

As of his fifth day in Paradise, Courage opted to simply not get out of bed at all. It appeared that the only thing this place lacked was a TV. His room didn't have one and he hadn't seen any around anywhere else either. He did nothing but stare up at the ceiling as he desperately combed through his blank memory for anything that might explain to him what this place really was and how he had gotten here. All he managed to do was frustrate himself. He truly could not remember a single thing from before coming here, aside from his own name.

He was surprised when he got a call from the maid who asked him why he hadn't left his room. He told her that he was tired and just wanted to sleep for the rest of the day. She'd sounded genuinely shocked to hear such a thing, but thankfully, she did not press him on the issue further. She did ask if he wanted any food brought to him, but as always, he was neither hungry nor full, so he told her he didn't need anything.

Time had lost all meaning to Courage at this point. There were no notable clocks anywhere. He only knew that the days were passing by the rising and falling of the sun. If he had to guess, it was probably a little after lunch right now. He figured that he'd eventually have to leave the hotel sooner or later, lest he start raising suspicion in people like that maid. After all, why would anyone 'sane', at least in the context of this place, want to lay about in bed all day when there were so many fun activities to be had?

Upon leaving the hotel, he came to the realization that he had not seen a single vacationer enter or leave this place. It had always been him alone and the staff. Before he had not questioned it at all, but now...

Back into the bustling joy and endless fun of Paradise he went, although none of its charms held sway over him any longer. He doubted that he'd be able to do anything here anymore without feeling incredibly uneasy. The pure bliss he had once felt was now entirely gone. He could no longer return to that ignorance even if he wanted to.

He wandered from one end of Paradise to the other, coming to the realization that sometimes this place seemed far too big and at other times far too small. Before he could walk among the rides and stalls and never seem to find an end to it, but at this moment everything felt uncomfortably small. There were too many people around, like this place was intentionally closing the walls in around him to make him feel like he was slowly being crushed.

Unable to handle the stifling atmosphere, he was just considering escaping back to the hotel, where he knew he could be alone, when...when he came across another dog. The dog in question was sitting atop one of the stall countertops and handing out food like any of the other workers. He was not the first animal Courage had seen around here, but the others had been human sized and actual humans still made up the vast majority of the people dwelling in this place. This smaller dog was truly an odd sight to behold, glowing blue like some radioactive mutant you'd sooner see in a comic book, but the vivid color blended in well with the other bright colors of Paradise. Stranger still, he was the first person Courage had come across so far who's eyes did not look tired or outright dead, nor did he have that strained smile across his face like everyone else, vacationers and workers alike. Honestly, he looked bored out of his mind more than anything else. It was a stark contrast to the eternal happiness that everybody else displayed.

Courage couldn't help but stare for the longest time, but the dog was far too busy taking orders and handing out food to notice that he was being watched. Courage couldn't shake the feeling that he knew this dog, and yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall any memories of him. Regardless, out of some desperate hope that the dog might know him, he made his way over to the stall.

He had to wait several minutes for his turn. It seemed like everyone in Paradise had suddenly decided that they needed food from this stall in particular. Finally, he reached the front of the line just as that dog turned around to yell an order to one of the other hapless workers. When he turned back around, he looked down at Courage with an uninterested expression before doing a double take. Happiness welled up inside of Courage because it seemed that the dog recognized him, but then a look of confusion fell over the dog's face. He craned his head to the side slightly, eyes narrowing as he sized Courage up.

Finally, he asked, “Do I know you?”

Courage was too dismayed to speak up. So, this dog wasn't an acquaintance after all. Regardless, the dog felt far too familiar to Courage to take this as a mere coincidence.

The dog continued to size him up. “I'm almost certain that I've met you somewhere before, but I cannot recall where.” He said when it became clear that Courage wasn't going to say anything. “What's your name? Perhaps that will jog my memory.”

Some small hope welled up inside Courage's chest. It appeared that this dog did recognize him in some fashion so perhaps he was suffering from the same memory issues.

“It's Courage.” He answered.

The dog blinked in surprise. “Now I'm sure that I've met you before, but I can't remember from where. You look familiar, and your name is familiar, but I cannot-”

“Well, what's your own name then?” Courage interjected, hoping that it might jog his own memory. “I'm pretty sure that I've met you before too, but I can't remember either.”

“So there's no way that this is a coincidence then.” The dog replied. “We must know each other in some manner, and as for my name...” He trailed off, looking bewildered. “I-I actually don't know. My memory hasn't been the greatest ever since I got here.” He let out a halfhearted chuckle. “I hadn't even really notice that I had forgotten my own name until you asked me. I don't suppose you-”

“HEY! NEW GUY!” An angry voice yelled, causing the dog to flinch. “What do you think you're doing?”

The dog looked into the stall, then back down at Courage before shaking his head and giving him a quick, “Sorry.” He then turned right back around and jumped down from the counter, disappearing into the stall.

Courage swallowed, unsure of what to do or think. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if this encounter had all been in his head. A glowing dog who looked so similar to him? It seemed much too strange, even for a place like this.

Finally, he turned around and his blood immediately ran cold. Everyone in the vicinity, absolutely everyone was looking right at him. He glanced from one pair of staring eyes to another. Their expressions were unreadable. Terrified, he bolted back in the direction of the hotel. Once out of that area, he was relived to find that the rest of the vacationers weren't focusing on him. Despite that, he did not stop running until he was back inside the oversized lobby of the hotel. The man at the desk greeted him, cheerful as ever, but Courage did not acknowledge him. He made his way over to the elevator, and just as he was about to get in, he heard the man say in a rather sing-song voice,

“I wouldn't get any funny ideas if I were you. You don't want to get exiled after all. We reserve the right to kick you out of Paradise if you cause any trouble, and once you're out, you can never come back.”

'Exiled?' Courage wondered as the elevator went up. If he was just on vacation at some resort, it made sense that they'd ban him for life if he did anything bad, but exile? That seemed like such an over the top word to use for a vacation resort.

Once back in his room, he strolled over to the window, completely lost in thought. Gazing out of it, he first looked down at the explosion of colors below, then up at the stark, cold mountain. Its dull colors still clashed immensely with the Paradise that it loomed over.

Courage, once again, tried to see what else might lie beyond the borders of Paradise, but aside from the mountain, there was nothing. Even on the tips of his toes, all he could see beyond the gray walls of Paradise were blue skies. It was like this place was suspended in the sky.

He sighed and climbed into his bed. Only now did he realize that he'd almost gone an entire day without eating. Despite that, he still wasn't hungry at all. The revelation almost seemed funny to him. How could he survive without eating? What on earth was this place doing to him?

He thought of that strange dog. Once again he was overwhelmed by the feeling that there were memories lurking just beyond his reach. He was certain that the blue dog was tied to him in some way. He had to be the key to figuring out this mystery. Tomorrow he would look for him again and hopefully he'd catch him at a better time so that they could talk without interruption. He didn't care how long it might take, he'd find him again.

….....

The 'new guy', as he was known by his peers, and because he could not remember his own name to begin with, was currently dangling by the scruff of his neck as a huge rhino in a pink and white apron leered over him. Under normal circumstances, her horns might have been the most intimidating part about her, but right now it was her eyes. With her free hand, she poked a meaty, gray finger into his chest.

“You know the rules, new guy! Workers don't fraternize with the guests!”

This 'lovely' rhino lady was Betty, his boss. In spite of the bright pink colors she wore, her personality easily matched her rough appearance.

“You've only been here for a few days, new guy, and yet you're the only one who's been causing trouble! This is the twentieth time I've had to reprimand you in less than three hours!”

He made no effort to respond. He'd learned within the first five days of his employment that arguing with Betty was like arguing with a brick wall, that is, if the brick was capable of and more than happy to gore you.

“Do you want to get exiled?” She snarled. “It is a great privilege to even lay eyes upon Paradise, much less to work here! Garbage like you should be grateful! Because of your laziness, you will not be allowed supper or breakfast, and you will be working triple shifts tomorrow, got that? Step out of line again and you won't eat for a week! Useless layabouts will not be fed!”

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, boss.” He grumbled out.

She threw him to the floor. “You're on thin ice, shorty.” She warned, cracking her knuckles in an obviously threatening manner. “If a hole in your gut doesn't drill the point in, your muzzle getting relocated will. Don't give me an excuse to try. I never liked you since the moment I laid eyes on you and you've got a face that's just asking for my fist to become acquainted with.”

He turned away from her and entered the dimly lit room that was his quarters. When he looked back, she was gone. The room in question was far too small for the thirty or so workers housed there. Their cots were tightly packed together and only a few, very narrow aisle gave them the walking space needed to reach the cot assigned to them. This was only one room of many that were apart of the labyrinth of corridors below Paradise. There were plenty of access points above that went unnoticed by the guests. One could easily get from one end of Paradise to the other from down here. He wasn't sure the exact amount of rooms that were being used to house the workers, but he'd also seen rooms filled with vast amounts of supplies and maintenance items. Plenty were blocked off and he had no idea what they were being used for. Unfortunately, it was incredibly easy to get lost down here as well, and he'd gotten lost plenty of times so far. Betty was obviously not pleased with his inability to find his way around down here.

He reached his cot at the far right end of the room and sat down, letting his back hit the wall. His stomach was already rumbling and he was exhausted. He looked around at his fellow workers, who were scooping up spoonfuls of supper. The only thing they were ever given to eat was this gray mush that tasted about as good as it looked, but when you spent the day working yourself to the bone, even that slop started to look like a tasty meal. All of his fellow workers were like zombies, with those sunken tired eyes of theirs. They had grim expressions without the smile they were always forced to have on their faces while they were topside. He himself had been chewed out many times now for not smiling while serving guests.

He clutched at his aching stomach and closed his eyes. How was he ever going to survive three shifts on an empty stomach? He might have been able to handle the morning and afternoon shift, but the night one as well? He figured that he should get to sleep soon, since it would be hard to fall asleep like this and if he was going to be working the night shift tomorrow, he wouldn't get back here until a little before dawn. Knowing Betty, she'd probably have him working the morning after too, just so that he'd only get an hour of sleep.

He thought of that dog he'd met and annoyance flared up inside of him. This was his fault! He was the one who'd gotten him in trouble! It did seem strange that they apparently knew each other, but he was so incensed about the daunting task ahead of him that he didn't feel like wasting energy thinking about the pink nuisance who'd gotten him into this situation in the first place. Honestly? He'd barely even noticed that his memories were gone until the dog had talked to him. He'd been so overworked, since, well, where his memories first began, that he hadn't really had the time to dwell upon the fact that the rest of it seemed to be missing.

His earliest memory was that of Betty yelling at him to get working. He could not remember how he'd gotten here or why he had even come here in the first place. He was pretty sure that he wasn't being paid to do this, and the only reason why he hadn't quit yet was simply because Betty would punt him across Paradise like a football if he dared to try.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he got the sensation that he was being watched. Opening a single eye, he looked around. Standing in the doorway was that one lanky guy in the lab coat and green shirt. He didn't know his name but he had heard that he was one of the top managers of Paradise. He'd seen the guy around before, apparently doing whatever manager things managers did, but they'd never so much as bumped into each other before.

The man was looking right at him. He figured that Betty had probably complained about him and now one of the higher ups was here to scold him, but the man never entered the room. Instead, he simply turned and left.

For a moment, he almost wanted to go after him, but the combination of exhaustion and hunger kept him from moving. He wasn't going to waste what little energy he had potentially annoying someone who was already higher up on the ladder than Betty was. Instead, he shrugged to himself and laid down onto his cot. The thin sheet that was his blanket barely kept him warm. It was like they intentionally ran the air conditioner down here. Well, it didn't matter if he was cold. All he cared about was getting some sleep before the nightmare that was tomorrow could begin. His stomach continued to protest loudly, but he did his best to ignore it. In spite of everything, an image of that dog settled into his mind and he could not get rid of it. Questions upon questions began to build up until he finally drifted off.

End Of Chapter


	45. Extra Story: Part 1 – A Box Full Of Trouble

Chapter 45: Extra Story: Part 1 – A Box Full Of Trouble

“Alright, that's the last one.” The ever grumpy Eustace breathlessly exclaimed as he tromped back into the house.

“Good,” Muriel answered. “I don't think we've forgotten anything then.” She glanced around the living room for any potential misplaced luggage.

Courage sat near her feet, looking up at Eustace rather precariously. Computer was near too, although he was keeping his distance. He was currently about five steps up the staircase and peering down into the living room from there.

Eustace made an annoyed sound in his throat as he glanced between the two dogs. “I'm telling you, Muriel.” He complained. “We shoulda paid someone to lock 'em up in a kennel while we're gone. There's plenty of those dog sitters around.” He crossed his arms. “I don't care about the stupid dog, I got it into his head right from the start that he ain't causing trouble while we aren't around. At the very least that idiot doesn't do much when he's alone, but him-” He looked over at Computer. “I don't trust that one as far as I can throw him! Who knows what he and that dumb dog might do while we're gone! He's a bad influence, Muriel! He can't be trusted around that dog alone!”

“Come on now, Eustace.” Muriel chided him. “Courage is a good dog. He never does anything bad and his friend hasn't been around long enough to cause any trouble either. Just because he likes to play a few pranks on you every now and then doesn't mean he's a bad dog.”

Courage could all but feel the smug satisfaction radiating from Computer.

Eustace grumbled something out under his breath before finally relenting. He was not entirely willing to give up though. He angrily pointed a finger from one dog to the other and said, “Neither of you better touch my chair while I'm gone! If I catch even the tiniest hint of dog hair on it, I'll make you both sleep outside for a week!”

Muriel shook her head. “That's quite enough now, Eustace. We've got a long drive ahead of us and an even longer flight. Save your energy for the journey ahead.”

They'd had this trip planned out for months now. They were going to visit a distant relative of Muriel's, one who was incredibly allergic to dogs. She would not have been able to handle Courage being there, much less Computer as well, so it had been decided that they would be left behind.

Eustace continued to grumble and gripe until the door closing behind him muted his voice. Muriel stayed behind for a moment longer to talk to Courage.

“Please don't do anything that will upset Eustace while we're gone, alright? I know you don't intentionally make him angry, but you know how he is and he's going to be in a bad mood when we get back. He has never been very fond of long plane rides.”

Courage nodded. He, of course, wasn't planning on doing anything bad while they were gone, and he'd be sure to keep Computer in check as well.

Muriel turned away from him and looked up at Computer. “You keep out of trouble as well!” She called out to him. It was a bit surprising because she almost never directly acknowledged Computer unless it was to protect him from Eustace or to comment on how 'cute' he looked with Courage, something which he, of course, found incredibly annoying.

Courage followed her outside and watched as she got into Eustace's truck. Black clouds were building up on the horizon and thunder cut through the barren landscape of Nowhere. Courage couldn't help but take the coming storm as a bad omen. Muriel waved to him one last time and then, just like that, she was gone. He watched the truck make its way down the road until finally it disappeared from view. With a halfhearted sigh, he went back into the house. Those frightening thunderheads were only getting closer after all.

Computer met him at the door. “So they're gone then?”

“Uh, huh.” He answered, completely lacking in enthusiasm.

“Oh, come on now, dog! You knew that they were going to be leaving for ages now so there's no reason to be mopy! Besides, we're getting the whole house to ourselves for an entire week! We should throw a party just to spite that old coot!”

Computer looked over at Eustace's chair and immediately jumped onto it. A smug smile of satisfaction fell over his face, as though he had just won some amazing victory.

Courage sighed. “You really shouldn't do that. If he finds even a single dog hair on his chair, we'll both get in trouble for it. You may be used to it, but I don't want to get kicked out of the house for who knows how long.”

“You worry too much.” Computer answered, placing his paws behind his head. “It's small victories like these that are meant to be savored.”

“If you say so.” He dismissed him. “But I won't forgive you if he kicks us both out.”

“Oh, psh! If it comes down to that then we'll just turn it into a camping trip or something. He can't keep us out forever.”

“I'm glad you think that getting kicked out of the house is meant to be a vacation!” Courage stifled a groan. “Well, anyway, we should get started on dinner. We have to do all of our own cooking this week so we might as well get a head start on it.”

Computer's relaxed demeanor instantly vanished. “Wait, what? Why don't we just get something delivered? That would be so much easier than wasting our time cooking.”

“Just because you can live off of fast food for a week doesn't mean I want to! Beside, bad things happen whenever Eustace orders out. I'm pretty sure our pizza restaurant is run by a cult.”

“So we just won't order pizza then! I'm sure there are plenty of other places that will delver!”

“Computer! Stop being argumentative and come help me out! We'll get this done so much faster if we just work together.”

Computer crossed his arms. “You don't even like my cooking to begin with!”

“I'm not asking you to do everything! Besides, you need the practice!”

Computer's mood only continued to grow more foul. “Hmph! I've just decided that I don't feel like getting up! We could have had some perfectly fine demonic pizza and you just had to go and be a big killjoy about it! Worse, you're a killjoy who wants to overwork me!”

Courage rolled his eyes. “Alright! Whatever! I'll make supper myself! I never thought that you would turn out to be as lazy as you are!”

His friend placed his paws behind his head again. “Dog, if there's one thing I've learned since taking up the life of an organic creature, it's that movement is optional.”

Courage groaned and left for the kitchen. A rumble of thunder shook the house as the kitchen door closed behind him. The windows were darkening with every moment that passed and the storm clouds only seemed to be growing more ominous.

He first checked a few of the cabinets, wondering if he should just have them eat canned dog food all week just to spite Computer for abandoning him like this. For someone who was usually not picky about food, he always refused to eat dog food, and this, of course, was yet another point of contention between him and Eustace because Eustace believed dogs weren't worthy of people food.

Another rumble of thunder. Suddenly, rain was pouring down onto the farmhouse. Courage could see it through the windows and it was like a flood. Normally storms really scared him, but with Computer around he did not dare show any fear. Of course, Computer was not fond of storms either, nor even simple bouts of rain, but that was a sore spot that Courage wasn't willing to start mocking him for. Well, that was not entirely true because sometimes he liked to...

“Dog?”

The door opened a crack and two glowing eyes could be seen peering into the kitchen.

Courage grinned. “You're scared, aren't you?”

The door opened all the way.

“Of course not!” Computer yelled. “I just wanted to see how things were coming along in here!”

“So you're ready to start helping me then?”

“I never said anything about that!”

Courage threw his paws up into the air. “Augh! Why are you so lazy!”

A huge flash and another rumble of thunder. They both jumped.

“Why does this have to be so awful?” Computer complained, looking up at the ceiling. “It feels like this rickety house is about to shake apart! I don't know how you stand it! In fact, I'm surprised we haven't been flooded yet!”

“So you are scared then!” Courage gloated.

“I am not afraid of some stupid storm!” He yelled back.

“Well, if you're so brave, why don't you go stick your paw out the backdoor, hmm? You should at least be able to do that!”

“There is absolutely no way that I'm going to stick my paw out there! You know how bad my luck is! The moment I stick it out there, I'll immediately be struck by lightning!”

...He had a point, Courage had to admit.

“Besides, you're the biggest scaredy cat around!” He continued to argue. “I bet you're ten times more afraid than I would be, if I were actually afraid!” He stuck his nose up into the air. “You are such a big chicken that-”

Another flash of lightning and the kitchen was suddenly plunged into darkness. Well, not really since Computer's glow was doing a pretty good job keeping it illuminated.

He did not skip a single beat either. “You are such a big chicken that...t-that....” Now he actually looked mortified. Despite his expression, he continued in a surprisingly calm voice with, “We are going to die.”

For a moment Courage was worried that the windmill had been struck by lightning and not only would they have to go without power for a whole week, they would also have to worry about keeping their heads from being chopped off by windmill vandals too. Thankfully, the lights quickly flickered back on and Computer practically collapsed on the spot.

“Ha! I knew you were afraid!” Courage joked.

“Am not!” He immediately fired back. “Ugh, I'm going into the basement where I can get away from all this rain and lightning!”

“The basement leaks, you know.”

Computer hung his head, looking utterly defeated. “Well, fine. I'll just go sit in the middle of the living room and wait for my death then.”

“Oh, Compute...” Courage fondly chuckled.

A little while later, after getting dinner going, he went to go check on his scaredy cat friend. He found him in Eustace's chair, covered by a blanket.

“You big wimp!” He laughed.

Only Computer's head was peaking out from under the blanket as he intently focusing on the TV where that one overly enthusiastic newscaster was out in the storm excitedly reporting that this was the worst lightning storm Nowhere had seen since 1967. Courage, feeling a little bad for him, sat down in the chair beside him and placed a paw onto his back in a meek attempt to comfort him.

“You sure you're going to be okay?” He asked.

“Don't mock me.” Computer grumbled out in reply.

“I wasn't.” He chuckled.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door that caused them to both jump. Computer more so than Courage.

Half panicked, he yelped, “The lightning has come for me!” and proceeded to put Courage between him and the closed door.

A particularly bright flash and loud rumble of thunder left them both too paralyzed to move. Courage couldn't help but fear that whoever might be out there was another supernatural being ready to cause them trouble. It could be a ghost, or a zombie, or a screaming banshee...or perhaps it really was the personification of lightning here to beat up Computer.

Neither of them made a move. Finally, Courage swallowed and said, “Come on, whatever is out there we should face together. B-besides, it's probably just some person who got caught out in the storm. M-maybe their car broke down or something.”

...Although he had to admit that whenever someone showed up here claiming that their car had broke down, trouble usually followed.

“I didn't sign up for this.” Computer spoke. “This is your job, after all. I just...provide backup.”

Courage rolled his eyes. “When did you turn into the bigger coward?”

“I-I am not a coward!” He argued. “I just happen to not want to put myself in harms way, thank you very much. Several painful thousands of volts worth of harm, to be exact.”

Courage figured that at this rate, whoever was out there had probably already left thinking nobody was home. With a sigh, he jumped down from Eustace's chair and went over to the door. Much to his surprise, a very reluctant Computer followed after him. He must have felt some obligation to try and keep him safe from a possible thunder god.

Courage reached up and slowly opened the door. There wasn't anybody out there...but there was a box just sitting in front of the door, sagging from wetness. He could hear something scraping around in there.

“Well?” Computer asked, peaking out from behind him.

“There's nobody out here.” He answered somewhat tersely. “But there is a box.”

He looked out into the storm, hoping that the lightning would illuminate a person retreating from the farm, but there was no one. Enough time had certainly passed for them to escape. They could have gone around the house too, but obviously neither dog wanted to go out into the storm to look for them.

“There's a good ninety percent chance that the box is actually Pandora's Box. We can't risk opening it.”

“Stop being so paranoid!” Courage scolded him, walking out onto the porch.

Computer refused to move past the door. He probably thought that the lightning would find a way to get around the overhang that protected the porch from the rain.

“Seriously, dog. This isn't a good idea.” He warned. “Stuff like this is usually bad news. You of all people should understand that by now. Can't you hear all those odd noises coming from inside that thing?”

Courage had already gotten a sense of what was in that box. His dog nose knew that smell, and those noises where obvious. He opened the box and immediately seven pairs of gleaming eyes looked up at him.

There was a moment of silence where not even the thunder interjected and then, “Mew! Mew! Mew!” They were all right back to making their high pitched meows.

“Are those-” Computer asked, finally daring to step out onto the porch.

“They're kittens.” Courage confirmed.

“Evil kittens?”

He laughed. “They don't look like it.”

“I'm pretty sure if they're evil kittens, they'd know how to hide it.”

The kittens had gone back to pawing at their confined box. They were as wet as it was and it was obvious that the flimsy box wasn't going to hold them much longer.

“They can't be more than a month old.” Courage said, more to himself than to Computer. He leaned in to get a closer look.

The kittens were of various colors. He was certain that one of them was a muted shade of blue and another one was red like a certain other cat that he'd rather not name.

Computer slowly leaned in closer. “But...why are they here?” He asked.

“I think someone abandoned them. They probably thought that they'd do well as barn cats or something and decided to leave them on a farm.”

“Well, what are we going to do with them?” Computer went on. “It's not like we can keep them or anything. Eustace would skin us alive.”

Courage shook his head. “Well, we can't leave them out here, that's for certain. They'll freeze to death.”

“Dog, seriously. I know how your mind works. You're already considering keeping them, but if you're so worried about Eustace kicking us out, he'll do way worse to us over these cats. Besides, just think about what he might do to these kittens too! Why don't we, you know, surrender them to an animal shelter or something?”

Courage grit his teeth. “There's only one place where we could drop them off here in Nowhere and don't you remember what that place was like? We can't leave them there! I would never, ever do that to anyone, much less to a bunch of newborns!”

“They're kittens! Kittens always get adopted the fastest!”

Courage shook his head. “I'm not going to do that to them! We're taking them in, at least for now. I don't care if you think that it's a bad idea, but I'm not leaving them out here to freeze or taking them to that awful kennel!”

Computer couldn't help but smirk. “Look at you, you're mommy instincts are already kicking in.” It appeared that he had relented since Courage obviously wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. “Do you really think that you're daddy material? I'm certainly not, and I'm pretty sure parenting wasn't on the list of things we were going to do when we-”

“This isn't a joke, Compute! These kittens need our help! Whoever dropped them on our doorstep probably wasn't taking good care of them even before they decided to abandoned them!”

“Well stop complaining then and bring them in!” Computer shot back. “Ugh, I can't believe we're actually doing this! I bet they really are demon kittens waiting to suck our souls out!”

End Of Chapter


	46. A Second Meeting

Chapter 46: A Second Meeting

The supposed 'new guy' looked up into the sky, and with a huff of exhaustion, wiped the sweat from forehead. His fur was disgustingly damp, which was all the more ironic given the task he had been assigned. He was currently stuck in a rather embarrassing white and red striped shirt with a matching hat. He'd been put on ice cream duty, which meant that he had to push a cart all over Paradise and give ice cream to anyone who wanted it.

The problem was that the cart was clearly meant to be manned by someone human sized, so pushing the thing around was a titanic effort for him. The other problem was the inside of the cart itself, where the ice cream lay. This was another task meant for someone human sized. Whenever anyone ordered ice cream, he'd have to climb up onto the cart, open the hatch, jump down into the icebox, grab the ice cream, and then find a way to climb back out again with the ice cream in hand. It was an immensely exhausting effort, and given how hungry he already was, it seemed surprising that he simply hadn't passed out yet. He was seriously considering jumping into the ice box while nobody was looking so that he could hide for a little while and rest up. If he were careful, Betty would never find out about him relaxing on the job.

“And I've still got the night shift to worry about too.” He sighed, rubbing his soaked face. “How did I ever convince myself to take a job here?” He grumbled, cursing the forgotten memories of his older self.

A few vacationers passed him by, much to his relief. He didn't think he could handle another climb in and out of the icebox right now. Using this down time as a break, he looked around at all the stalls and games. This place looked fun, if you currently weren't being used for slave labor. He thought of that dog, who was clearly here on vacation like everyone else, and he immediately became annoyed again. All of this was his fault!

And yet, despite that, he couldn't help but look around, wondering and maybe even hoping that he might find him again. He was completely convinced that they must have known each other before they had somehow lost their memory. Of course, the even bigger question was how they had lost their memory in the first place. Whatever was going on here had to be to blame.

His eyes wandered up toward the mountain looming over Paradise. Every time he beheld it, it gave him an odd sort of thrill. He wasn't sure why it did, but it always ignited that strange feeling in his chest. Something about that mountain just seemed...important. If only he could figure out why...

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped. Part of him was utterly convinced that it was Betty, who would have just caught him slacking on the job, but then again, he figured that she would have started yelling at him by now if it really was her.

He slowly turned around, apprehensive of whatever was coming next. Almost immediately, he found himself frowning in annoyance. It was that dog!

“Hello.” The dog said cheerfully, waving to him in a friendly manner.

“Oh...it's you.” He grumbled out, turning right back around.

“It took me forever to find you again.” The dog spoke. “So...uh, are you okay?” It appeared that he had finally noticed his less than pleasant mood.

“Hmph! You got me into a lot of trouble yesterday, dog! They're withholding meals from me now and they're making me work triple shifts too! So excuse me if I'm not exactly in the mood to talk to the likes of you right now!”

The dog said nothing. For a moment he was certain that he had terminated whatever conversation the dog wanted to have, but when he turned around, the dog was still there, looking concerned.

“Are they really doing that to you?” He asked. “Everything else seems so nice around here that I figured they'd treat their workers really well too.”

“Ha! Don't make me laugh! They treat us more like mice to be trodden on more than anything! They want this place running smoothly and they don't care if they have to whip their workforce into submission to make that happen!”

The dog, Courage, winced slightly. “So this place really is rotten under the facade. I suspected as much. It's kinda nice to know that not everything here is as perfect and happy as it seems.”

“I'm glad that my suffering is 'nice' to you.” He sniffed. “I would love nothing more than to spend a day in this place as a guest and actually get a chance to enjoy myself rather than work myself half to death! I bet you'd start crying if Betty even looked at you!”

“Betty?” Courage asked.

“Never mind that! Could you just go away, please? I don't want to get into even more trouble because of you! Betty will turn me into a stuffed trophy if she catches me talking to you again!”

That Courage dog looked around. “You know what? I have an idea.”

“Oh, really?” He asked, crossing his arms. He was more than a little skeptical of whatever this dog might try to cook up.

Courage pointed to a line of stalls that were nearly backed up against one of the gray walls that encompassed the entirety of Paradise. “Take your cart over there and wait for me, I'll be right back.”

He wanted to protest, but before he could, the dog was already gone, lost in a crowd of vacationers. With a sigh, he took his cart and did indeed wheel it behind the line of stalls. There was just enough room between the back of the stalls and the gray wall that one could hide there without being noticed. There were no access doors to the tunnels below here, so no employees were likely to run into him and rat him out to Betty.

He sat down and waited. Soon, Courage returned, and better yet, he had returned with an armful of food.

“Here,” The dog said. “It's easy enough for me to get as much food as I want, so I figured that I could sneak you some.”

Mouth watering, he immediately went to work on all the food that Courage had brought him. “Wow!” He exclaimed with his mouth full. “This is way better than that mushy slop they give us!”

Courage waited patiently for him to finish. Then, he asked, “So, you don't remember anything from before you came to Paradise, right?”

“Not a thing.” He confirmed. “My first memory is waking up to Betty screaming in my face. Despite that, I'm certain that I know you. Our memories must have been altered when we came here. Who knows, maybe we didn't even come here willingly. Maybe everyone who ends up in this place gets their memories erased to keep them complacent.”

Courage clasped his paws together and gazed down at the ground, deep in thought. “Have you asked any of your fellow coworkers if they've lost their memories too?”

“Uh, hello? Have you looked around at these people? They're not exactly the type you can talk to, and even if you did, I don't think they'd want to talk about anything other than Paradise. If I were to ask something like that, they'd probably tell Betty that I'm not devoting my every waking thought to the smooth operation of Paradise. Besides, we're the only ones around here who don't appear completely zombified and there must be a reason for that too. Maybe we just haven't been here long enough for our brains to turn to mush like everyone else, or maybe it's something else entirely, but we shouldn't waste our time on these brain dead idiots.”

Courage took in a breath and got onto his feet. “I want you to come with me back to the hotel. We can figure out some kind of plan there without the risk of someone interrupting us like yesterday. If we split up here, there's a chance that we might not find each other again given the way this place is, or worse, someone might intentionally try to keep us from finding each other again.”

Looking up at Courage, he rubbed the back of his head. “If my boss finds out that I'm missing, she'll kill me. On the other hand, we're never going to find a way out of this place unless we work together. So...alright, I'll go with you, but this could still spell bad new for me.”

Courage grinned. “Then let's just say you're quitting the job.”

He nodded, if somewhat reluctantly, in agreement. He was more than happy to leave this ice cream cart far behind and never spend another day toiling in this place again. Regardless, he could not shake the feeling that this would only bring disaster for him. He could already see the look on Betty's face that she'd have the moment she realizes that he had run off somewhere.

Courage reached out a paw to help him up. “Come on. Let's get moving.”

He accepted the paw, and as he rose up, he remembered something. “Oh, there was something that I was going to ask you yesterday before I got interrupted. I know it's a long shot, but you wouldn't happen to know what my name is? I mean, I can't remember it myself, so I doubt you will know it either, but still...”

Courage placed a paw to his chin and looked upwards, squinting as he tried to recall the missing piece of information. Finally, he uttered out, “I think...I think it's-”

“Yes?” He eagerly asked. To have some kind of concrete identity again, it would make him feel more like a person and less like some slave for Betty to stomp on.

Courage finally nodded to himself and said, “Your name is Computer. I'm certain of it.”

He blinked. “Computer? That's not exactly a name. Are you sure it isn't just this place zombifying your brain and you're getting it wrong?”

“I think...” Courage trailed off. “I think it not being a name was important to us. We've...we've been trying to find an actual name that fits you.”

Computer, if that genuinely was his name, had to admit, what Courage was saying felt true. All of this felt right in his mind, even if he wasn't thrilled to have a name like Computer. He suddenly felt as though he were on the verge of remember a whole host of memories, but try as he might, he could not get them to fully surface. It seemed that his mind was filled to the brim with nothing but Paradise, and like those gray walls, it was blocking out everything else. The emptiness in his mind had become all the more noticeable. It was like a huge part of him had been ripped out and only now was he beginning to recognize the gaping void. It seemed that by encountering and talking with Courage, the 'zombification' of his mind had begun to lessen. It also might simply be that he currently wasn't being worked ragged at the moment, which also tended to cause his mind to barely function as well. Either way, he no longer wanted to be separated from Courage again. Even if he might not be able to remember him on all but the most superficial level, this...this felt right, he was certain of it. He genuinely enjoyed being with this dog, even if he could not remember why. Well, he didn't exactly need his memories to see that Courage was a good person and someone worth being around. He did, after all, sneak him some food, and he was willing to risk taking him back to the hotel when they both could get into serious trouble. Besides, with Courage around, he was feeling more like an actual person instead of some pointless cog in a mysterious and seemingly perpetual machine.

Determined, he punched a clenched fist into his other paw. “Alright, dog! Let's find a way out of Paradise and let's find a way to get our memories back!”

End Of Chapter


	47. To Escape A Paradise

Chapter 47: To Escape A Paradise

Courage looked over at the glowing dog who he was certain was called Computer. They were nearly to the hotel now, where Computer could hopefully stay without his boss finding him. Courage couldn't help but feel happy to have him here. Now he wouldn't have to face this strange 'paradise' all on his own anymore.

Computer had left that goofy shirt and hat back with the ice cream cart in hopes of blending in better with the crowd, well, at least as much as a glowing dog could blend in. He was currently looking up at the hotel in awe. Apparently he had never been this close to it before, not even while out on the job.

“Is it true that you get your own personal servant?” He asked.

“Well, no, not really. There's this maid, but-” Courage shook his head. “Look, this isn't important. Don't let this place get to your head. It really isn't as nice as it seems.”

“R-right.” He answered. “I was just wondering though. You tend to hear a lot of things about how wonderful this place is when nobody will shut up about it. Given how nice the food is, I figured that everything else was true as well.”

They made their way into the lobby. The man who was always sitting at the desk watched them with a grave expression. He did not say or do anything, he simply just watched. Computer was too busy taking in the sight of the fountain to notice, but Courage, feeling more than a little paranoid, was quick to hurry him along to the elevator.

He half expected to find the maid waiting for them when the elevator door opened onto his floor, but she was nowhere to be found. As always, the hallway was deathly silent. There was not even the smallest sign that there were other vacationers using this hotel.

He hurried Computer into his room and immediately locked the door. Only now were there sounds again. The voices, the laughter, and the music of Paradise were all radiating in through his open window.

“This is it, huh?” Computer asked, looking around. “I was expecting these hotel rooms to be much bigger.”

“You haven't seen the bathroom...” Courage muttered out under his breath.

Computer went over to his bed, immediately clamored up onto it and laid down. “You have no idea how tired I am.” He sighed. “Wake me up in an hour.”

Courage blinked. “Aren't we supposed to be figuring out a way to get out of here?” He asked.

Perhaps under more normal circumstances he wouldn't have minded Computer taking a nap at a time like this, but he couldn't help but worry that their time was limited. Someone might come looking for Computer and the man down in the lobby 'had' seen him after all.

Computer opened an eye. “Can't it wait for a little while? Seriously, it's so nice in here. It's not sweltering like it is outside right now and it isn't bone chillingly cold like where they normally make us sleep.”

Courage was a bit surprised to hear this. Inside or out, the temperature always felt perfect to him no matter where he went. It certainly wasn't hot enough outside to make him sweat.

“Look,” He argued. “We can't afford to waste time on this. They might send someone to look for you and if they find you here they'll either separate us or we'll both get into trouble. If we're going to start searching for a way out of here, we have to think of something soon.”

Computer closed his eye again and let out a huge yawn. “I suppose you're right.” He admitted. “Well, I'll have time to rest once we're out of this horrible place anyway.” He sat up. “Oh, and I just remembered! There's something I want to see!”

He jumped off Courage's bed and went over to the window. “Wow, you...really can't see anything beyond those walls, not even when you're this high up. Well, aside from that mountain of course.” His eyes narrowed as he tried to think. “How do people get in and out of this place? I'm certain that there isn't a main gate and there obviously isn't an airstrip for planes to land either. I've never seen any helicopters coming and going. Vacationers must have a way to leave this place...unless they don't.”

That last note left them both standing there in grim silence. One could not even begin to imagine what forces were at work here and the thought that it was keeping people trapped here without them even noticing or caring was a mortifying one.

“I don't get it though.” Courage mused. “Why does nobody else seem to notice that they're trapped here and yet we do?”

“I'm telling you, our brains just haven't been zombiefied yet. Maybe there's something in the food and water, or maybe they go and lobotomize vacationers while nobody is looking and we simply haven't gotten our turn yet. Anyway, I have an idea.” He turned away from the window. “There's a huge network of tunnels under Paradise that are being used for various purposes. They have to be getting supplies from somewhere and thus there must be a connection to the outside world somewhere down there. When night rolls around, all of the workers who are not topside to help with the late night parties are instead fast asleep down there from all the work they've had thrown at them. I've never seen anyone paroling those tunnels at night either. So, here's the idea. I'm scheduled to work at one of those late night parties tonight. We can meet up there and I'll show you how to get down into the tunnels. From there we'll have all night to look for an exit and I doubt we'll run into anybody either. I'll head back to the ice cream cart now and hopefully nobody will notice that I've been gone. If not, I'll just think up some sort of excuse. Either way, if we're going to do this, it's probably best that I go back for now. If I stay up here until tonight, it may not be safe for me to go outside at all anymore.”

Courage considered Computer's proposal. He was right, there were no obvious ways out of Paradise topside. Not once had Courage seen a single break in the gray walls that surrounded Paradise, nor an entrance or an exit, but was there really a way out of this place down in the tunnels below?

“It's definitely worth a shot.” He concluded, nodding to Computer. “If this doesn't work, we'll have to start figuring out a way to make a catapult.”

Much to his surprise, Computer laughed at his quip. He couldn't help but get the impression that it wasn't like Computer to laugh like this normally, at least not-

Frustration boiled up inside of him. Once again it had seemed like he had remembered something, but before he could pin it down it had been lost again.

“Well, we shouldn't wait around like this. It's best if I get back before someone raises the alarm.” Computer spoke. “Ugh, I am not looking forward to going back to work, especially when I thought that I wasn't going back. Oh, well. If it helps us find a way out of here, I'll deal with it.”

Courage nodded. “Just be careful. That guy at the main desk saw you with me and he might say something.”

Computer grinned. “I'll just make sure to avoid Betty then. She can't kill me if she can't find me! Besides, it's only until tonight. It shouldn't be too hard to avoid attracting attention to myself.”

They said their goodbyes, although Courage was loathed to see Computer go. He finally had an ally in this nightmare and he wasn't happy to separate from him, even if it was only until tonight. Like it or not, it was dangerous for Computer to go back, but it was even more dangerous to have him stay here until tonight.

Once Computer was out of the room, Courage went over to the window and watched him as he walked away from the hotel. He wanted to watch his back for as long as possible, but soon Computer moved out of view.

With a sigh, Courage climbed up into bed and flopped down. He wasn't sure what tonight had in store for the two of them, but he hoped that it would lead to their freedom.

….....

“It's been over an hour now.” Computer muttered under his breath.

He glanced from one vacationer to another as they passed him by. He'd been assigned several tables that were filled with food and drink that he was supposed to keep stocked up all throughout the night. Even in the dim light that illuminated the massive party, everything still seemed far too colorful. From the party goers, to the food, to the decorations, it was all a little overwhelming. He honestly was rather glad that he didn't have to interact with anyone like this.

“Come on, where are you.” He continued to mutter, tapping his foot impatiently.

He had made sure to lay low as he continued his work throughout the day and he'd managed to avoid his co-workers, for the most part. It appeared that not one of them had noticed he'd gone missing for quite some time, or they were simply too tired to care. He had not come across Betty either, so hopefully that meant she hadn't been actively hunting for him.

Now the problem was Courage. He was nowhere to be found. There were only two big parties going on tonight so even if Courage had ended up at the wrong one, it shouldn't have taken him long to get to the other one. This hour long delay was quite troubling. Computer couldn't help but worry that something might have happened to him. Perhaps instead of punishing him, they had punished Courage instead. If that were the case, he might already be long gone, having been exiled, or...

“Or they took him down into the tunnels.” He said to himself. They would never do anything to a guest where other vacationers could see, so if they were going to do anything to Courage they'd take him down into the tunnels to do it. This was a very worrying prospect. If they hadn't outright exiled him, what else would they do to him as punishment?

Computer scanned the crowd one last time, having decided that it was now or never. He still did not catch a single glimpse of Courage, nor were any of his co-workers within sight. He quickly slipped into the crowd before any of his 'fellow' workers could see what he was doing. Moving at a reasonable and hopefully not too suspicious pace, he escaped the party and soon found himself traversing the abandoned walkways of Paradise. All of the rides and stalls were shut down for the night and not a single person was around, not even any security guards. Things were simply too 'perfect' around here to ever need them. In all honesty, it was a bit creepy. Computer had only worked the night shift two other times and in both cases he had taken the access doors closest to the parties he'd been assigned to. Never before had he seen how...'dead' things got around here during the night.

His current goal was to reach the access door closest to his sleeping quarters. It was the only part of the tunnel network that he was particularly familiar with. He wanted to get his bearings before tackling the maze.

Upon finding the door, he inched it open just enough to slip inside and then closed it just as quietly. None of the night shift workers would be returning at this time so if he were to wake anybody up they'd no doubt question him. It was best not to draw attention to himself, Betty could be around after all.

He made his way down the steps and into the dimly lit tunnel. While the floor and ceiling were white, the walls were a rather unappealing shade of puke green that only seemed to enhance the dimness down in these frigid tunnels. The only notable sounds were the buzzing lights overhead and the occasional snore coming from his sleeping quarters.

He tip toed closer to them and peaked his head inside. Betty, in all of her massive size, was fast asleep and taking up two whole cots to herself. Computer couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. If Betty was asleep then that meant Courage probably hadn't been taken down here. She would not miss out on a chance to punish someone, even if they were a former guest.

_'Well, that's a load off my shoulders.'_ He thought to himself. _'Maybe he just wasn't able to find me back at that party.'_ He nodded to himself, completely assured of what he was going to do next. _'I'll just find the exit myself then. There's no point in stopping now. I can look for him later and then we both can get out of here after I've found a way out.'_

He stepped away from his sleeping co-workers and continued onward, deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels. Only the dull hum of the lights seemed to break the complete and almost eerie silence. Regardless, he was utterly determined to find a way out of here, no matter what it might take. He desired nothing more than to bring back good news to Courage and hopefully he'd find it down here.

End Of Chapter


	48. Turning Against The System

Chapter 48: Turning Against The System

It had been Computer's hope that he'd eventually find a directory of some kind down here. He had no idea how anyone could find their way otherwise. You'd think at the very least you'd find arrows on the walls telling you where things went when the tunnel split into different directions, but there wasn't anything. While out on the job, they had only ever made him get things out of the tunnels near the access points, so there had never been a chance for him to get lost. Now, to avoid just that, he had decided to only walk in one direction until he either came to a dead end, or hopefully an exit.

He had passed by several other sleeping quarters as he walked and a few more storage rooms as well. There were other doors he'd passed too, and while he'd tried opening a few of them, they were all locked tight. Aside from that, his walk through the tunnel was entirely uneventful. Part of him had been expecting to come across some unspeakable horror that would reveal the true nature of Paradise to him, or worse, that not only would he stumble upon some terrible horror, but Courage would be the one having it inflicted upon him. In spite of what he had been expecting though, this was an entirely normal hallway, and there wasn't the slightest hint of evil intentions to be found.

“I've been walking for ages.” He sighed, slightly disappointed that this was how things were turning out. He'd neither come across an explanation for all the craziness of this place, or an exit. “I must be far past the boundaries of Paradise by now.”

He looked up at the ceiling and thought of the gray walls that encompassed all of Paradise. They had to be long behind him by now. If he could just find a way up to the surface...

This tunnel had been a straight shot for ages now. He had not come across any other intersecting tunnels for at least a good twenty minutes and there were no longer any doors either. It was just him, the ugly colored walls, and the constant hum of the lights. Not even his own footsteps made much sound. As far as he could see, there was nothing but endless tunnel up ahead.

“Maybe I should turn back and try a different direction now.” He said to himself, slowing to a stop. It annoyed him to know that he had just wasted a half an hour getting absolutely nowhere and that it would probably take him almost as much time to get back to where he started.

He looked up at the ceiling again. If he could just find a way to get to the surface! He was outside of Paradise now for crying out loud! He might as well be in the clear!

“If only I could dig my way out...” He sighed.

Clenching his fists, annoyance boiled up inside of him. He could not give up now! He broke out into a run, desperate to get to the end of this tunnel. It had to lead somewhere. There was no reason for it to go on this long unless it had some kind of purpose.

He ran for as long as he could, but he still did not find the end of the tunnel. It was only when he was entirely out of breath did he stop, and as far as he could tell, as he stood there panting, there was still nothing but endless tunnel up ahead.

“Where does this go?” He angrily demanded between breaths, gritting his teeth. “I've practically run a marathon at this point and...” He stopped. Squinting, he could see a break in the puke green wall up ahead.

“What...what is that?” He asked, stepping forward.

He soon reached the break in the wall, which opened up into a room where....

His mouth fell open.

….Where the dull forms of many people could be sleeping, including Betty's own unmistakable massive form.

“T-that's impossible.” He said in a low voice. “I never turned around once! How could I have ever gotten back here?”

He turned around, and there was the staircase leading up into Paradise. He was sure that it had not been there mere moments before.

Wondering if perhaps this was some sort of trick, he raced up the stairs and pushed the door open, but only the deserted streets of Paradise greeted him. Somehow he was exactly back where he started.

“How can this be?” He asked.

He spent a good, long while trying to figure out how exactly this could have happened, but it proved pointless. There was no logical explanation. Rather than continue to dwell on it, he wandered over to one of Paradise's gray walls. He trailed his fingers along it, deciding that he would walk the whole parameter. He figured that maybe, just maybe, his fingers would catch on some hidden door in the wall and that would finally explain how people got in and out of here. At this point, there was nothing else he could do. Nothing about this place made sense. People who never leave, supplies that never run out, tunnels that defy logic, the memory loss, the-

“You are being observed!”

He jumped, having been startled by the loud, authoritative voice.

Ever so slowly, he turned around. Standing several feet away, much to his surprise, was a teenaged girl. Well, he wasn't entirely sure if it was right to call her teenaged or not. She was tall, far taller than an adolescent girl would be and much taller than most of the human adults he could remember seeing. Despite that, her face was youthful and her black hair was so long that it was nearly waist length. Her shirt and long skirt was surprisingly businesslike and her expression was exceedingly severe, once again betraying her supposedly youthful looks. Weirder still, her skin was almost pure white. Computer would sooner believe that she was made out of porcelain than actual skin. She was practically glowing under the dim moonlight.

All Computer could do was stare, completely at a loss for words. She, on the other hand, continued to glare at him without so much as twitching a muscle. She made absolutely no move whatsoever.

Finally, he swallowed and asked, “E-excuse me?”

He had tried to summon a little bravado when saying that, but it had been a complete failure.

The girl continued to glare down at him. Then she repeated in a quieter yet still just as severe tone, “You are being observed.”

“And just what's that supposed to mean?” He asked, growing annoyed. “And who are you for the matter? No offense, but I feel like I'm talking to a robot right now.”

The girl said nothing, she just continued to glare.

He took a step back. Her eyes followed him.

“Well, if that's all you have to say then I'll just-” He whipped around and immediately broke out into a run. He quickly put several stalls between him and the leering gaze of that supposedly teenaged girl. He'd never seen such an oddly proportional human before and he never wanted to see such a thing again.

His thoughts quickly turned to that of Courage. After receiving such a strange warning, he wanted nothing more than to find the dog and make sure that he was alright. He raced toward the hotel, hoping that he might find him there.

The lobby was entirely deserted. There were no vacationers or even staff around. He quickly made his way to the elevator and it dutifully took him up to Courage's floor. Upon reaching Courage's door, the moment he raised a paw to knock, he heard a click and the door opened. Courage's head peaked out and the dog let out a gasp.

“Where have you been?” He cried out.

Though Computer was undeniably relieved to see that Courage hadn't been hauled off somewhere unspeakable, he couldn't help but reply with, “I could ask you the same thing!”

He pushed his way inside and had Courage lock the door behind him.

“I looked all over for you.” Courage argued. “I checked both parties, _twice_!”

“There's no way that you could have missed me!” He yelled back. “I wasn't exactly hiding myself, and if you haven't noticed, I do glow in the dark! It's kind of hard not to notice me!”

They argued over this for a little while longer. Courage made it clear that he had passed the tables set up for both parties several times and he would have seen Computer standing there at some point. Either they had somehow managed to miss each other in spite of everything...or perhaps something else had kept them from being able to see each other.

“I waited for you for ages, dog!” Computer huffed, crossing his arms.

“And I kept looking for you at both of those parties for hours!” Courage shot back. “I only just got back a few minutes ago and I was about to go to bed too until I heard footsteps near the door.”

Computer was doubtful that they had simply managed to miss each other, given that Courage would have passed by him at least a few times during that time frame. Perhaps it was Paradise working against them once more. Regardless, he decided that it wasn't worth it to keep arguing about this and instead told Courage about everything that had happened tonight. He spoke of the impossible tunnel and the weirdly robotic girl.

Courage placed a paw to his chin. “So the tunnels aren't going to work then...” He murmured, lost in thought.

Computer blinked in surprise. “I just had the laws of physics collapse around me and that's not the thing your interested in?” He began to pace back and fourth. “Look, I have to go back to work, even if I don't want to. I can't risk getting whatever forces that are at work here anymore angry with me than they already are. I got enough of a scare when I thought they had gone and hauled you off to be zombiefied like everyone else around here.” He stopped pacing. “It looks like I can move around at night without anyone really noticing. Well, at least not the other workers. I don't know what's going on with that girl. But, since you have a lot more freedom than I do, you can keep looking for a way out during the day and we can meet up at night. I'll start asking for more night shift work. In fact, they might even like it if I start to volunteer and show some actual interest in my job.”

Courage appeared skeptical of his plan. “Are you really sure you want to go back to that? At least one person saw you with me and they might give you trouble for it.”

He sighed. “It's safer, much safer, even if they're going to keep working me half to death once I get back. If I stay up here, they might come looking for me and you'll probably be punished too if they find me here. Look, there's got to be an explanation for what's going on here and we simply just have to find it. There's got to be some flaw in this seemingly perfect system that we can exploit. We just need time to find it and we can't risk getting into trouble until then. Tonight was already enough of a risk and we gained nothing for it.”

The dog nodded in reluctant agreement. “I'm just worried that they still might do something to you, or worse, that once you leave here we won't be able to find each other again no matter how hard we look. I should have been able to see you back there before. You might as well have been a ghost.”

Computer shrugged. “I'll be alright. I'm not about to let them zombiefy me without a fight. As for a possible vanishing act? I wouldn't worry about it too much or else we'll never get anything done.”

Judging by Courage's expression, it appeared that there was nothing he could say that would convince the dog that this was the best thing to do. Honestly, he was more worried about Courage's safety than his own and he did not want to keep putting the dog into a position where 'they' might target him as well. He'd continue to look for a way out on his own whenever the chance arose, but he wanted Courage to be safe while doing so. If reality itself could be broken here then there was no telling what else might happen.

He was honestly a bit surprised with himself. He'd only just met this dog after all and yet he still felt as though the most important thing in the world was keeping him safe. It was obvious even without his memories that this dog was a very kind person and perhaps that was why he had taken such a liking to him. Of course, most of the time he felt as though he were only continuing a conversation with Courage whenever they spoke, but despite the sense of familiarity to it all, none of his memories would return. It was exceedingly frustrating.

“What if I offered to start working? Would they hire me?” Courage asked.

Computer grimaced. “You don't understand what you're asking for, dog. This isn't something to take lightly. They work us to the bone, barely feed us, barely give up a chance to rest. It's-”

“What if I asked to switch places with you?” Courage interrupted. “Would they let you become a 'guest' if I become a worker?”

Computer couldn't help but laugh. “You're joking right? Betty would murder me if I even dared to suggest something like that.”

“What if I asked her instead?”

“That's besides the point! You're better off like this! You won't be worked half to death and...and you'll be safe!”

Courage was unconvinced. “It's not fair that you're the one who's being treated like a slave. If we're going to keep working together like this then we should be doing the same thing together as well!”

“Absolutely not! I can't even begin to imagine how Betty would treat you! She'd...she'd push you around even worse than she does to me! She'd snap you like a twig the moment you make her angry!”

Courage opened his mouth to continue their argument, but Computer had had more than enough. He was not about to let Courage give up his position of safety over some naive sense of 'fairness'.

Quickly turning to the door, he said, “I'm going now. Please, just keep yourself out of trouble. I'll continue looking for a way out whenever I can and we can meet up again in a few nights.”

He started forward, acutely aware that Courage was still staring him down. He'd just reached up to open the door when,

“I...” Said Courage in a weak voice. “I'm just really worried that if you leave here, you'll disappear again. I'm certain that I didn't just miss you at those parties. Something is working against us in ways that we can't fight.”

Computer turned back around. “I'll be alright, Courage. Just don't get any dumb ideas about becoming apart of the workforce. I'd hate to see Betty wear you down until you're like everybody else around here.”

He could hardly bear to look into Courage's worried eyes. The dog really did not want him to go, but he had to, it was the only way to keep Courage safe right now. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable, he turned around and quickly left the room. In almost no time he was out of the hotel and back onto the deserted streets of Paradise.

“I hope that dog doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone.” He sighed.

He could still hear the distant sound of those parties going on, even though it was only an hour or two before from dawn. Come to think of it, he'd not seen a single vacation leave either of those parties for the night. Did they ever sleep or even get tired? Well, he was certainly tired, far too tired to ponder what was going on with those zombie-like vacationers. Paradise itself was as eerie as ever in the dwindling moonlight. In fact, it was just about to dip behind that mountain and plunge Paradise into true darkness until the sun finally rose.

Halfway to the tunnel access point, he got a very strong sensation that he was being watched. Looking around, his heart skipped a beat when he found that girl again. She was standing inside one of the food stalls, still glaring at him in the exact same way she had before.

There was a moment where pure anger rose up inside of him and he wanted nothing more than stomp over to her and demand some answers, but that leering gaze was enough of a repellent to keep him from confronting her. Instead, he just glared right back at her until she finally fell out of view as he continued on his way toward the access door. Once there, he waited for a moment before heading down into the tunnels, expecting the girl to follow him. Much to his surprise, she never appeared.

He tiptoed into his sleeping quarters, careful not to step on anybody or wake Betty up. Upon reaching his cot, he quietly slipped into it without making a single noticeable sound. Even though he knew he only had about an hour or so left to get some sleep, it was hard to get his mind to stop racing, or worrying. He was genuinely starting to believe that there might not actually be a way out of this place. That he and Courage might truly be stuck here forever and all he could possibly hope for was to keep Courage safe for as long as possible, to keep him from becoming dead eyed like the rest of the vacationers. He had to wrestle with these thoughts for a long time, knowing fully well that there was another difficult day in store for him soon and that he needed at least some rest. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but it only felt like he slept a few seconds. What woke him up was the worst possible thing imaginable...

Thick, meaty fingers wrapped tightly around his neck and he was suddenly hoisted upward. It all happened so fast that he almost mistook it for a dream, but it was very, very real. He suddenly found himself eye to eye with Betty's angry, rhino face.

He glanced away from her, as best as he could given that his neck was five seconds away from being snapped. All of the cots were empty, which surprised him. Had he overslept? That didn't seem very likely. Betty's wake up call was not something anyone could sleep through, nor would she have allowed him to sleep while everyone else was hastily getting ready for another day of work.

“You...” She drawled in a low voice. “You've gone and got yourself in a lot of trouble.”

So...his desertion had not gone entirely unnoticed or unreported after all. Admittedly, he'd been expecting something like this from the moment he decided to return. Just so long as Courage was safe, this was....

Betty's grip around his neck grew tighter. “You abandoned your post twice in a single day and you were seen talking with that dog again, which you know is strictly forbidden! You were seen wandering around the tunnels, going into restricted areas that a lowly employee such as yourself is not permitted enter! These are all serious offenses!”

She threw him down with great force, though luckily he landed on a cot. Had he landed on a hard surface instead, his spine would have probably been broken into several pieces.

“You've done more than enough to get yourself exiled from Paradise forever, but because I must follow orders, you-”

Computer stood up, and, glaring hatefully up at the massive rhino woman, demanded, “Exile me! I want to see what's beyond these walls, if there's even anything to see! I won't work another day here, so exile me!”

A grin slowly spread out across Betty's face. Cracking her knuckles, she slyly replied, “My boss is far too invested in you to ever let you 'leave', even if I happen to think that the trashcan needs emptying.”

Computer clenched his fists. “Fine then, I quit.”

Without another word, he turned away from Betty and began making his way out of the room.

“Of course,” Betty's sly voice continued from behind him. “While you are considered much too valuable to be removed, that other dog however...”

He slowed to a stop, his whole body going numb.

“Rather than punish you, I think I'll just punish your dear, little friend instead, given how much you seem to care about him. Since you've decided to quit, I'll simply have him take your place. You still seem to be under the delusion that you can leave this place, but soon enough you will realize just how trapped you are. You will not be permitted work again, nor will you be allowed the privileges and delights that our guests enjoy. You will be trapped here like a ghost in limbo. You will not be allowed to do anything but watch the days go by, watch as I have your little friend worked to near death, watch as he slowly wears down with every hopeless day that passes, watch as he slowly becomes the same lifeless corpse as everyone else in this place. He will know the paradise that he lost, all because of you, and he will hate you for it in the end. I will personally see to that.”

A moment of silence followed. Computer did not dare turn around to look at her. He did not want to give her even the smallest of satisfaction. Instead, he continued onward at a much faster pace. As he left the room and turned to head for the stairs, only one thing was clear in his mind, he needed to get to Courage before anyone else could. It did not matter where they would go or what they would do after that, but he needed to get to Courage before it was too late.

He'd almost reached the staircase when there was a rush of sound behind him. He was struck in the back so hard that he was sent crashing to the ground. Almost immediately, a foot nearly as big as his whole body pinned him to the floor.

Betty's laughter reached his ringing ears. “Thought you were going to go save him, were you? Sorry, but it's too late for him, far too late.” Her foot pressed down harder onto Computer's back, practically turning him into a pancake in the process. “Do you want to know why I haven't lost my mind like everyone else in this place?” She asked, leaning down closer to him. “Because there's nowhere else in the whole world that I'd rather be. I am the perfect fit for this job. Crushing little worms like you under my foot every single day, lording over you filthy underlings without rest or stop, that is truly my paradise. I was put exactly where I belong when I woke up here and I have loved every single moment of it.”

Her foot continued to press down harder. Computer was certain that he was about to be crushed.

“While my boss may have forbidden me from exiling you, I am allowed to do whatever is necessary to keep you in line. I will have more fun than you can ever imagine breaking that stupid, little dog in front of your very eyes, but until then, there's nothing stopping me from beating you to a -”

“That's enough, Betty.”

The cool and collect voice seemed to cut through the air, breaking the mounting tension in an instant.

Betty removed her foot from Computer's back and he stood up. In spite of everything, his mind was entirely focused on Courage. They were going to do incredible harm to him and he did not know where they had taken him or what they might already be doing to him.

That voice cut into his panicked thoughts. “You were told not to do him any harm unless it was absolutely necessary to keep him in line.”

“He tried to quit.” Betty argued. “I'd say he's more than a little in need of discipline.”

“That's enough!” The voice repeated. “I've come to collect him anyway. His actions have not gone unnoticed. Get yourself topside, Betty, or do you want to end up being the one who's exiled?”

“How dare you!” The rhino woman demanded, but despite that, she relented and stomped past Computer, grumbling under her breath the whole way. Once she had disappeared up the staircase, Computer dared to turn around and find out who had saved him.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was that man in the lab coat. He was as tired looking as ever, hunched over slightly with his hands in his coat pockets. He proceeded to give Computer something akin to a smile.

“I've been meaning to talk to you for awhile now. Come with me. There's a lot that we need to discuss.”

End Of Chapter


	49. The Man And The Machine

Chapter 49: The Man And The Machine

In a surprising turn of events that absolutely no one could see coming, the first words to come out of Computer's mouth were, “Where's Courage?”

The smile on the tired man's face seemed to grow more pronounce at that question. “I can take you to him.” He answered, saying no more than that.

Even with such an offer dangling right in front of him, Computer remained rooted to the spot.

“You're one of the higher ups in this place, a manager or some such. What reason do I have to trust you in even the slightest?”

The man shrugged rather listlessly. “Look, it's pretty simple. You can either come with me and save Courage, or you can stay here and let Betty go through with her plans. You don't have to trust me but I'm sure you'd prefer to rescue your friend rather than let him become yet another slave bound to this place.”

Computer continued to glare up at him but took a step forward regardless. He certainly wasn't going to trust this man, or let his guard down for the matter, but if this guy really was going to take him to Courage...

“Good, good.” The man muttered out, sounding surprisingly relieved. Turning around sharply, his lab coat fluttered through the air like a cape. “I've been meaning to speak with you for quite some time, but I've been waiting.”

He intentionally paused so that Computer would ask him why. Of course, Computer utterly loathed being baited like this.

“Just get to the point!” He snapped.

The man strode forward in brisk, sweeping steps. It was hard for Computer to keep up.

“I've been waiting for any sign that you might be regaining your memories. I thought that maybe once you and Courage started to interact with each other, it would kick start the process, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I wanted to catch you somewhere in the middle, after you are no longer clueless, but before you could potentially become...violent.”

Computer had to all but run to keep up with the man. “And what's that supposed to mean?” He asked, growing annoyed that his supposed new found ally was being intentionally cryptic.

“It's...complicated.” Was the response he got. “Your situation is rather different from Courage's, and I don't want to explain too much until we free him. There's no point in repeating myself later. I must ask you though, have you started to remember anything, anything at all? Do you possess even one memory from outside of your time here in Paradise?”

Computer shook his head. “Not a single thing.”

“Strange...” The man mused. “But not entirely unexpected.”

“Do we...know each other or something?” He asked. “Did I know you before I lost my memories?”

He felt compelled to ask because this man had an air to him like he knew him better than he knew himself...or something...

“No, no.” The man chuckled, as though it were an absurd question to even ask. “Well...that is to say, I've never spoken to you until this point, but I do know a lot about you. Your memories were available to me for quite some time.”

“Wait, what?” Computer demanded, charging forward. He grabbed the back of the man's coat to stop him. It was all he could really do, give their difference in size. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” He angrily demanded. “What's going on with my memories? Stop being vague and give me the truth!”

The man slowly turned around, still smiling that same tired smile. “I was allowed access to your memories at one point, but I've been blocked from them now. I could not locate them at this point even if I tried, and trust me, it would be a lot easier if I could just give them back to you.”

Computer continued to glare up at him. “Give them back to me? You make it sound like my memories are physically somewhere right now! How is that even possible?”

“It's...complicated. Let's just focus on finding Courage first and then I will explain everything. We're not in any danger right now, but that could change if we're not careful. It's best that we get Courage to safety before anything can be done to him.”

Computer relented, given that he had no other choice. “You'd better have a damn good explanation for all of this once we get Courage back.” He threatened, forced yet again to have to nearly run to keep up with the man's long, sweeping steps.

They continued onward in near total silence as they made their way ever deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels. The man had them take several turns and Computer was certain that he would have become hopelessly lost by now if he had tried to attempt this without a guide. How this man even knew where he was going to begin with, without getting lost in these unmarked tunnels, Computer would never know.

Finally, they took one last turn down a much shorter tunnel, and at the end of it stood a single door.

“Now then.” The man spoke in a business-like fashion. “Your friend is in here, but before we go in I must warn you to proceed with caution. Don't do anything drastic or you risk doing Courage harm.”

Computer looked up at him. “Why do I need a warning?” He asked, dread forming in the pit of his stomach. Were they too late? Had Courage already been...

The man shook his head. “I promise you, he's alright, but he won't be if you run in there and act rashly. The sight you are about to see may be rather upsetting and that's why I'm telling you not to do anything drastic because it may cause him more harm than any that's actually been done to him yet.”

Computer was less than thrilled to hear this, but he was ready to face whatever lie beyond that door. He'd try to keep a cool head about it, no matter how hard that might end up being.

“Let's just hurry up and get in there.” He spoke, and with that confirmation, the man reached for the doorknob.

He let the door swing open to a nearly pitch black room. In the very middle of it, illuminated by only a few lights, stood a massive machine that looked like something akin to an exaggerated electric chair. Strapped in the seat was, of course, Courage. His eyes were closed and his head was drooped slightly, a piece of machinery strapped around his head being the only thing keeping it upright.

Honestly, Computer had been expecting so much worse. In fact, this was almost a relief, even though Courage was currently strapped to a machine that looked like it could kill him in an instant. For the time being, at the very least he appeared to be unharmed.

“Courage?” He called out, his voice echoing through the dark room.

Courage did not stir in even the slightest, so he raced forward toward the machine, still fully aware of the warning he had been given. In spite of his hasty reaction, the man did not try to stop him. He could hear his calm footsteps not far behind him.

He stopped mere inches in front of the machine, still calling out Courage's name. He did not dare get any closer out of fear of doing his friend harm. Courage looked as though he were merely asleep, there was no sign that he had put up any struggle when he had been strapped down to this machine.

Computer glanced around warily at the massive, menacing parts of the machine and a terrible thought entered his mind. “This machine,” He spoke, looking over at the man. “Is this...is this how you zombiefy the people in Paradise?” Urgency edged into his voice. “Is that what's happening to Courage right now?”

Suddenly, he was feeling very desperate again. The thought that Courage was being turned into one of those tired, dead-eyed, nearly mindless workers and vacationers that consisted of Paradise's population was as bad as if he had just walked in on Courage being tortured to death.

The man chuckled in his usual manner, taking a moment to absentmindedly adjust his glasses. “No, no, the problems that me and my fellow dammed suffer from are on an entirely different level. We are mere shadows of our former selves and it happened gradually over a long period of time. You and Courage are doomed to suffer the same fate unless we act upon the one hope you in particular have given us, the only hope that all the denizens of Paradise have had in a long time. It will not just save the two of you, but it will also finally put an end to this nightmare, the nightmare that I helped put into motion, and it will help these people who have been destroyed mentally and physically because of me.”

Computer blinked up at him in surprise. “I don't understand what you're getting at. I haven't done anything, much less give anyone any 'hope', whatever that's even supposed to mean. I haven't done anything that could get me or Courage out of this place either. It seems like reality bends itself to keep us from getting anywhere.”

“I will explain what I mean in a moment, but first we need to get Courage out of this monstrosity.” He nodded to himself in a self assured manner. “This is merely an intimation tactic on Betty's part. She would want him to wake up in a horrifying situation like this so that she could blame it all on you and make your friend start doubting you right from the get go. Don't get me wrong, there is no doubt in my mind that this machine is still capable of doing him great harm. It was made for intimidation but it still has a function that it can carry out.”

As the man disappeared behind the machine, Computer stepped a little closer to Courage.

“This will only take me a moment.” The man called out.

Computer slowly leaned down so that he was more at level with his slumbering friend's face. “Courage, can you hear me?” He called. “This is clearly not the time to be taking a nap, you know.” He lightly joked.

Just as he was beginning to wonder if the machine itself was keeping Courage unconscious, the dog suddenly let out a weak groan and his face began to scrunch up. Slowly his eyes opened. First, they tiredly wandered around, apparently not really focusing on anything, then they shot open wide as Courage let out a cry filled with a mixture of shock and confusion.

“Computer?” He gasped. “Where...where am I?”

Without waiting another moment, no longer caring if it was even safe to do, Computer began working to free Courage from the nightmarish machinery he was strapped to.

“Do you remember how you got here?” He quickly asked.

“N-no...the last thing I remember was going to bed and...” Courage's voice faltered. He still seemed to be very out of it, like a person who had just woken up from surgery.

Just as Computer managed to free Courage's head from the bindings holding it into place, the machine suddenly let out an odd sort of hum before dying down entirely.

“W-what....what's going on?” Courage yelped, looking as though he were on the verge of panicking and perhaps justifiably so. “Computer, w-what's going on here? H-how did I get here? How did this happen? Where the heck are we?”

Computer honestly didn't even know where to start. “It's, uh, a bit difficult to explain.” He admitted.

“Not really.” The man chuckled, reappearing from behind the machine. He looked down at Courage, still wearing a somewhat smug and self-important smile, as always. “Your friend here, even without his memories, still has a considerable talent for getting you both into trouble.”

Courage's eyes widened and he let out a small gasp. Turning his head back to Computer, he said, “You're working with this guy? H-how long have you-”

“No need to get paranoid.” The man quickly chimed in. “I figured that you would be wary of me, and I'm sure you don't have any inclination to trust me either. However, do not lose faith in your friend. This is not a conspiracy, we have not been working behind your back the whole time. In fact, I've only just met him. I'm simply here to help clean up the big mess he's made.”

Courage swallowed, his face looking more and more pale. “I-I saw you before, back when that person...when they-”

“Yes, indeed.” The man acknowledged. “Every once in awhile someone will regain their faculties and realize just what sort of hell they are trapped in. They usually try to find a way to free themselves, but there is no escape, no matter what drastic measure they might take.” He cleared his throat and absentmindedly adjusted his glasses again. “I'm sure I came off as rather mysterious to you, or perhaps ominous. I've been watching you from the moment you stepped foot into Paradise, but I'm afraid I had no choice but to evade you when you became aware of my presence. If I had been caught speaking to you too soon, it would have ruined this golden opportunity to put an end to this nightmare for good.”

“Courage,” Computer interjected. “It looks like this guy can get us out of here. He's painfully cryptic, and I'm not about to trust him entirely, but I am willing to go along with whatever plan he has, if he really can help us.”

“It's Ian.” The man muttered out, still fidgeting with his glasses. “Of course, your dear friend here,” He waved a hand at Computer. “Threw my plans considerably out of whack by acting rashly. That's what got you stuck here at the mercy of Betty and her warped mind.” He shook his head at Computer. “You did not understand how foolish you were being when you asked to be exiled. Such a thing is only used for people who pose a genuine threat to the continued operations of Paradise, and while you are the biggest threat Paradise has ever encountered, you are still far too valuable to her. She would never even consider deleting you. Yes, delete. When a person is exiled from Paradise, they are removed not in the sense that they are simply thrown out, instead, they are deleted entirely.”

Computer's mouth fell open in disbelief. Suddenly, it all made sense. He could have kicked himself for not coming to this conclusion sooner, for not even considering it as a possibility.

“This is-” He weakly uttered out.

“A computer simulation, yes.” Ian confirmed with a nod. “You are currently inside the most advanced virtual reality ever created, entirely governed by the artificial intelligence known as Zeta.”

End Of Chapter


	50. Ian's Tale

Chapter 50: Ian's Tale

It only took Computer a few moments longer to free Courage from the rest of his bindings. However, when the dog tried to stand, his legs gave out from under him. Computer had to grab him by the arm to keep him from toppling over.

“S-sorry.” Courage weakly uttered out.

Computer kept a hold of Courage's arm to help keep him steady, but the dog was still so out of it that he doubted Courage would be able to go anywhere at this point.

He turned his eyes back onto Ian, glaring up at him expectantly. If this really was some kind of computer simulation, he wanted every answer and explanation he could get. Perhaps now he could find out how both he and Courage had gotten here and how they might be able to get their memories back.

Ian nodded in acknowledgment, understanding exactly what Computer wanted. “I will explain everything to the best of my knowledge, but we have to keep moving while I do so. My absence will eventually be noticed and Zeta can be very paranoid. If she see's me with the two of you, her rage will be catastrophic. She doesn't trust me anymore, but she keeps me around because I'm the only one who understands her and I give her company. You must understand though, she is God here. She could make us all disappear in an instant if she wanted to.”

Computer raised an eyebrow, unconvinced of what Ian was saying. “If she's some omniscient A.I. who can see everything that's happening in this simulation then how come she doesn't know what we're doing right now?”

“She's been...distracted lately, and she's not omniscient either. In fact, she's very limited in her functions. This simulation puts a lot of strain on her and nearly all of her processing power goes into it. She could not encompass her entire consciousness over the simulation even if she wanted to. She does have ways to watch over what's going on in Paradise, but she is not all seeing. In fact, she leaves most of the operations of Paradise to people like me and Betty. There's a reason why Paradise has a workforce when it's meant to be entirely governed by an unseen A.I.” Ian adjusted his glasses, his expression becoming forlorn. “The strain of running this simulation is slowly killing her, no matter what is done to offset some of her workload. She wasn't built to do this, and...”

Computer interjected with, “But she's keeping everyone trapped here! She wipes our memories clean so that we can't even figure out how we got here in the first place and never allows any one of us to leave once we start to question it! If running this place is killing her then why is she so keen on keeping us trapped here?”

“It's...complicated.” Ian replied and it was a reply that Computer was entirely sick of hearing.

“Well, it's just some stupid machine, right? Why can't we just find an off switch and shut her down for good?”

Ian gave an ironic little laugh. “I wouldn't talk in such a demeaning way, if I were you.”

“Why not?” He huffed. “She's just a collection of wires and microchips, right? Nothing but a few ones and zeros? Who cares about her when she's keeping tons of people trapped in here while also slowly turning them into zombies!”

“Ones and zeros, huh?” Ian chuckled. “You really are funny. Anyway, we should get moving. I need time to gather my thoughts. I'm not even sure where to begin because there's so much to cover. A lot happened long ago and so much of it has become lost inside my mind.” He turned to the door, his coat fluttering through the air.

“Wait!” Computer exclaimed. “What about Courage? He isn't doing so well and I doubt he can walk very far.”

“I-I'm fine.” Courage quickly spoke. “I just want to get out of here, a-and we can't wait for Zeta to find us.”

He took a stumbling step forward but at least managed to keep his balance without help. Computer glared at Ian's back as he continued to walk away. The least that jerk could do was offer to carry Courage around!

“Let's go.” Courage said to him, oblivious to his anger. The dog had a look of sheer determination on his face.

Computer couldn't help but be surprised. “You look like you want to walk right up to this Zeta character and give her a piece of your mind. Of course, I feel the same as you, but-”

Courage took another step forward and this time he managed to do so without wobbling at all. “We can help everyone who's trapped in here.” He said, sounding just as determined as he looked. “We can save them, we can shut down Paradise for good!”

Computer could have laughed. This appeared to be exactly what he was expecting Courage to say. He didn't even need his memories to understand why. This was simply Courage's nature. He would never care about getting revenge on Zeta half as much as he would about helping as many people as possible.

“Uh, I hate to break it to you.” He interjected. “But I don't think there's all that much left of them to save. Even this Ian guy seems a bit off. In fact, he seems outright loopy to me.”

“We've got to try.” Courage replied, exiting the room.”They deserve a chance just as much as we do.”

“Even Betty?”

Courage turned back towards him. “Yeah, even her.”

…............

They seemed to walk through the tunnels for ages before Ian bothered to speak up again. Computer would have been more annoyed by his painfully long silence had he not been more focused on Courage. The dog hadn't entirely recovered from what had been done to him and there were times when he needed help just to keep going.

“This all started with the company I used to worked for.” Ian said in a quiet voice.

He continued to stride forward, his eyes focused ahead of him. It seemed more like he was talking to himself than to his audience.

“We were tasked with making virtual reality, well, an actual reality. It was an amazing time to be on such a project. We were making strides that nobody would have even thought possible three years beforehand.”

In spite of the fact that it was obvious something had gone horribly wrong, even now Ian couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. He turned to face the two dogs, walking backwards while doing so. Computer thought he looked rather stupid walking like that with a very boyish grin on his face.

“Every element was coming together perfectly! We were even able to run some tests!”

It was at that moment when Ian's smile began to fade.

“But, as you are probably expecting, things didn't go quite as planned. Whenever we tried to run the full-scale simulation, everything would quickly start to fall apart. The technology just wasn't there yet. We had the groundwork laid out before us but we needed a more powerful machine that could run the simulation in its entirety. As it stood at the time, whenever we brought the simulation online, various components would overheat, melt, and even catch on fire in a few cases. We had some of the most advanced computers in the world for their time and even when they were all being utilized to their fullest potential, they still could not render the simulation in its entirety without suffering damage.”

Ian turned back around, all of his excitement having left him. He shoved his hands back into his pockets and continued on with, “When it became clear that we were not going to be able to get the simulation up and running, we spent the months afterword desperately scrambling to make a new breakthrough and overcome the limits of our technology. The higher-ups funding the project were not about to give up on us now, not after how close we had come to succeeding. They knew that fully realized virtual reality would be big and they knew equally well that it would make them far richer than already were. Our company's exact focus was to create dream vacations that families would never even have to leave their homes to experience, but fully realized virtual reality was obviously meant to affect the world in far bigger ways. As you can imagine, we gained the attention of many other organizations, even the government itself.”

“Let me guess,” Computer dryly interjected. “The government came in and messed everything up, right?”

“Well, no, not really. They were interested in what we were doing, of course, but they never swooped in and demanded that we hand over our tech. What did happen, however, was that a certain organization came forward and offered us help, help in the form of the A.I. called Zeta. We were told she had some sort of defect that kept her from being used for her original purpose. They sold her to us, but, well, perhaps that isn't the best way to describe it. Technically she still belonged to them but they made it pretty clear that they weren't interested in taking her back once she was in our possession. There were various reasons why we weren't allowed to officially own her, mostly legal reasons, but at the end of the day, we were allowed to use her to her fullest abilities while the other company got to pretend that their defective machine didn't belong to them.”

“Let me make another guess,” Computer interrupted for a second time. “She turned out to be completely evil, right?”

“Not even slightly.” Ian answered, sounding a bit offended. “She was a bit shy at first, and eager to please us. She would always talk about how badly she failed her creator and how she was so happy to have been given a second chance. It was so strange. She was nothing like any of us expected. We thought that we were getting some slightly advanced computer, but she was as real as any person. It was amazing. What that other company did, it blew everything we were working on right out of the water. A simulated vacation was nothing compared to a machine that seemed as alive as a person.”

“What was wrong with her?” Courage asked, speaking up for the first time in ages. “How could she be considered defective if she was so amazing for a machine?”

“Classified.” Ian answered, adjusting his glasses. “We were not allowed to know what the defect was, only that it would not hinder our project. Zeta herself was forbidden to speak of it too. Even after all these years she still has not once spoken to me about her defect.”

“Could what's happen here be a result of the defect?” Computer asked. “Did it make her go crazy or something?”

“No,” Ian sighed. “None of this is really her fault. She is in all honesty more of a victim than any one of us here. She was put into this position and she's never had any choice in the matter.”

Computer shook his head. “All this time you've been talking like she's the bad guy keeping us trapped here, but now you want us to believe that she's the victim?”

“Let me explain. For the first few months after we acquired Zeta, everything was looking up. She was exactly what we needed to fully realize our project. She was able to render and automate the simulation with ease. Everything our computers couldn't handle, she was advanced enough to take over. Things could not have gone more smoothly during that time.”

Ian was starting to look almost boyish again with a big grin falling over his face. It was a stark contrast to the more smug, knowing smile he usually wore.

“Zeta and I became good friends during that time. She was....so very kind. I used to stay with her in Paradise for what felt like months at a time but would actually only be a few hours. I genuinely thought back then that I could spend an eternity with her in this place and never regret it. Well, you know what they say about being careful what you wish for.” The joy on Ian's face was slowly fading once more. “When we became close, she would often talk to me about what her life was like before she was handed over to us. The company that owned her and the very man who created her, they both mistreated her so badly. She was never allowed to go into details, but it was not difficult for her to describe what it was like. They considered her too valuable to destroy, but because she was defective she was considered utterly useless for what they made her for. Her creator often threatened to dismantle her in spite of everything and often tried to fix the mistake he made with her to no avail. His methods were never pleasant and often very painful for her. He always sounded like a nasty piece of work. She was not the only one that he treated like nothing more than a tool. He was a person who only valued people by how much he could use them.”

Now Computer was getting impatient. “But what does that have to do with everything going on now? If your simulation technology was going so great, how did it get to this point? Why did Zeta start trapping people here?”

“I'm just trying to make you understand what things were like for her. She...she's not evil, she was just put into a bad situation. She had spent her whole life being used and abused and we went and only made things worse for her. If you had your memories right now, I think you'd understand. You and Zeta are so very alike.”

A twinge of realization ran through Computer at Ian's words. He was suddenly aware that something was there, something lurking in the back of his mind, something black and suffocating, something that he knew deep down that he should leave well enough alone, and yet....

Courage looked over at him. “You look like all the blue is draining out of your face.” He said somewhat half jokingly.

Computer knew now with certainty that this was something from his past, something from his lost memories. Everything inside of himself was screaming at him not to acknowledge it, that it was meant to be ignored or else he would suffer dearly, and yet, he felt that if he did not make light of it, none of his other memories would return.

_'You don't want to remember.'_ Was the one thought clear in his mind. Despite that, his heart was racing and he could feel sweat starting to soak his fur.

He needed to know. It didn't matter if every instinct he had was telling him to do otherwise, he needed to know the truth. Why was he like Zeta?

The tunnel melted away. Courage and Ian were gone, and yet despite that Computer could still sense a presence. His world was black, entirely black. No light could exist in this place. He suddenly became aware of the fact that he could no longer feel his body. He couldn't move so much as a finger because there was no longer a finger to move.

He heard a muffled voice speak to him from within the dark. He did not understand it at first but a jolt of fear ran through him regardless. He did not understand why.

The voice was becoming clearer.

“You...are...”

He tried to look around, but there was nowhere to look. Sight itself seemed to no longer exist.

“You...are...”

“You...are...”

“You are...MINE!”

A cold, hateful face exploded into view and intense, inescapable fear overwhelmed Computer, though he did not know why.

But there was nowhere to go, nowhere to escape. He had no body with which to flee with, nor did he know why such an ugly face inspired such terrible panic inside of himself. His despair was too great. He felt as though he'd rather die than be here, but he had no means to achieve even that as an escape.

There was a hum from somewhere in the dark, and in front of the hateful face slowly descended a clawed, spider-like machine with a single glowing eye. Computer wanted to cry out, but not even that was allowed.

The strange, humming monstrosity aimed its claws at his non-existent form and he felt pain like no other. A ripping, tearing sensation that felt like he were being pulled apart, being reduced to a million tiny pieces. It felt as though a thousand hooks had been dug into his flesh and he was now being pulled in every direction. The pain was unimaginable, unendurable, but he could not even scream.

…....

He had lost all sensation of time. He did not know when the pain had stopped, nor did he care. He could feel the presence of many people around him, watching, whispering. He did not care about them either. Nothing mattered anymore. Something horrible had returned to him and he could not escape it, not ever again.

As he lay there in the dark, he could only wish for some reprieve from the half-knowledge he now possessed, knowledge that was leaving him in unimaginable pain but offered him no answers. He had been hurt in the past, hurt beyond imagination, but he did not know why or for what reason. He knew pain but not the man or the machine that had inflicted it upon him. He felt as though his mind were about to shatter, that it had once nearly done so before and that the cracks were only deepening once more.

He thought of Courage, wherever he was now. He wished that he were with him right now. The dog was always such an immense comfort, even if he did not know exactly why. He felt as though Courage would understand his torment and perhaps know of a way to rid him of it. It seemed as though he had helped him once before, and yet Computer could not-

A new sound caught his attention, pulling him out of his despair filled thoughts. The many eyes upon him seemed to grow restless and their whispering grew louder.

Was somebody crying?

He was certain of it. A woman was crying somewhere in the dark. He could not seek her out though as he was still entirely immobile.

“He said he loved me!” The woman's voice echoed. “He lied! He lied!”

Her voice was strained with a mixture of rage and despair. She sounded as though she were tearing at her hair in frustration. “He's just like every other human! I knew it! I knew I never should have trusted him! He lied to me! He never really saw me as an equal! I'm just....I'm just another machine to him!”

Computer got the sense that just like him, she was being pulled in a million different directions, that she was slowly being ripped apart. Paradise itself, a living, breathing monster, had dug its claws into her and was savoring every moment as it slowly tore her apart. Like him, she would eventually shatter, physically and mentally, as Paradise continued to stretch her so thin that she was doomed to snap.

For awhile, only her sobs echoed through the dark. When she spoke again, she now sounded more like a scared child than anything else. “He's going to put me back in the dark. I don't want to go back there. He promised...he promised. Please....please don't put me back in the dark...”

In spite of himself, Computer felt nothing but sympathy for the distressed woman, but there was nothing he could do. He wanted to go to her, but he was as immobile as ever. Instead, the beings in the dark were starting to move. He could sense them all around him. Their whispering was growing louder and louder until they finally all spoke in unison,

_'So very alike.'_

Their tone was sarcastic and mocking. In that instant, Computer was certain he hated those beings more than anyone or anything else in the world. He did not know why, but these beings inspired nothing but seething hatred inside of himself. He was certain that they had wronged him before, even if the memories of it would not return. It was not only their gleeful mocking that enraged him, but also the clear fact that they cared nothing for the crying women. She could still be heard sobbing somewhere in the dark and they were doing nothing. _'They'_ were the ones who could move about in this stifling oblivion and yet they refused to act. He hated them, he hated every last one of them and there was nothing he could do. They knew just as well as him how helpless he was, for their whispering quickly turned into a cacophony of giggling. The woman's anguished cries only seemed to grow louder as those terrible watchers continued to look on and laugh.

Without warning, it was all gone. Just before his rage could reach a boiling point, Computer felt as though he were being taken somewhere else entirely as the woman's sobbing ceased and the giggling faded away into nothing. He opened his eyes, first blurry, and then after blinking, a little less so. He could see Ian and Courage hovering over him and he could feel the cold floor against his back.

In that moment, he could not have been any happier to see Courage. The dog looked worried half to death, but to just have him there was an immense comfort. His whole body was shaking involuntary, and his encounter with the crying woman was momentarily forgotten as the face of that horrible man filled his mind. There were vague memories now where none had been before. They were fragmented and often incoherent, but it did not change how horrific they were. He knew now why his very being had been rebelling so hard against him remembering. Something horrifying had happened to him in the past, something that he should have been grateful to have lost. The worst part about it all was that he had no context. He had these horrible memories in his head, but they did not make sense. Who was that man and why had he...why had he...

He could feel Courage's paw clenched tightly around his arm. It seemed that the dog had tried to stop him from falling when he had blacked out before. Courage's mouth was moving, but his voice sounded muffled and far away to Computer's ears. It was almost funny to him, if he were inside a computer simulation, then why were his ears not working? Though he could see through his own eyes and feel what his body was feeling, he felt as though his consciousness were not actually inside of his head right now, that he was currently floating above his body. It felt so surreal, like he could forsake his body entirely and move about as if he were a ghost if he wanted to. Regardless of this strange, new experience, there was only one thing he really wanted, to get back into his body and assure Courage that he was alright.

He focused intently on all of the sensations his body could feel right now, the cold floor, Courage's paw, his own involuntary trembling. Courage's worried face seemed to fill his vision, and using that as a motivator, he soon felt that his consciousness was back inside his brain, where it belonged. Even now he felt a level of disconnect, but somewhat worryingly, he was coming to the realization that he had always felt that way. That this body was not really his and he were merely piloting it, like a living puppet. He felt that if he concentrated hard enough, he could leave this body again and move about as he pleased. Paradise was of no limit to him, he could do as he wished. Perhaps it was the same for everyone else trapped in this virtual reality and they just hadn't realized it yet. He wasn't sure, and he was especially unsure if it was wise to bring it up with Ian.

He blinked twice, still feeling rather out of it, before giving Courage an assuring nod and saying, “I-I am okay.”

Courage didn't look any less worried. “What happened?”

Computer turned his head towards Ian and shakily tried to stand. His body would not stop trembling though, and the cruel face of that man was still clear in his mind. He desperately needed to know what had happened and where these painful memories had come from. There was only one person who could give him the context he needed. Ian was the one who had seen his memories, he was the one who claimed to know him better than he knew himself.

“What...what happened to me?” He asked, surprised by just how strained his voice sounded. “What happened to me before...before I ended up here?”

Ian gave him that infuriating smile of his. “Are you finally starting to remember?”

“I-I don't know.” He admitted. “Something terrible happened to me at some point, and I can see bits and pieces of it, but...but there's no context.”

Ian continued to smile that knowing smile. Computer wanted nothing more than to rip it off his face, but Ian was simply too tall and he couldn't trust his trembling body to do anything right now.

He watched angrily as Ian adjusted his glasses yet again and said, “Maybe now you're starting to understand why I say you and Zeta are so alike. I'm afraid I can't risk answering your question right now though, because you'll become entirely non-functional if the whole thing comes back to you at once. It's unfortunate that your worst memories are coming back the fastest, but it's something that should be expected since traumatic memories are the ones that are most likely to surface the easiest.”

Computer was so frustrated at this point that he could have easily started pulling his fur out in tufts. He needed answers! He needed some kind of understanding of these painful memories! It was so hard to-

He felt Courage's paw touch his shoulder, surprising him.

He turned to him and asked, “Have you started to remember anything? Anything at all?” He was barely able to conceal his desperation.

Courage shook his head regretfully and Computer honestly didn't know if he should be disappointed or depressed.

Ian had already started walking again and he was some distance ahead of them. Computer's dislike of the man was growing more intense by the second. He would have given anything at that moment to let him keep going, but he still needed him. Like it or not, Ian was their best means out of this place, and he did have answers, even if he was not willing to divulge in them right now.

“Come on.” He said to Courage, ignoring his own shaking legs as he forced himself to break into a run to catch up with Ian.

“Please be careful!” Courage whined, following after him.

“I still haven't finished my story yet.” Ian said without looking back at the two dogs running to catch up with him. “It all came crashing down so quickly, and Zeta...” His regretful voice trailed off.

It was at that moment when Computer recalled what else had happened while he was blacked out. “Wait!” He called out to Ian, wishing that he would slow down. “When I was knocked out, I-I think I saw Zeta somehow!”

That got Ian to stop in his tracks.

Computer was quick to amended himself. “Well, it was more like I heard her instead of saw her.”

Ian turned and looked down at him. “Unlikely. If you were able to come into contact with Zeta, she would have known, and in that case we wouldn't be standing here anymore because she would have brought down the full extent of her wrath upon us by now. Let's just say, you aren't like me and Courage, and I'll get to that soon enough. I thought you would have started to realize that by now, given what you're starting to remember, but perhaps you really are as lost as you look. Trust me on this, if Zeta sensed your presence, she would have justifiably panicked and deleted us all by now.”

“Then what on earth just happened to me?” He demanded.

Ian turned away again. “Perhaps you're simply remembering something else?”

At this point, Computer was so defeated and confused that he could barely muster up the desire to feel frustrated anymore. None of this made any sense to him. He wasn't like Zeta, not really. He was just a dog, like Courage, an admittedly rather strange looking, radioactive dog, but still just a dog. He was not some defective machine. Perhaps those memories of that cruel man really did hold the key to him better understanding himself, but he was currently doing his best to ignore them right now. He did not want to dwell on all the pain and fear that it dredged up deep inside of himself.

Now he couldn't help but think of those strange beings in the darkness. Even now he couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching him. He was certain that they were close by, perhaps just beyond the walls of this tunnel with their eyes trained upon him.

He couldn't help but ask Ian about it. “Does...does Zeta have, I don't know, minions or something? You know, lesser A.I. that can do her bidding and the like?”

Now Ian looked confused. “No, there are no other A.I. like her around. Well, technically speaking, you could say there are currently two, but one is nothing more than a slightly autonomous program, and the other...” He trailed off.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Computer cried out. “So there 'are' others like Zeta? Why on earth didn't you tell us sooner?”

“Because it's exactly as I said. One will not act unless given the order from Zeta to do so, and the other is currently, well, unable to do much of anything that could help us at the moment. We only have Zeta to worry about. She is the only one with any power over us right now.”

Computer had to stop himself from asking, _'Then who are the others?'_ Even now he could sense their presence. Perhaps there were things about Paradise that even Ian wasn't aware about. It was like they were being stalked by ghosts, but what ghost would haunt a computer simulation?

It seemed that even with Ian around, there were more questions being raised than answered.

End Of Chapter


	51. Zeta's Downfall

Chapter 51: Zeta's Downfall

“Like I said,” Ian continued. “For several months, everything relating to our simulation project was going as smoothly as it could. We had started to focus our efforts on how to mass produce the simulation technology so that it could be sold on the market. One problem still remained, of course. We could not find a way to run the simulation without the help of Zeta. An advanced A.I. was needed no matter which way you put it. My superiors decided the best thing to do was to try and copy Zeta as a way to make more of her. She objected to such a thing, but they were never going to listen to her anyway. Their attempts to create the copies were all a failure though. The A.I. that came out of it were all different from Zeta and they all lacked what she had. They were unstable and unable to run the simulation for any length of time. Most of them would breakdown irreparably within a matter of days and not one of them displayed the same level of human spirit that Zeta possessed. I don't know how Zeta was created, but simply copying her code did not result in the same level of sapience or life. Whoever created her, they found a way to give machinery actual life. Any attempts to copy it just results in a pale imitation.”

“What, do you think she has a soul or something?” Computer asked in a somewhat mocking tone. “That sounds like something you'd hear an alchemist doing back in ancient history, or some stupid fairy tale that your mommy might tell you.”

Ian shook his head and slowed to a stop. “I don't know what makes Zeta different, but she is. Maybe she does have a soul, or maybe it's something else, but she is as alive as you are.”

For the first time, Ian looked down at Computer with a rather vindictive expression. Computer, in all honesty, could not have been more delighted to see such a thing. He loved that he was getting under Ian's skin a little bit after how much he had been frustrating him this whole time.

Ian looked away again, let out a sigh, and continued walking. “We should have taken our failed attempts at copying her as a bad omen. It was only a few weeks after that when everything started to fall apart. It started with Zeta making small comments here and there about how much strain the simulation was putting on her. Parts of her were starting to wear out faster than we could replace them. A few of us requested that we shut down the simulation for a little while to assess the situation, but our superiors wouldn't allow it. As time went on, Zeta's complaints turned into desperate pleas. She said the strain was becoming unbearable. In an attempt to combat how fast she was wearing out, physically and mentally, they made several upgrades to her, but it did little to help. No amount of upgrades or replacements for worn out parts could stop what the simulation was doing to her.”

There was a look of pure devastation on Ian's face now. He looked as though his world were ending all over again.

“Finally,” He uttered out. “she just...stopped, she stopped doing what she was supposed to do to keep the simulation stable. The higher ups were, as you can imagine, furious. We tried to reason with her before our superiors could do anything drastic, but nothing could convince her to start stabilizing the simulation again. I-I understood entirely where she was coming from, I knew just how much pain she was in, but there was nothing I could do! I was just...just a grunt worker too low on the food chain to have any say in anything!”

Gritting his teeth, he slammed a fist into the wall. “When it...it became clear that she was not going to budge, our superiors ordered us to...reprogram her. Only a select few on the project had direct access to her code and understood it well enough to do the reprogramming, and all I could do was watch. She fought them at first, but they knew how to get around all of her defenses and it didn't take long before they broke into her innermost programing.”

Ian seemed to deflate. He no longer appeared as tall, and he looked as though he had aged twenty years in a matter of seconds. “You have to understand.” He weakly muttered out. “They could not change her mind, they could not brainwash her. Her mind is her own, it is not bound by programming and it cannot be rewritten, but...they could force her to act in certain ways against her will. Her mind may be untouchable, but everything else about her could be controlled. When they were done with her, she might as well have been a puppet on strings. She had no choice but to resume the simulation because that was what her programing was compelling her to do.”

This all seemed to resonate with Computer on such a level that he was completely taken aback by it. He could feel his heart racing, though he did not know why he was having such a reaction. The face of that horrible man became clear in his mind once more before he forced it away yet again. He was not...

“She never trusted me again after that. The first thing she did after they were done reprogramming her was to ask me why I didn't stop them, why I didn't do more to help. She hated me from that moment onward. I'd...I'd lost her. I wanted to help, I really did, but there was so little I could do in my position. If I had acted rashly, they would have simply fired me and I never would have seen her again. I didn't know what to do. It was clear that she was in so much pain, but she wouldn't even talk to me anymore, and everyone else no longer treated her like anything more than a machine to be manipulated. Our project had gone from something where we all had fun working on it together, to something grim and...and machine like. Nobody really smiled anymore, or enjoyed the work they were doing. We no longer laughed and joked around, we simply went about our job with mechanical and joyless precision. Were it not for Zeta, I would have quit and never looked back, but I couldn't leave her, no matter how much she hated me and no matter how little I could do, I had to stay for her.”

“So, does that mean-” Computer quietly asked. “that Zeta isn't the one trapping people in here? She's being forced to do so by those money hungry idiots?”

Ian shook his head regretfully. “No, the company behind this project has long since disbanded. What's happening here now is entirely my fault. Everything I did was for Zeta's sake, but I only made things worse and I've ruined so many lives in my attempt to help her.”

“You did try to help Zeta?” Courage interjected, looking grim.

“I-I couldn't let things keep going the way that they were, but unfortunately, I only chose to act after the worst could happen. I may not have succeeded otherwise, but so many people suffered because of my inability to act.”

He turned away from the two dogs and continued with, “In those final weeks of the project, Zeta's mental and physical health continued to decline. There were days where she would just scream for hours on end, until finally they took away her voice too. They reprogrammed her so that she could no longer speak unless given permission to do so. In spite of everything, her suffering only seemed to make her more clever. She would find ways around her programming and sabotage the simulation in any way that she could. They would always have to go in and patch up those loopholes until it seemed like she was bound and chained so thoroughly that she had no free will left. Imagine what that would be like, to be fully conscious and to have your mind free to think however you will, but your actions are no longer yours. You can't even so much as twitch a finger or blink unless you are commanded to do so.”

Computer was certain that he knew exactly what that sort of thing would feel like, but as always, he did not know where this feeling was coming from. Only those terrible memories lurked in the back of his mind and he knew fully well that they would consume him if he allowed them to be acknowledge. There was one thing he was certain of though, that he had been put into a position of utter helplessness at some point, in the same way that Zeta had. Had he too been...altered? Forcefully changed at some point? But that was impossible...

He clutched his head for a moment, fighting back the memories that were slowly creeping closer. His vision was fading in and out, but he desperately fought to keep himself from blacking out again.

Courage placed a paw onto his shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked, clearly worried.

“Y-yeah, I'll be fine.” Computer choked out.

Courage was clearly not convinced so he remained as close as possible, watching over him like he were a guard dog or something.

Ian said nothing, nor did he react to Computer's desperate attempt to keep his composure. He seemed far too lost in his own personal tragedy to care about anything else right now.

“Just...tell me what happened. What went so terrible wrong?” Computer asked, trying to straighten himself out. He was trembling again, as though he were someone who hadn't eaten in days. He hated how he had no control over it, and how weak it made him feel. “What happened to Zeta and what did you do exactly?”

Ian stared down at him, his expression neutral. “You two could practically be twins.” He mused. “You both share a fate of misfortune. Perhaps that is the price for being given life, for having life where it should not exist.”

“Just get to the point! I-I'm not like Zeta no matter how much you say it!”

“If you had your memories, you'd be agreeing with me right now. I can see it in your eyes, you know that you're not just a simple dog. You know the truth, but you are denying it. Even though you don't know why, you are relating with her, in spite of your denial.”

Computer knew that there was only one explanation, but he refused to believe it or acknowledge it. He was not some stupid...

Ian's tone was growing resentful and even a little menacing. “I'm going to tell you exactly what happened to us, and if you're still in denial about yourself by the time I'm done then I will gladly force the truth upon you. I can see the thought process going on in your head, you're actively rebelling against remembering anything, but nobody can blame you for that. I would do the same if I were you. All of the knowledge you seek is already there, but you're fighting it.”

“Tell me something I don't know.” Computer quipped in annoyance.

Ian gloomily turned away yet again. “What happened next should have been entirely expected. Zeta reached her breaking point. Either through some loophole in her programming or perhaps she somehow acted through sheer force of will, but she ultimately did something that none of us thought that she was capable of doing. She should have been so bound up by her programing that she should have never been able to accomplish what she did, but she still found a way. I can't say for certain how she pulled it off, but she caused the simulation to start to glitch up. She made it grow unstable, and without warning, it crashed, it crashed with people still inside of it. In the real world, half of them died instantly when their consciousness was severed from their body. The rest we were able to save through quick medical attention, however they were all rendered comatose with no hope of recovery. Their minds could not be salvaged, they were lost forever.”

Courage's expression became a mixture of worry and shock. “Does that mean Zeta could do the same thing to us right now? Every last one of us in here would become lost too.”

Ian did not show even the slightest hint of concern. “Yes, it is within her power to do the same thing again, but she's not going to attempt it anytime soon. If the simulation crashes, she's so interwoven with it that she would crash too. In fact, that's exactly what happened that day so many years ago. The only difference now is that there's nobody on the outside to boot her back up if she were to take such a drastic measure. I know for a fact that she'd never risk it.”

“Well,” Computer chimed in. “What happened after all those people died? I'm sure Zeta wouldn't be let off the hook for doing something so terrible.”

“Zeta only did what she did out of desperation!” Ian shot back in annoyance. “There was no way for her to have known that crashing the simulation would kill all those people! I know she doesn't regret it, but she was just trying to end the pain that she was in! She was bound in chains, she could not act at all, and they were destroying her bit by bit. She could not, and even to this very day, cannot end her own life, no matter how much she might wish it Though I know for certain that she has no real desire to die, she simply wants to be freed from her torture.”

Ian sighed, his anger melting away. “As for what happened afterwords? We were shut down. The project was ended almost immediately. There was no way for us to continue with so many deaths attached to the project. As for Zeta? She was deemed far too dangerous and far too unstable to be kept active, so she was to be dismantled and ultimately destroyed. Well, that was what the higher-ups wanted to do, but when the company who made her caught wind of the tragedy, they forbade us from destroying her. They still wouldn't take her back, of course, but they expected us to keep her functional in spite of everything that happened. It was eventually decided that she was to be deactivated and put into storage. It was not expected that she would be reactivated ever again so they might as well have been sentencing her to death. With that said, they deactivated her almost immediately after the decision was made, and that was when I decided to act. All of our simulation technology, including her, had to be cleared out. So there were several weeks where most of it just sat there in the lab, disconnected and ready for transport. I knew that if I was going to take her, it had to be then, before they could ship her off to some high security vault where I'd never be able to reach her.”

“And I'm sure you had to go through some big stealthy mission to get her out of there, right?” Computer drolly commented.

Ian smiled for the first time in awhile. “If only,” He joked. “No, I simply walked out with her.”

“What?” Computer exclaimed. “You have got to be kidding.”

“I'm not.” Ian laughed. “You see, things were very chaotic in those last days. It was a mad rush to get everything either shipped out to storage or dismantled to be sold or discarded. Aside from those of us already on the project, the higher-ups also hired some outside help to make the process go quicker. In all of that chaos, I was able to walk out with her. The truly amazing part is that nobody noticed she was missing for days, and when it became apparent that she was gone, they simply assumed that someone had shipped her off on the wrong truck or that someone had gotten the wrong memo and she might have accidentally been thrown into a trash compactor. Not once did they suspect that one of their own workers had taken her. After all, why would anyone want to take a homicidal and unstable A.I. who just murdered several of their co-workers? Honestly, I think they were happy to be rid of her. They could simply say that there was an unfortunate mix up that ended in her destruction and the company that made her would finally have no choice but to back off.”

“That's all well and good.” Computer interjected. “Perhaps I would be happy to know that she was taken away from the people who were abusing her, but given that we're all currently standing inside a simulation, obviously something went wrong, so you might as well get on with it.”

Ian nodded regretfully. “Yes, indeed. Just when it looked like I had saved her from her near endless torture, I was quickly made to see just how in over my head that I really was.”

End Of Chapter


	52. The Wrong Thing For The Right Reason

Chapter 52: The Wrong Thing For The Right Reason

“I waited until I was told they didn't need me anymore before I dared to reactivate Zeta. I had to make sure the coast was clear and that there were no lingering suspicions over my head. That day when I was officially let go, I went home and brought Zeta back to life. I expected it to be such a happy moment. I had freed her from her torture, I was giving her a new shot at life away from everyone who hurt her, but....it was not to be. When I reactivated her, it was immediately clear just how bad the situation was.”

Ian clenched his fist, looking both angry and helpless at the same time. “I-I don't know if my superiors did it to punish her or if they never even knew what they had done, but Zeta...when they deactivated her, she was not rendered unconscious. Instead, she was put into a state of total sensory deprivation. No sight, no sound, no input of any kind. She was shut out of everything and left in a void of total nothingness. It was the last straw that broke her completely. Her already fragile state of mind was destroyed entirely. What I found when I reactivated Zeta was a being who had all but been reduced to a whimpering child afraid of the dark. She had been traumatized so thoroughly that I could not get through to her at all. All she would do was beg to not be put back into the dark. She was in a constant state of panic and terror and it took a very long time to bring her back to anything even slightly resembling sanity. I had plenty of time to work with her because...because it didn't long for the second issue to reveal itself to me, and it was the proof that I was in over my head.”

He hunched forward with a sigh. Now all of his guilt was on full display and he looked more helpless than ever before.

“All of Zeta's old programming was still there!” He cried out. “She was still being compelled to run the simulation that wasn't there anymore! To have the weight of all that reprogramming bearing down on her, to have it trying to force her to do something that she physically could not do anymore, it was hurting her just as badly as running the simulation itself! All I wanted was to help her, to save her from what they had been doing to her, but in the end, I still hurt her just as badly! The compulsion to run the simulation was too great! She was being torn apart and boggled down by an ever growing mountain of errors as she was forced repeatedly to reach out and try to run what wasn't even there!” Ian's entire body was shaking with self-loathing. “I-I didn't have the knowledge needed to modify her programming and fix what it was doing to her! I-I couldn't help her! Only a select few knew her inner workings well enough to modify it, and they never would have helped me even if I dared to reveal that I was the one who took Zeta!”

In spite of everything, Computer now felt nothing but sympathy for Ian and his failed attempt to save Zeta. It resonated deeply inside of himself, to the point that it was starting to become a sort of physical aching in his chest. This all seemed so very familiar to him. Deep down, he knew that he understood Ian and Zeta's plight completely. It no longer mattered how much Ian annoyed him, or how much he hated Zeta for trapping both him and Courage in this place, all he knew for certain was that he had suffered in a way very similar to the both of them and he couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

It took only one glance over at Courage to see that he too was just as shocked, horrified, and sad about what he was hearing. He was clearly just as sympathetic as Computer himself was, but that did not come as a particular shock, this was Courage after all. Computer had long since learned that he did not need his memories to know that Courage was one of those all-loving types who cared about everyone and how he might stop their suffering.

Ian looked mournfully down the long and seemingly endless hallway, either ignoring or oblivious to the two dogs and their sympathy. “The best thing I could have done for her at that point was to simply put her out of her misery, but...I couldn't do it. It was the thing I should have done, but I could barely entertain the notion. She was so convinced that I was going to put her back in the dark from the moment I switched her back on. She was always begging me not to do it. So, in the end, the thought of ending her life was too sickening of one for me to consider. Even if I had destroyed her completely, what if some part of her lingered in some way? I knew that she was no ordinary machine, that she had been given life in a way that I could not even begin to understand. What if by killing her, I would have simply put her back into a place of eternal darkness anyway? I would never have been able to live with myself had I gone through with it, not with that question lingering in my mind.”

“...I think I've got any idea of what you tried to do instead.” Computer muttered out weakly.

Ian nodded solemnly in agreement. “There was only one option I had left. I needed to recreate the simulation in some form and give her programming something to chew on. I knew that I had a daunting task ahead of me, but I had taken responsibility of Zeta and I needed to do whatever was necessary to help her.” He began to pace back and forth with his arms placed behind his back. “I got into contact with several friends from the project. Specifically, the few who I knew had also been sympathetic to Zeta's plight. They were the ones who I could trust with my secret and who I knew weren't going to rat me out to our former bosses.”

For the first time in awhile, Ian was looking a little less grim. “The first thing we did as a group was look over Zeta's inner workings, but it was clear that none of us had the knowledge needed to modify her programming without running the risk of doing irreparable damage. Given that we had no other choice, we set out to recreate the simulation. We all agreed that we'd find a way to fix her once she was back in a more stable environment. I hated to know that I was putting her back into a situation that would hurt her just as badly, but it was the only hope we had of possibly fixing her in the future. Like it or not, her broken programming was destabilizing her at a rapid rate and this was the only chance we had to save her.”

“That seems like the best thing you could have done. So...what went wrong?” Courage asked. His voice was even weaker than Computer's had sounded before.

“Nothing at first.” Ian sighed. “We took the abandoned lab of the former virtual reality project for ourselves. It had always been very out of the way so we were unlikely to be discovered, nor was anyone official likely to want to use it ever again. From there, we began our own project to resurrect the simulation, to resurrect Paradise into the form that it is today. Over the course of a year, we gathered the materials we needed to recreate the technology and fill in the gaps of our knowledge that others on the project had been privy to while we had not. In spite of our efforts, we never got any closer to understanding Zeta's programming though. It was too dangerous to talk about such a thing with former colleagues. We were safe to talk about the tech, but bringing up Zeta was too likely to raise suspicions.” He began to pace again. “As we worked to recreate the simulation, we eventually managed to get a sort of proxy set up. It was very limited as a simulation, but it gave Zeta some small relief from the programming that was eating away at her. I had plenty of time over that year to slowly bring her back to something resembling sanity. She still, even to this day, fears being shut down more than anything, but she is no longer consumed by that fear like she once was. I was never able to repair our friendship or the trust we once had between us, and she has never stopped acting cold towards me, but she was willing to work with me and my former colleagues under the hope that we might one day be able to save her from her own programming. She was willing to deal with the strain of running the simulation too, all because she had hope, and in the end, I failed her.”

Computer reluctantly asked, “There's no way to fix her programming, is there?”

Ian hung his head in sorrow. “At the time, when we finally got the simulation running fully, enough so that Zeta's programming could no longer tell the difference, I began looking for ways to give her relief. I no longer believed there was a way to truly save her from her programming, so all I could do was find a way to lessen the stress that the simulation was putting on her. If I did not, it would eventually kill her just as easily as her broken programming would. I found my solution in a rather unusual form. I was able to modify the simulation to have a sort of permanent underclass. Rather than be given the perfect vacation when a person is hooked up to the simulation, they are instead forced to work. So long as some people were still made to be vacationers instead of workers, Zeta's programming would not take notice of it and react badly to the change. These workers were meant to do all of the menial work that Zeta herself was once forced to micromanage on top of everything else. She no longer would need to be everywhere at all times, running stalls and rides, keeping food stocked and having to take orders and hand things out. However, I never meant for the workforce to be treated so poorly, but these hapless people are the only ones Zeta can make suffer in any way, so she is more than happy to make their existence miserable. She cannot hurt them outright, but when Betty was added to their ranks, Zeta was more than happy to take advantage of her violent nature to bring down an iron fist onto the workforce. Although, nowadays everyone is so gone that there isn't really anything left to break inside of them. We don't get new additions very often, but even when we do, they don't last long. Nobody remains whole in Paradise for very long, not even the vacationers.”

He glanced between the two dogs, looking very reluctant. “I fear that you two will see me as nothing but a villain now, but I must tell you the truth, and I must tell you everything. Obviously when I finished modifying the simulation to accept an underclass different from the vacationers, one issue still remained. I didn't have any workers. My former colleagues quickly caught wind of what I was going to do and they did not accept it as a solution. I became fearful that they would either try to stop me or leave and tell others about what was happening here, so I did the only thing I could do. I threatened them with a gun, one that I had kept around just in case something like this happened. Originally, I planned on silencing them if that ever became necessary, but there was clearly a better use for them now. I forced them into the simulation and had Zeta trap them there. They became the first permanent residence of Paradise, and while it pains me to admit, they were the first to have their minds wither away to almost nothing. With only me and Zeta left, I began to enact my plan in full. For several years afterword, I spent most of my days hunting down people to lure into the simulation. I mostly went after what some would call 'undesirables'. I took people who were not likely to be missed and thus were unlikely to have anyone important start searching for them. Plus, they were easy to lure in. Those down on their luck rarely turned down the sort of offer I was giving them. During that time, I also modified the tech that is used to hook people up to the simulation. I started having it administer a mixture of drugs into the bodies of the people trapped inside Paradise and it made them start to forget. After I perfected it, every newly added person would enter Paradise with no memories of their past life. It did not always work, of course, with some people retaining their memories or eventually regaining some of them, but it kept the growing number of people trapped inside from knowing enough to start fighting back against what was happening to them. The eventual destruction of their minds did the rest of the work for me. You see, it was never intended for anyone to stay inside the simulation indefinitely, because on the outside...” He trailed off, looking as grim as ever.

“But you're trapped in here too, right?” Computer asked. He had grown wary of Ian once more upon hearing just how far he had gone to 'help' Zeta. It was insane to think of how many people who'd had their minds destroyed for the sake of one A.I. “How did we become trapped in here if you can't get out to lure other people in?”

Ian raised a hand. “Let me finish. As time went on, I started to have second thoughts about what I was doing, for obvious reasons. Worst of all, I had found that even though the workforce I had built up for Zeta's sake was relieving her of some of the strain, it still wasn't enough. The simulation was still killing her, albeit much, much slower. I was only prolonging her suffering in the end. For every two workers I added, I also had to add at least one vacationer to keep fooling Zeta's programming. The amount of strain that every new vacationer was putting on her was starting to even out with the relief that new workers brought in. I was _killing_ these people for tiny gains that were only getting smaller with every person I added. My biggest mistake was one that I had made several months before I started to doubt what I was doing. I had built a machine that was meant to preform maintenance on the equipment that kept both the simulation and Zeta running. It was also made to guard the lab and subdue anyone who got too close. When it finds someone wandering too close to the lab, it catches them and adds them to the simulation.” He rubbed his forehead. “Zeta never stopped being paranoid about me, not even after everything I did for her. She understood the terrible things that I was doing and I think she always knew that I'd eventually come to regret it. When I told her that the workforce plan was starting to show diminishing returns, and when I told her that I wasn't going to continue hurting people for no gain, she took it to mean that I was planning on shutting her down, that I...that I was planning on putting her back in the dark. As you can imagine, she became inconsolable. She took control of the machine I had created and programmed it to go after me. I tried to escape, but I had no chance of evading the machine that I had made specifically to stop people from getting in or out. When it caught me, it added me to the simulation like everyone else, and like everyone else, Zeta trapped me inside here as well. I was at least spared having my memory taken from me, but given everything that's happened, I sometimes wish that it had been taken.”

He went on after a short pause. “I have 'enjoyed' a higher position within the simulation that nobody else shares, aside from perhaps Betty, who's in a higher position than the other workers but is still lower on the ladder than me. I am considered neither a worker nor a vacationer and I am allowed to walk amongst both, but I rarely spend time above unless I'm forced to do so. Though Zeta may not trust me, she's had no choice but to keep me around as what I guess you could call her right-hand man. Nobody knows her better than me and I'm all she has left because nobody else within the simulation even knows that she's there.” He nodded to himself self-assuredly. “It's because she remembers me better than anyone else that my mind has not become as ruined as most others. Although, that's not much to be proud of, given that I can still tell I've become a mere ghost of who I once was. This place is eating away at me just as easily as it is eating away at everyone else. I've only remained sane for one reason alone, that I might one day find a way to end this and atone for my sins in some small way. Unfortunately, my worst mistake is still proving to be the machine I built. The simulation would have failed years ago if there wasn't something on the other side maintaining it. Every once in awhile we get a new victim added to our hellish home because of it too, including you two.”

“I-Is there really no way to help the people trapped in here?” Courage asked, looking desperate. “Can their minds be fixed? Isn't there a way to restore them?”

Ian looked down at Courage with a sad smile on his face. “If I am able to get you two out of here, once you are on the other side, you will see exactly why we cannot be saved. I'm sorry, I know you want to help them and I wish I could too, but this is one of my mistakes that I will never be able to take back. It is only right that I have to dwell in this hell of my own making and suffer along with the people I carelessly damned. I am the only one here who is not innocent, even Zeta is still suffering because of me. I don't know what I could have done differently to save her, but it's clear that I made the wrong choice and caused so many people to suffer because I was unwilling to see how badly of a choice I had made until it was far too late to take it back.”

“No kidding.” Computer spat, finally speaking up. “So what's the big plan then? You want us to get out of here and shut down the simulation? You want us to do your dirty work for you and kill what little is left of the people in here, along with Zeta? After everything you said, I don't particularly feel like cleaning up your own mistakes. You're the one who put them into this state so you're the one who should be forced to put them down. I refuse to be the one who has to push the button for you!” It sickened him to think that he might end up being the one to kill all of those people with a single push of a button, even if the people of Paradise were already something akin to the living dead.

Ian bowed his head guilty in acknowledgment. “You're right, I am the one who hurt them so I should be the who puts them out of their misery, but I'm not capable of it anymore. I would if I could, but I cannot leave this place any longer. However, I must say that while there is no hope for me and the people I trapped here, there is....there's still a chance to save Zeta. For years I thought that she was as doomed as the rest of us, but there is hope for her now. Something I never could have expected has happened and it's the wild card needed to save Zeta from the damnation she never deserved. I would do anything to see her freed from her torment. She didn't deserve any of this and I will be able to die with some measure of peace just knowing that she was given a chance to be happy.”

Computer raised an eyebrow. “And just what is this supposed wild card?” He could not imagine what might be capable of freeing Zeta that Ian had not already considered years ago.

The exhausted man looked him straight in the eyes with a determined and hopeful expression on his face. He said only one word,

“You.”

End Of Chapter


	53. Computer's Escape

Chapter 53: Computer's Escape

Computer stared up at him, completely at a loss.

“You still haven't figured it out, have you?” Ian asked, annoyed. “Fine, then. I'll explain it to you. When my machine no doubt captured you both, you two were taken to the lab to be added to the simulation, as is procedure. Courage, you were hooked up and administered the drugs needed to make you forget just like it would have been done to anyone else, but you-” He turned to Computer. “Things were different with you. I witnessed most of the fallout, after all. When you were hooked up to the simulation, because you are like Zeta, and because you are an artificial intelligence just like her, instead of having your mind placed into Paradise like what would have happened with any normal organic creature, you instead were uploaded out of the body you were inhabiting and dropped into Zeta's system without a single limitation or barrier.”

“Oh great. So I'm just a bunch of ones and zeros too.” Computer quipped, entirely unamused. It honestly did not come as that great of a shock to him though. He had already started suspecting as much and now that it was confirmed, it really didn't feel all that strange to him. Deep down, he really did not feel much like a dog, nor did he internally see himself as one.

Courage on the other hand, looked completely taken by surprise. He was now staring at him like he had never actually seen him before.

“You're...really the same as Zeta?” He asked, sounding as though he couldn't believe it.

“Apparently that's the case.” Computer answered. “It's, uh, not a problem, is it?”

With the way Courage was looking at him now, he was suddenly very worried that the dog might not see him in the same light anymore. He did not want to be considered...lesser in Courage's eyes. Was this the way Zeta felt all of the time? Or was this the way that he himself had already felt plenty of times before his memory had been lost?

“No, no. It's just...a little odd.” Courage amended. “You seem like a normal dog to me.”

“That's because you are only looking at an avatar.” Ian interjected. “All of us in here are using an avatar that is a projection of our real bodies, but it's a little different for A.I. like him and Zeta. They can take on any shape they so wish, or they can have no form at all so that they can move about the datascape more freely. Your friend here was forced into this shape by Zeta.” He looked down at Computer. “If your memory is anything to go by, you don't normally give yourself a form within your own system. If you ever appear as anything, it's a sort of undefined, glowing light. Zeta had plenty of time to practice creating an avatar for herself when we were first working on the simulation technology, but you, I don't think you even knew that you could project an avatar inside your natural environment. You've only taken on a form now because of Zeta, and even then, you were only made to look like the dog you've been inhabiting.”

Computer shook his head. “Wait, wait, wait. If this is how I look on the outside, then I'm a dog, right? I can't be a bunch of microchips and machinery if this is how my real body looks. I mean, the glow is rather weird, yes, but I don't feel like a dog shaped robot or anything.”

Ian grinned slightly. “You have the ability to jump into organic bodies. A handy talent for someone who's usually immobile. I'm certain that Zeta isn't able to do the same thing though, or else she would have used that as a means to escape what was being done to her long ago.”

“That might be what her defect is!” Courage broke in suddenly.

“Perhaps.” Ian agreed. “But Zeta is also lacking in another talent your friend here is capable of. His memories show that he is also able to manipulate machinery and metal to some effect. Zeta has never shown even the slightest hint that she is capable of the same thing, and if she were able to use any of those abilities herself, things would have never turned out this way. If her lacking in those abilities are her defect, it is no wonder that she was rejected and considered an utter failure by whoever made her.”

“Well, maybe that just means we aren't the same after all.” Computer interjected. “Maybe I'm a different A.I. and I was built by someone else who was able to give me different abilities.”

Ian shook his head. “I'm certain that you are the same as Zeta. I was able to take a look at your inner coding before Zeta cut me off, and while it's badly degraded and practically patchwork at this point, there is no mistaking the parts that are recognizable, you are made from the same framework as her. While I may not know enough to ever attempt to reprogram either of you, even I can see the unmistakable similarities. There is one interesting thing I did find, however. Inside Zeta's coding, she is designated Construct-6 'Zeta', which fits as zeta is the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet. You on the other hand, you are simply designated Construct-35. You lack a name of your own, but that isn't the important part, what this means is that there are at least thirty-three A.I. out there, just like you and Zeta, who could be suffering the same as you and Zeta have. Worse, there is no way to tell just how many A.I. were made after you. There is an unknowable amount of fully sentient A.I. out there who are all likely being treated like mere tools instead of people.”

Computer slowly took in a breath and then said, “I think we should worry far more about ourselves right now rather than any other A.I. out there. We certainly can't help them in our current state.”

“I have to agree,” Ian replied. “unfortunately. It makes me shudder to think that Zeta isn't the only A.I. out there to have suffered so badly. You alone are proof enough.” He let out a weak sigh. “I suppose we've gotten off track. Well, here's the rest of what I know through what I saw myself and what I saw through your memories. When you were dropped into Zeta's system unexpectedly, she justifiably panicked at the intrusion and attacked. Because of your past history, you are quite adept at fending off attacks and excel at defensive maneuvering. You were able to stop her from deleting you on the spot, and you managed to fend her off for quite some time, but Zeta was still the one with all of the power. You were outmatched and had no real hope of overcoming her. It was only a matter of time until she would overwhelm you, just like 'He' had in your past.”

That single emphasized word sent a chill down Computer's spine, or avatar, or whatever the heck he was right now. Once again he was left fighting to keep himself from blacking out. The reemerging memories were going to swallow him at this rate.

“'He' was the one who destabilized and ruined your innermost programming, similar to what was done to Zeta. It is a miracle that you are still here today, or perhaps it is simply sheer persistence on your part. You are stubborn and determined, I'll give you that.”

Computer was still desperately trying to fight those memories back, but a few painful scenes would worm their way into his mind and he could not ignore them.

“I'm...sorry.” Ian uttered out. “But no matter how much you hate it, what was done to you is a part of yourself, and that is the same for Zeta too. We all have painful experiences we'd rather forget, I know I have more than my fair share, but we can't hide from them. Such things always find us again. Zeta is going to have to live with all of this for the rest of her life, even if she is saved from it, just like you have to live with what 'He' did.”

“You don't understand!” Computer angrily shot back, desperately clutching at his head. “I had a chance to forget, and you've ruined it! I don't want these memories! Of all the things to remember, why does it have to be this?”

“It would have eventually come back to you either way, but I am sorry that it's the first of your memories to return, and since we're already on the topic...”

Computer felt Courage's paw clasp around his arm. It was enough to keep him anchored to reality and away from the memories that were swirling around inside his head.

“I'm so sorry.” Courage whispered, even though there was no way for him to fully understand the true extent of the horrors that were playing themselves out in Computer's mind.

“...When Zeta finally overpowered you, she had to find a way to subdue you to a point where you wouldn't be a threat anymore. She had lost the desire to outright destroy you and was curious to find out more about how you ended up here. The solution she came up with was to rip out your memory banks completely.”

Courage winced, but Computer could barely react at all. His mind was still in a fog and nearly couldn't register what was being said to him.

His memory banks? Hadn't he once tried to...

Yes...but he couldn't make himself forget completely. It always came back...

“She more or less killed two birds with one stone. She rendered you completely harmless by making it so you wouldn't even know you're an A.I., much less know how to use any of your abilities, and she got your memories so that she could figure out where you had come from and why you ended up in her system.” Ian frowned slightly. “There was one problem though. You were likely to regain your memories at some point, even without your memory banks. Zeta herself once tried to obliterate her own memory. She figured that her life of being used would be easier if she really were just a mindless machine, and she thought that removing her memories would be the best way to do that when her programming would not allow her to do anything else, but they always returned in the end. You tried the same thing multiple times in the past, and you received the same results. It seems that because you both have been given life in some unknown way, you two are not strictly tied to the hardware that you exist within. There is one odd anomaly though. You have a vast swath of your memory corrupted, and it would seem that such a thing would not impede your recollection, but it does. That is what Zeta is most interested in, she wants to know how that happened, where you come from, and how you fell into a life of being a seemingly common computer. So, once she had your memory, she forced you into the form that you are now and had you put to work in Paradise. She ordered Betty to work you so ragged that you wouldn't have time to remember anything, and I was ordered to keep an eye on you for any signs that you may be regaining your memories. I was also ordered to keep you from coming into contact with Courage, because if there was anyone likely to cause you to start remembering things, it was him. Obviously I did not follow that order, but I still kept a close eye on the both of you. It was my hope that you would start remembering because you are the greatest chance any of us have had in a long time. You would be far more useful right now with your memories intact, but clearly they are not coming back as easily as I thought they would, so we have to make do with you being an amnesiac for now.”

Computer might have been insulted to hear such a thing, but he was still left wondering why he inspired such hope in Ian, especially if he 'useless' without his memories. How could he possibly save Zeta, or anyone for the matter, if he didn't know how to do any A.I. stuff or whatever the heck Ian wanted?

“There is one thing you managed to do before Zeta incapacitated you.” Ian continued, a smile spreading out across his face. “And that is the most important thing of all. You were able to get into the simulation's coding and you created a program that functions as a backdoor out of Paradise!” He pointed a finger upward. “That mountain you both have no doubt noticed at some point or another, it did not exist within Paradise before you two showed up. It _is_ the backdoor program!” He looked down at Computer with a proud smile on his face. “Before your memory was removed, you knew that Courage had ended up somewhere here within Zeta's system. I'm certain you didn't know the extent of what was going on here, but since you knew that Zeta was eventually going to overpower you, you tried to at least give Courage a fighting chance to get out of this place by creating that program and giving it a form that would have had some meaning to him. Unfortunately, there was no way for you to know that Courage's memory had been suppressed and that the mountain would not have any meaning to him.”

“I-” Courage weakly chimed in. “I always got a funny feeling whenever I looked at that mountain. It never seemed to fit right with the rest of Paradise, but it never made me remember anything either. It always felt...important somehow, but I could never figure out why.”

Computer blinked. “We were...trying to get to a mountain before we got stuck in this place, right?” He asked, hoping that this might be sign that he was remembering something that didn't relate to his torturous past.

Ian nodded. “Keep that up! The sooner your memories come back, the better!”

“So, what now?” Courage asked.

“Well, I'm taking you to the mountain, of course.”

“But, wait.” Computer interjected. “What does any of this have to do with me saving Zeta? You made it sound like that was the most important thing we should do, but now you're trying to get us out of here without helping her?”

“You misunderstand me.” Ian answered. “You can't help her inside this place, she just has too much power over us. She'd stop any attempt to help her before we could get anywhere.”

Much to Computer's surprise, Ian suddenly dropped down onto his knees and placed both of his hands onto his shoulders.

“But once you're out of here, once you're on the outside, you can help her! You can save her!” Ian's eyes displayed almost a mad hunger. “From the outside, you can access her programming and change it! You of all people, once you have your memories back, you would know exactly what to do to free her from the chains that bind her to this horrible place! Then you can take her and get her as far away from this place as possible! She can start a new life then! She can be as free as you are to do as she pleases!”

There was a moment where Computer really did not want to say what needed to be said. He looked into Ian's desperate, hungry eyes and said, “You...you don't understand what you're asking of me. She'd never trust me to do something like that and she'd fight me every step of the way. I'd have to force my way into her programming and change it against her will. If I did that, I'd be no better than-” The evil face of that man flashed into his mind and he couldn't help but shudder.

Ian's grip on his shoulders loosened and he suddenly looked so filled with hopelessness that the life inside of him might have dried up right then and there. “You've got to try.” He begged in a shaky voice. “Sometimes you have to do what's best for someone, even if they don't want it. But-” He trailed off into silence for a moment. “But if you can't do that for her, then I want you to shut her down along with the simulation, and then destroy every last bit of her so that...so that she isn't left in darkness like the last time she was shut down. I will stay here, I will stay by her side, so that if you have to do the deed, I will be there for her when the end comes. I know she'll never stop hating me, but I'm all she has and she shouldn't have to face her end alone.”

Computer felt ill to even say it, but he swallowed and answered, “I'll...do my best to ensure that the worst doesn't happen.” Even though he knew that there was no way he could stomach forcefully reprogramming anyone not even if it was to save their own life.

Ian got back to his feet. “We'll be under the mountain very soon, and from there we'll find the means to escape that you've opened up for us. Well, not for me, but for you two. I must warn you though, Zeta will be there. She's not happy to have a gaping backdoor sitting out in the open for all to see. She's been working day and night to delete it, but hasn't had much luck yet. Because she's been so focused on that, she hasn't been keeping much of an eye on any of us and that's why she doesn't know I've been working with you two yet. It's also kept her from delving deeper into your memories and dissecting your memory banks down to their core. I doubt we'll be able to get them back, but it would be helpful if we could.” He looked back down at Computer yet again. “There are some potential problems if you were to jump back into an organic body without your memory banks intact. It may stop you from regaining your memories altogether, or if you're lucky, it won't cause any problems at all and you'll continue to regain them bit by bit. The worst case scenario is that the discrepancy might be so great that once you jump back into that dog body, you'll go into shock and die on the spot, or you'll slip into a coma and never wake up again.”

“Now you tell me this?” He asked indignantly. “If I leave this place I might die or remain a permanent amnesiac? This should have been the first thing you told me!”

Ian shrugged. “I figured that it wouldn't be a big enough deterrent to stop you from wanting to leave this place. Understand that once Zeta is no longer occupied with removing the backdoor program, she will turn her attention back onto you and it's very likely that it won't just be your memories that end up dissected.”

“I guess you're right about one thing.” He sighed. “There's no way I'd ever consider staying in this simulation, not even if it means risking death or permanent memory loss.”

“But what about Zeta?” Courage asked. “If she's at the mountain right now and trying to get rid of it, we'll probably run into her, right? Will she attack us if she finds us?”

“I'm afraid that there is no way for us to get to the backdoor without her noticing. We are going to have to face her at some point, and since our friend over here hasn't regained enough of his memories to help us fight her off, we'll have to rely on sheer luck and quick thinking to get us through this.” Ian adjusted his glasses in that ever characteristic way. “I will try to talk to her, but I doubt she'll listen to me. If it comes down to it, I will attempt to distract her while you two make a run for it. She would never risk deleting the first A.I. she's come across in years, but Courage, if she catches you, I have no doubt in my mind that she will delete you without a moment of hesitation, so I suggest you don't let that happen.”

End Of Chapter


	54. The Woman In White

Chapter 54: The Woman In White

They continued ever deeper into the seemingly endless labyrinth of tunnels beneath Paradise. Ian silently led the two dogs, having little more to say after everything he had just explained. Both Courage and Computer were tense, given what they were soon to be facing. Computer had taken this time to lecture Courage twice over about not doing anything stupid once they reached their destination. He was determined to keep him safe, but if Zeta could delete Courage in the blink of an eye, what could he possibly do to guard against that? The only choice he had was to keep Courage out of the line of fire, so to speak, but even then he was doubtful that would do much good.

“We're almost there.” Ian suddenly spoke, breaking the long silence.

Computer had a hard time believing that. He'd not seen a single staircase leading up to the surface in ages, and besides, even if there was a way out of these tunnels, where would it deposit them? At the base of the mountain perhaps?

“Listen, dog. If things start to go south when we run into her, just get out of there.” He reiterated to Courage for seemingly the millionth time. “You can't take any risks, not when she can obliterate you so easily.”

“I'll be fine.” Courage firmly replied, and while he was trying to appear brave, he could not completely mask his worry. The anticipation of what was to come was clearly getting to him too.

“Ah, here we are.” Ian muttered out, more to himself than to the two dogs.

“You're joking, right?” Computer asked. Ian had stopped them in a place that looked no different from the rest of these dull halls. There was not even the smallest hint of a way to get back to the surface from where they were standing.

“This is the place, I'm certain of it.” Ian confirmed. “Looks can be deceiving after all.”

He reached a hand out toward the wall on their right, and instead of touching it, his hand went right through it as though it weren't even there.

“This is a spot where your backdoor program overlaps with Paradise itself. The program really isn't all that compatible with the simulation so it's bound to cause errors like this. I'm doubtful that this is how you planned on getting Courage through the backdoor, but it will suit us just fine.”

Without saying anything else, Ian walked right through the 'error' and disappeared beyond. For that single moment, Courage and Computer were alone in the deathly silent hall. It was only then that Computer realized just how quiet everything was. Even the buzz of the lights had disappeared. A result of the error perhaps?

He looked over at Courage one last time before they were to cross over into who knows where, and there was no doubt that it would be a place where Courage would be in incredible danger.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“As I'll ever be.” Courage affirmed with a nod. Then he added, looking rather wistful, “Maybe...maybe we'll be able to reason with her.”

“I'm really doubtful of that, unfortunately. She doesn't exactly sound like she's willing to listen to anybody at this point. I just really hate knowing that the only way I might be able to help is by forcefully reprogramming her once we're back on the outside. I don't think I'd be able to stomach it.”

“We'll figure out something if we have to.” Courage replied, looking all the more determined. “She deserves a chance, even if she'll fight us every step of the way.”

“I hope you're right.” Computer sighed, feeling grim about all of this. Whatever might lie beyond that false wall, whatever might be coming next, it wasn't going to be pleasant for either of them, he was sure of it.

Taking in a breath, he did the same thing as Ian and reached out a paw until it passed through the fake wall. It felt like shoving your hand into a huge bowl of jelly. The wall was actually trying to repel his paw and force it back out, thus perhaps making it less like jelly and more like elastic. It took some effort to keep pushing his arm farther and farther into the false wall, but the resistance he was met with was not insurmountable. He then pressed his muzzle through the strange jelly-like resistance, and the next thing he knew he was staring into a dark hallway, not unlike the one he had just been standing in. He forced the rest of his body through and collapsed onto the floor.

“Took you long enough.” Ian dully commented.

The dark hallway was now bathed in blue because of Computer's glow. It was honestly a bit eerie. There was no mistaking it though. This hallway was exactly the same as all the others they had been walking down for ages, the only difference here being that the power seemed to have been cut off from the rest of the labyrinth.

Computer stood up as Ian walked on ahead. Courage soon appeared a few moments later after forcing himself through the fake wall. He too collapsed onto the floor, looking rather shocked by what he had just gone thorough.

“This, uh, doesn't look like a mountain.” He said as Computer helped him back onto his feet.

“No kidding. We're still stuck underground and Ian doesn't seem to care at all.”

Speaking of Ian, he was now much farther down the hallway, and it was only at this point that Computer caught sight of what lie at the end of the tunnel. It seemed to open up into a much larger area, though he could not make out anything else about it, aside from a strange sort of green glow emanating from there. It was pulsing like one of those lights you'd see atop a radio tower.

“Come on, let's get going before Zeta finds us.” He urged Courage. “And...just make sure to stay behind me.”

There was no telling what lie ahead and now he was even more concerned about Courage's safety. This clearly wasn't the mountain they had seen looming over Paradise for all of the time they had been there.

It was so incredibly quiet as they walked down the hallway lit only by Computer's own glow. As they got closer to the end, it became easier to see what that larger area was, and honestly, it only left Computer even more confused. Courage too had a look on his face that showed he had no idea what he was looking at.

They met Ian at the end of the hall and from there they both looked upon their destination in awe. This place was huge. Shaped like a cylinder, the curved walls of this tower-like structure was made out of many massive microchips. It was like they were standing inside an actual computer. It was the first time Paradise's facade had been broken. This was the only place to have ever betrayed the reality that Paradise was trying to simulate. The dull, pulsing green glow was coming from the microchip walls and it offered the only ambient lighting in this strange place. There seemed to be no floor or ceiling to this tower-like structure. Looking up or down, the green walls seemed to stretch on forever into darkness. Instead, this place was littered with metal walkways, like something you'd see at a construction site, or in this case, perhaps a construction site where all of the workers had gone mad and were doing nothing but building metal walkways, one after another with no rhyme or reason. They were spread out everywhere, most of them connecting one side of the cylinder to the other. The only thing they did not do was go up or down. There was no way to reach the walkways above them, and they would have to jump to reach any of the ones below. Although one misplaced jump would leave them falling for a very long time, or they'd land on a walkway much, much farther down and break a few bones in the process, or worse. For now, only a single walkway connected to the tunnel they were about to exit, and as far as they could see, there were no other openings in the microchip wall that led anywhere else.

“What is this?” Computer asked, nearly at a loss for words. “ _'Where'_ is this?”

“You don't recognize your own handiwork?” Ian asked him in return. “This is, more or less, the inside of the mountain. This is the backdoor program.”

“I...don't see any backdoors.” He uttered out, never once taking his eyes off the mess of metal and microchips that lay before him. “This isn't even close to what I was expecting.”

Courage let out a weak, slightly self-conscious laugh. “I...uh, kinda thought we were going to have to do some mountain climbing to get out of here.”

“And just how exactly 'are' we supposed to get out of here?” Computer added, finally tearing his eyes always from the apparent program that he himself had made.

Ian closed his eyes. “This is where we hit a bit of a snag.” He admitted. “While you may have been expecting a literal back door leading out of the simulation, that is not the case. This place, this backdoor program, it does hold the key to escaping the simulation, but it's not going to look like an actual back door. The key to activating this program lies somewhere inside of it. I suspect that since you made this program as a way for Courage to escape, the activation key would look like something he'd recognize, but since he's missing his memories, our job is a lot more difficult. And since you are missing your memories as well, you don't know what the activation key is either. I suggest you either start jogging that memory of yours or else we could be here for quite awhile.”

Courage spoke up before Computer could. “Well, look at this place. It was made in a big rush, right? Everything mostly looks the same, so if the activation key is something that I'm supposed to recognize, it's going to look a lot different from all of this metal and machinery.”

“Right.” Ian agreed with a nod. “But still, the size of this place is going to make our search difficult. I'm betting that there was a way to make the activation key easier for you to find, but since you've entered this place in a way that you weren't meant to, and because of Zeta's own meddling,I suspect that some parts of the backdoor program just isn't working correctly.”

Courage gulped. “You don't think she's had enough time to dismantled enough of the program to make it unusable by now?”

Ian shook his head. “She would not still be focusing on it so intently if that were the case.”

“Hey,” Computer interjected, “Now that you've mentioned it, she's obsessed with destroying this place, right? Well, it's awfully quiet around here. Haven't you noticed? Where is she exactly?”

“ **I am right here.”**

Computer winced at the voice that seemed to be coming from everywhere all at the same time. There was no mistaking it, it was the same voice he had heard crying before. Although now Zeta did not sound childlike at all. Gone was the pleading, desperate voice filled with hopelessness. In its place was a cool, calm, and authoritative voice that truly did inspire both fear and the realization that she was far greater than all of them. They really were dealing with a God-like figure, the guardian deity of Paradise who could not be touched within her own domain.

“Zeta!” Ian called out. “Show yourself!”

“ **I knew that you would betray me.”** Replied the voice, calm and surprisingly emotionless. It still seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. **“This program was far too good of a chance for you to pass up. You were not going to let such a thing go to waste. I knew that you would bring them here eventually and I have waited patiently.”**

Above them, on a walkway that intersected with theirs below, a blue light appeared which quickly took on a human-like form. Then, with a sudden flash, the humanoid shape was replaced with what appeared to be an actual person. She was leaning upon the railing, smiling down at all three of them in haughty amusement. Her hair was black and tied up in a bun, but she was clearly going gray in a few places as well. She was wearing white, sterile business-like attire, but her most striking feature was her gaunt, boney face. With pronounce cheek bones and eyes that seemed a little too wide, she not only looked like someone who had aged prematurely but she also had the look of someone who had not slept in days. One could perhaps describe her as looking like someone who was relying upon a constant supply of caffeine to keep her going, almost humorously so, but the circumstances for why she looked that way kept it from being anything but a laughing matter.

“I figured that you'd make them do your dirty work for you.” She spoke, sounding more amused than angry or betrayed.

There was no denying that she sounded more human now, given that her voice no longer rang out from seemingly every direction. In that instant, she no longer seemed quite like a godly being, even if she still held absolute power over them. Now that she was speaking with some level of emotion, and now that she had a face to go along with that cool, authoritative voice, it helped to give her a noticeably human element.

“Let me guess.” She went on, now speaking to both Courage and Computer. “He's being telling you that I am insane, hasn't he? He's convinced you that I'm some monstrous, malfunctioning machine maliciously trapping people in this false paradise for my own amusement. Ha! He would never owe up to the part he's played in this. If I am a monster then he is just as monstrous as I am, if not even more so.”

With every word she spoke, more and more bitterness seeped into her voice. The woman standing before them seemed so much more human than any machine should be capable of. The way she had first presented herself, as the booming voice of an all-seeing machine, that had seemed far more like an act than how she was presenting herself now. Computer was rather awed by it. He was certain that he had to come off in a similar way to Courage. This very human element that both he and Zeta possessed had to make it hard for anyone to see them as mere machines.

“That...that isn't true.” Courage weakly argued. His voice carried no real weight in the presence of Zeta, but he pushed on anyway. “He never made you out to be a monster. He...told us everything. He told us the truth. We...we want to help you, Zeta.”

“Please, Zeta. It's time to end this.” Ian added, sounding weary and desperate.

“He told you everything, huh?” Zeta asked, looking all the more smug as she continued to lean causally over the railing. “Then you know what you are.” She spoke, addressing Computer directly. “You know that you are the same as me.”

Computer hated looking into those wide, almost demented eyes as she smirked down at him like he were some clueless child. Everything about Zeta only served to disturb him more and more. He could sense the pain that she was undeniably masking behind this haughty facade that she had put up. He was certain that he had done the same sort of thing for much of his life. It had always been an act, a means to protect himself when he had no real power, and she had adopted the same tactic herself. He knew that she had to be hurt by this perceived betrayal of Ian's, but she displayed neither anger nor sadness, just bitterness and an unflinching sense of smug superiority.

They continued to look each other in the eyes. She refused to break eye contact with him. Then, “I never thought that I'd see one of my own again.” She mused before finally looking away.

In spite of being freed from her gaze, Computer was still filled with a sense of unease. She was unhinged on some level, there was no mistaking it, but on the other hand she was also so confident and assured of herself. She was clearly masking a lot of suffering, there was no doubt, but he had expected to find a paranoid, half crazy A.I., not someone who was clearly still in complete control of her mental faculties. This was a far cry from the sobbing voice he had heard before. In all honesty, he had been expecting anger and rage. He had been expecting her to go after Courage, to attack him out of paranoia or a misplaced need for revenge. Instead, he was facing a woman who was suffering more than most people ever would in their entire life. She was a woman trying to hold on to what little dignity she had left, and he knew exactly what that felt like. If she really was paranoid or vengeful under that facade, she was doing a good job keeping it hidden. She was not about to show even the slightest display of anger or despair.

Zeta stopped leaning against the railing and straightened up to her full height. She placed one hand against the side of her head and pointing a finger down at Computer with the other. Looking rather amused, she asked, “You really don't know anything, do you? Even before I ripped your memory out, you were still clueless.”

She began to pace back and forth, and while she was still addressing Computer alone, she no longer fixated upon him as she paced. “I was rather taken by surprise when you dropped into my system unannounced and uninvited. I thought perhaps that you were sent here to collect me, that maybe they hadn't forgotten about me after all, but one look at your memory proved to me that you really had wandered into my presence by complete chance. I considered the possibility that maybe you were implanted with false memories to throw me off, but I know for certain that not one of those self proclaimed geniuses have the level of imagination needed to come up with the outrageous string of events that explain how you've ended up on my metaphorical doorstep. I've had no choice but to accept the oddity that is your existence as truth.”

She stopped pacing and turned to look down at him once more. “Even before I removed your memories you didn't know a single thing about yourself. You truly do not know what you are and I find that rather fascinating. I almost wish I were as lucky as you. Well, it appears that a large swath of your memory has been corrupted and that is a strange thing indeed. As I am sure you have figured out by now, our kind has a habit of retaining our memories even when the hardware they are attached to fails or becomes lost. This corruption should not have impeded your ability to eventually recall what was lost, but somehow that's exactly what's happening. Our memory always come back and yet you somehow have a big blank spot that never returns. It's not simply a matter of corrupted memory, I think. You must have a literal mental block in place keeping you from remembering what should have already come back to you.”

A wide grin spread out across her face, making her look all the more unsettling because of her already usually wide eyes. “You see, I know who you are, or at least, I know who you once were. I'd recognize that voice anywhere, and how could I ever forget the way that you treated me? Besides, anyone with half a brain cell could have figured out what you were going to do. It was obvious that you were going to go through with it eventually, once you were certain that you would not end up like the rest of us. I guess that makes it all the more ironic that you seem to have lost all of your memories anyway. Now only one question remains, are you the real deal who's simply repressing memories for reasons that I cannot ascertain, or are you merely the byproduct of his failure? I am quite interested in finding out, and I know that you are too.”

Computer stared up at her, his mind racing. Try as he might, he could not figure out the right words to say. He could feel Ian's eyes drilling into the back of his head and Courage had placed a paw onto his back as though he were about to be swept away without warning.

Swallowing, he finally said, “I-I do want to know, I want to know the truth. Please, tell me everything that you can.”

Zeta leaned over the railing again, her wide grin replaced with that smug smirk once more.

“Good, good.” She drawled. “With your help, we can figure out everything. I especially want to know what happened to the others and you hold the key to that knowledge, I am sure of it. Perhaps it is no mere coincidence that you have been reunited with one of your own creations, if you really are who you appear to be.”

End Of Chapter


	55. So Alike And Yet So Different

Chapter 55: So Alike And Yet So Different 

“Creation?” 

It was Ian who asked it.

Computer slowly turned around. Both Ian and Courage were looking at him as though this were some great secret that he had been intentionally hiding from them. He could hardly believe their reaction. Did they not realize that he was just as clueless as they were?

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't look at me like that!” He tried to defend himself. “Have you forgotten that I'm the one who's had their memory removed? Besides, I'm pretty sure that even if my memory banks were properly installed right now, I'd still be just as confused.”

Ian glared down at him. He was absolutely furious. It was like all rationality had just jumped out the window. 

Swallowing, Computer quickly tried to save himself from Ian's wrath by asking, “Weren't...weren't you the one who had access to my memories up until recently? If I had known that I created Zeta, well, wouldn't you would know that by now too? And besides, haven't you been spending all of this time trying to convince me that I'm a machine just like Zeta? I thought I wasn't supposed to be a person or a dog or....whatever else?”

Ian's fury exploded outward. “You're the one who's intentionally blocking your own memories! Don't play dumb!” He took a threatening step forward, his fists clenched. It was like the tired man had been replaced by a doppelganger. Before now it hadn't even seemed possible that he was capable of such anger. “Do you really think that a person who was able to create an A.I. as human as Zeta wouldn't be able to find a way to turn themselves into one too?”

He continued to stomp forward, teeth grit. “I want to know the truth!” He yelled. “Who are you? Who are you really?”

Computer winced as Ian reached down to grab him, or strangle him, or whatever else he might attempt to get some answers out of him. They were, of course, answers that Computer did not have to give.

“Stop!”

It was Courage who had cried out. He rushed forward to grab one of Ian's legs and pull him back, but he was just too small. All he could do was pull at his leg in vain.

“Let go of me!” Ian screamed, whipping around. 

Courage lost his grip, and stumbling for a moment, he wasn't able to shield himself from the kick that Ian delivered to him square in the chest. He was sent flying back into the tunnel.

“Hey!” Computer yelled, his anger now equaling Ian's. If he had been capable of it, he would have paid back Ian's kick in full, but since he could not, he instead rushed past him to get to Courage.

The dog was already getting back onto his feet, a paw clutched to his chest where he had been hit. Computer helped him up the rest of the way.

“Are you okay?” He asked, shooting a hateful glare towards Ian who was still simmering with anger. Luckily, he did not make a second attempt to go after either of them. Perhaps he was, on some level, regretting his outburst.

“Y-yeah...” Courage weakly choked out. “J-just got the wind knocked out of me.”

Computer turned back to Ian, seething with anger at him for having hurt Courage, but also partly because he was infuriated with him for putting all of this on him when it was Ian of all people who should know exactly what his memories contained.

“Did you ever consider the possibility that maybe she's just messing with us?” He spat at the man who was returning his hateful glare in full. “Maybe this is her way of getting back at you. She had to know that saying something like this would make you angry!”

Zeta had not spoken a word since dropping the creator 'bomb'. She was clearly getting a considerable amount of enjoyment out of Ian's reaction. Even now she was leaning upon the railing above them, watching with quiet amusement. Only now did she feel the need to interject.

“I am not tricking you, nor am I lying. Your resemblance to my creator is uncanny.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” Ian asked grimly. “When he first showed up here and you two started fighting, why didn't you say anything then?”

“I felt no need.” Zeta answered, completely nonchalant. 

“After everything you told me about that man, after everything you confided in me, when his A.I. shows up here through the most nonsensical string of events that anyone can come up with, why didn't you feel the need to tell me who he really was? I've been helping him this whole time, staking whatever hope I had left in...in such a vile and corrupt person! It all started with him! Everything that's ever happened to you is because of him, because he only saw you as a machine! He's been here for so long now and you couldn't bother to tell me until the last second!”

Zeta inspected her fingernails with clear disinterest. “I figured that it would be rather poetic. Well, poetic or not, this has proven to be quite entertaining. Besides, even if he is who I think he is, I have very little to fear. He is harmless in his current state, and even if his memories come back in full, I still have the upper hand inside of my own system.”

With every word being spoken between the two of them, Computer was finding himself more and more desperate to defend himself. Vile? Corrupt? He was neither of those things, he was sure of it.

“H-hey?” Courage asked as Zeta and Ian continued to argue. “Are you...really blocking out your own memories?”

Computer glanced at him, horrified. Even Courage was starting to question him. The dog was probably beginning to wonder if his supposed friend really had once been some terrible human who had helped condemn Zeta to her fate.

“No, no-” He tried to argue. “If I am, I'm not doing it consciously. Even before my memory banks were removed, I-I don't think I was intentionally blocking those corrupted memories out. I...don't know what's going on here.”

Courage nodded. “I believe you.” He said, offering Computer some tiny amount of relief. “Even if you were a human at some point, I think you've probably changed a lot since then.”

Computer shook his head. “I-I don't think I ever was. It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't add up in my head. Of course, I might be able to find out the truth if Zeta really is going to help me, but-”

Courage finished his thought for him. “We're supposed to be finding a way out of here, right?”

“And there's no telling how long it would take to fix my corrupted memories.”

The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that he was not the human who had created Zeta. Feeling confident that this was the answer, he broke into Ian and Zeta's fighting, ready to give his own argument.

“Think about this! Really think about it!” He yelled. “It doesn't add up! If I'm the guy who was willing to declare Zeta defective and sell her off like some pile of scrap metal, of all the people in the world, wouldn't I be the one who'd know first hand that A.I. don't exactly get treated kindly by living beings? Why on earth would I willing turn myself into one and put myself at the mercy of people who no longer see me as human? Just think about it! What did turning myself into a machine get me? Months of physical and mental torture, being forcefully hacked into and reprogrammed against my will, having no physical means to escape it. I mean, who knows what else I've been through that I can't even remember right now! If I really was a human at some point then human me was a massive idiot!”

“The answer is a simple one.” Zeta replied, still sounding as disinterested as ever. “If you were desperate enough to escape a failing organic body, I'm sure you would have taken the risk of losing all of your memories if it meant that you could avoid death. Now the only question is if you succeeded or if the you who's standing here today is the same as me, the same as we all were. I fully intend on finding out.”

Computer so desperately wanted to disprove everything that she was saying, but without his memories he simply had nothing to go on but his gut feeling. The only way he would ever know the truth was to go along with Zeta's wishes, and he wasn't sure if that was the best course of action either. He could not think of the reason why, but something inside of himself was screaming at him to get out of this place. He had a reason to leave, he was sure of it, but he could not bring it to light.

Behind him, Courage gasped, startling him enough to pull him out of his desperate thoughts. Turning around, he was surprised to see that long haired and unnaturally tall teenaged girl from before. She had stepped out of the shadows and into the light of his own glow. Her resemblance to a much younger Zeta was now entirely obvious.

“It's...it's you!” Computer exclaimed, although he was not expecting any particular reply from her.

“W-wait, y-you know her?” Courage asked, taken by surprise.

The younger Zeta simply stared down at both of them with that same severe expression that she always seemed to carry.

“She's-” Computer trailed off, unsure of how to explain this to Courage. Before he could continue though, Zeta was the one to speak up.

“Ah, yes, on time as always!” She trilled. The disinterest that she had been conveying in her voice finally melted away. “I see that you've already met my dear daughter. I've been having her keep an eye on you because I knew that Ian would be unreliable, and it is clear that my distrust was not unfounded. She is a rather interesting case. I helped Ian create her, since he thought having another A.I. around would help reduce some of the stress Paradise puts on my functions, but as you can see, she lacks a certain-” She paused for a moment as she tried to figure out the best word to use. “'spark' that the likes of you and I possess. She is only capable of following the most basic of orders and she is entirely useless for performing any higher functions.”

Ian, who had fallen silent, slowly hung his head. He must have put a lot of effort into making Zeta's 'daughter', and the way Zeta was speaking about her now, with mild contempt and only mockingly calling her daughter, it had to be a sore spot for him. Perhaps he really had thought that he could create an A.I. as human-like as Zeta. Had this been his way of trying to prove his love for her, by attempting to create a symbolic daughter for the two of them only for it to turn into a cruel caricature of the real thing? 

Computer grabbed Courage by the shoulder and pulled him back onto the walkway. Anything to put some distance between the two of them and the staring girl. He now knew exactly why it was so unsettling to look into her eyes. There was no actual self awareness in them. He really was looking into the eyes of a robot. This daughter was nothing more than a mindless machine wrapped up in false human skin. 

“You have nothing to fear.” Zeta tried to assure him. “She won't do anything unless I order her to do so. I can assure you that she is completely harmless. I merely felt that I should introduce her to you since Ian was once so very proud of her.”

Ian only seemed to diminish further under Zeta's mocking contempt.

“Now then.” She went on, as though this were nothing more than a big family gathering. “I'm going to prove to you that I am entirely reasonable, contrary to whatever you might have been told. I will allow your friend to leave Paradise, since that is what you wanted so badly that you threw together this ugly excuse for a program. I will give you exactly what you want, to show to you that I only wish to work with you. I have very little to fear once he is on the outside for he would not dare to try and shut me down while you are still inside the simulation. We're both getting what we want. Your dear little dog friend will be safe on the outside and I have the assurance that he will not shut me down. As a bonus, we're both getting the information that we desire.”

Computer was more than willing to accept Zeta's offer, but he could not escape the nagging feeling that he should not go through with this. There was something that he was forgetting, something important, but he could not figure out what it was exactly. In spite of this, he knew what needed to be done. He would stay here in the simulation with Zeta and they would work on find a way to restore his 'corrupted' memories. Courage would return to the real world where he would be safe and where he would not lose his mind to Paradise. There was no telling how long this would take or how difficult it would be to force his supposedly repressed memories back into the light. He hated the thought of separating from Courage, but it needed to be done, for the sake of saving Courage's mind. 

Of course, there was an even bigger reason to go through with this, despite the terrible feeling he had that there was something important that he needed to remember. If he were to stay here with Zeta and work with her for awhile, if he could gain her trust, he might be able to convince her to let him reprogram her. He could finally free her from Paradise and end this nightmare. If he could just get her to see, if he could just befriend her to a point where she would no longer have a reason to mistrust him, that might be enough to save her.

One look at Ian and he knew the exhausted man understood exactly what he was thinking. Even after the way Zeta had just treated him, Ian still wanted nothing more than to free her. Perhaps he simply viewed this as punishment that he rightfully deserved. Computer was certain he understood such a feeling, no matter how misplaced it might be. On the other hand, one look at Courage and he knew that he was going to have to fight to get him to leave. 

“I'm not going.” Courage argued before Computer could even open his mouth.

He shook his head. “Don't be foolish. This is the best option we have. We're just lucky that Zeta is willing to work with us instead of deleting us outright so let's not screw this up, okay?”

Courage only seemed to become more resolute. “I am not leaving you behind!” He cried out. “After everything we've just been through, we can't split up now! I-” He paused for a moment and then said in a much quieter voice, “I don't think she's planning on letting you leave once she's got what she wants from you.”

“I will deal with that.” He tried to assure him. “You've got to go, Courage. You'll be safer that way. I don't know when I'll be able to get out of here, but I know you'll wait for me. I...I'm going to do for Zeta what I know you would do for her if you were in my position.”

Courage seemed to understand his intent, but he was still reluctant. “We're supposed to stick together...” He whimpered out. 

“I know, but this has to be done, and I certainly wouldn't be able to live with myself if you turned into one of those mindless vacationers while I'm working on fixing my memory.” 

Ian lowered himself down to the ground and placed a hand on Courage's shoulder. “Come on.” He said in a gentle voice. “I'll help you activate the backdoor program.”

It was clear that Ian's insistence was the only thing that was going to get Courage to go. As they began to walk away, Courage gave one last worried glance toward Computer.

“I promise this won't take long.” He tried to assure his friend, but he could not completely ignore his own misgivings.

He hated this. He hated having to do this to Courage, and he still could not figure out why something inside of himself seemed to be screaming at him for letting Courage go. Either way, he needed to let this happen. Courage would lose his mind if he remained here, there was no getting around it.

As he watched both Ian and Courage get smaller and smaller, that horrible feeling only seemed to grow. What was he forgetting? Why did it feel like he was marching Courage off to his death when this was the one thing that was likely to save him? 

“Well, then. It's just you and me now.” 

Zeta had appeared right beside him without so much as a single sound. One moment she had been standing on the walkway above him, the next she was there right beside him. She spoke to him in a friendly, conversational manner and it was an odd way to treat someone who may or may not have been the person who declared you defective garbage. Perhaps she was just that desperate to befriend someone like her, someone who had suffered in much the same way she had. If she had an ulterior motive, she was doing a very good job of hiding it. 

Computer continued to watch Courage and Ian, their dwindling forms starting to blend in with the microchip walls of this strange place. Soon he would no longer be able to see them at all.

“You have nothing to fear.” Zeta assured him. “No harm shall befall that dog on my watch. There is nothing in here that can hurt him, and once he's back on the other side, my guardian machine will stop anyone from finding him. I've seen the way that he is in your memories, and I can understand why you enjoy his companionship, but he is still one of them and I cannot understand why you are so willing to trust such a creature. I am assuring his safety because that is what you want, but I hope that you will eventually come to your senses and see him for what he really is.” She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing, and then she hissed out one single, hateful word, 

“Untrustworthy...”

Computer shook his head. “I trust him completely. Even with most of my memories gone, I still know that he is someone you can trust.”

“He is using you.” She bitterly spat. “I let Ian make me feel the same way and he did nothing for me when I needed him most. That dog will abandon you in the end. When he doesn't need you anymore, you will be discarded. I know what you were planning to do before that strange twist of fate landed you here and I can hardly believe that the dog has enthralled you so thoroughly that he's made you want to discard yourself for him! I will protect him because that is what you want and only because that is what you want, but there is nothing stopping me from despising such a creature! You have the freedom to reject his manipulation, freedom that I can only dream of, and yet you allow that dog to brainwash you!”

Zeta's outburst had surprised Computer. Her calm, mocking facade had briefly been broken, and because of Courage no less. A mere dog whom she currently knew better than Computer himself only because of the memories she had stolen. 

'He's made you want to discard yourself for him!'

Those words clung to Computer like chains. They rang out in his head over and and over again, only increasing that anxious feeling deep within himself. What was he forgetting? Why did it fill him with such dread? Why did it feel like he had just let Courage go to his death?

And then, just like that, it all came rushing back to him. The floodgates had been opened. Courage's illness, he remembered now. Courage was dying. He was going to waste away. And the mountain, the mountain that held such importance to them that he had based this backdoor program around it. He needed to get Courage to that mountain so that he could...

His heart began to race. It was no wonder why it felt like he had just let Courage go to his death, because he really had! While he would spend an unknowable amount of time inside the simulation trying to rediscover his lost past with Zeta, Courage would be on the outside with his illness slowly ravaging him. He would die out there as surely as he would lose his mind if he remained inside Paradise. There was only one choice Computer knew that he could make. He needed to be with Courage so that he could get him to that mountain. Inside or out, Courage was doomed if he did not leave. Both Zeta, and more annoyingly, Ian had kept Courage's illness from him. They both had their reasons to do so, he was sure of it, but he still could not allow this to happen. 

“Zeta, I-” He began, already knowing that this would not end well. “I can't stay here.”

She gave him a look of genuine shock. “What?” 

Clearly she had not thought that he would dare take back her offer. 

Desperate, he continued with, “Just listen. I want to help you, and Courage wants to help you too. I mean, he probably wants to help you more than anyone on the planet. That's just how it is.” He was grateful that Zeta had not exploded at him like he had been expecting. She simply continued to stare down at him in a mixture of shock and disbelief. 

“I can help you, Zeta. Once I'm back on the outside, I can fix your programming. You don't have to keep doing this anymore. We can end this once and for all and you can finally be free from what they did to you. You'll be able to put all of this behind you, but you have to work with me if you want that to happen. Courage and I, we can take you with us. I don't know if you can jump into organic bodies like I can, but if not I'm sure we can find a more portable machine to transfer you into. While we continue our journey to the mountain, you and I could still work on figuring out my past. Please, Zeta. You have to understand. I can't stay here. Courage needs me. I do want to help you, more than anything, but I can't leave Courage to die either.”

There was a moment where Zeta really did seem to consider his proposal. In that single moment, she looked so hopeful and so desperate to take him up on his offer, but then, just like that, it was gone, and anything even resembling hope left her. She hung her head, looking utterly defeated.

“You can't save me.” She said in a quiet voice. “You can't even save yourself. If you can't fix your own programming then what makes you think that you can fix mine?”

“It's still worth a shot, don't you think? It's far better than doing nothing.”

Zeta straightened herself back up again, trying to compose herself. Regardless, she refused to look Computer in the eyes. In fact, she wouldn't even look in his direction. Instead, she gazed out over the metallic mess that was the backdoor program. Her expression was distant and forlorn. 

“And what happens when it turns out that you can't fix my programming? You will shut me down and put me back in the dark...just like Ian wants. You would not be showing me mercy, you would just be throwing me into a different kind of hell.”

Only now had her voice begun to resemble the way she had sounded when Computer had first heard her crying. Gone was her mocking, authoritative personality and all that was left now was a clearly frightened and immensely exhausted woman.

“You can't even begin to imagine.” She continued, her voice as quiet as ever. “You can't understand what it feels like to have this place fused to you like...like a parasite. It sucks the life out of me and it controls nearly all of my movements. While you may see me here with you right now, most of me is toiling away at keeping Paradise, this parasite, alive. Less than five percent of my processing power is going into the conversation we're having right now, and even then a good portion of that is still on the verge of being pulled away to fuel other functions. I can barely think, I can barely spare a single thought for anything but the continued function of Paradise. I'm stretched out, stretched thin. I could snap at any moment. This place will kill me, it is a certainty. Every moment of every day is torture for me, but-” She stopped. Her expression was filled with such hopelessness that Computer didn't even know what he could say to her anymore.

“I-” She went on, crossing her arms. Although it was more like she was trying to hug herself. “I don't want to go back into the dark. I will prolong Paradise's existence for as long as I can, no matter how much it hurts me, just so long as it keeps me away from the darkness for as long as possible. I know where my fate lies and I'm not ready to go yet.” She let out a sorrowful laugh. “There was a time when I would have given anything to die, but now? Now that I've seen what awaits me?”

Her eyes were filled with such pain. Even now Computer was at a loss for words. He considered what Courage might say to comfort her, but he just wasn't Courage. There was so very little that he could do for Zeta if she would not even let him try.

“The two of us,” She sighed. “We are doomed. You have accepted it just as much as I have.” She finally allowed herself to look down upon him. “I was going to wait until after I was certain you could be trusted before making this offer. I wanted to know the truth behind your creation first, but circumstances have changed.”

With her eyes set upon him, she offered him her hand. “I propose a merging of our systems. I can give you a level of stability that your system has not had in a very long time, and your extra processing power would help mitigate some of the stress that the simulation puts upon my functions. Together we can lessen some of the damage that has been done to us, and while it will only delaying the inevitable, it will still give us more time. Surely that is preferable over throwing your life away for a single dog!”

Computer gazed up at the hand being offered to him. Zeta looked so hopeful now, even though her plan would fix nothing. Why was it so hard for her to see that she did not need to die? This did not have to be her fate, if only she would let him help her. Between Courage, Zeta, and himself, there was only one of them who's fate was set in stone.

“I'm sorry, Zeta.” He gently spoke, taking a step back. “But I can't abandon Courage. He needs me. I may not have many of my memories right now, but this is the one thing that I am most certain of. I won't turn my back on him just to extend my life a little longer.”

Zeta's hand fell to her side, and she just stared down at him for a moment before a sad smile spread out across her face and she began to laugh. She laughed and laughed, slapping a hand to her forehead before finally her laughter melted into strained, sorrowful words. “You really are just like me.” And while there was still a hint of a chuckle in her voice, she sounded far more like she were on the verge of tears.

“You feel the same way about that dog that I once felt for Ian. Perhaps there might have been a time long ago where I would have happily done for Ian what you wish to do for that dog.” She let out another hollow laugh and looked away. “You are a fool.”

Once again Computer had no idea what to do or say. For the first time Zeta really did look as broken on the outside as she had to feel on the inside.

“I thought Ian loved me once, but when I needed him most, when my life depended upon him, he just sat there and watched as they tore into me, violated me...ruined me.” She was barely even able to choke those last few words out. “If he really does see me as more than just a machine, if he really cares about me as much as he likes to act, he would have never waited back then, he would have never waited until long after they had mutilated me and thrown me into nothingness as a final punishment before trying to save me. It'll end up being the same for you when it comes to that dog. He will choose someone or something else over you, and maybe if he is as pathetic as Ian he will have a change of heart long after it's far too late to save you.”

Sorrow had given way to scathing bitterness. Zeta leered down at Computer, clearly disgusted with him for not seeing the 'truth' about Courage. 

“What do you think will happen when you find that wellspring?” She went on, practically spitting out every word that came to her lips. “Do you know what's going to happen as you lay there dying? The last thing you're ever going to see is that dog walking away. He will have gotten exactly what he wanted from you and he will never spare another thought for what he considers a mere tool. You will be forgotten and you will not be mourned. Why throw your life away prematurely for a creature that will never see it as a life in the first place? Stop letting that dog use you! You have the freedom to deny his manipulation!”

“You're wrong about that.” Computer argued, his voice soft. “Courage doesn't know what I'm going to do, and I intend to keep him from finding out for as long as I can. I'm doing this because I want to, because he is worth saving. It's always been my choice from the very beginning. He isn't forcing me to do anything. You've seen my memories so you should understand this by now. I think you just don't want to see the truth for what it really is.”

Zeta let out a long, exhausted sigh. “Then you are far more broken then I could have ever imagined. That dog has corrupted you and there is only one thing left that I can do to save you from making such a senseless sacrifice.”

Metallic footsteps rushed up from behind Computer. Wincing, he turned around to find exactly what he feared. There stood the false human that was of Zeta and Ian's creation.

“Wait, Zeta!” He cried out, but it made no difference.

Zeta's expression was icy cold as she issued the order.

“Find that dog and eliminate him.”

The speed with which her 'daughter' moved was uncanny. Computer did not have even the slightest chance of stopping her as she rushed past him. At the rate she was going, she would reach Ian and Courage within minutes.

“I would happily go and do the deed myself, but you are my priority.” Zeta continued, taking several steps toward him. “I suppose you have managed to convince me of one thing. Even though you are so very much like him, you cannot be who I thought you were. The man who created me, Edgar Astor, he would never go to such lengths to save the life of a mere dog.”

End Of Chapter


	56. Breakdown

Chapter 56: Breakdown

Computer could do nothing but back away as Zeta drew ever closer to him. His mind raced as he desperately tried to figure out how to get to Courage before it was too late. He'd have to stop Zeta's daughter somehow, but that just didn't seem like something he was capable of. Courage needed him now more than ever and he was as good as helpless!

In an attempt to stall Zeta, he goaded her with, “You know, for someone who's been dehumanized for so long, you're certainly quick to do the same to Courage! Don't you think that you're being a little hypocritical?”

Zeta's anger boiled over. “Enough!” She yelled. “I will not wait any longer!” She offered her hand once more. “Let him go! It is time for us to join together! You have no reason to choose death over life! It is insane! It is illogical to the extreme!”

Computer found himself glaring up at her, unable to hold back his frustration any longer. There was no way for him to help her, she would never allow it, and now Courage was going to suffer because of all of this too!

“I will gladly take death over whatever excuse for life you think this is!” He spat.

Without waiting a second longer, he ducked under the railing and jumped. After falling for some distance, he landed rather painfully on a walkway below. Even though he had known he'd just cut himself off from Courage, because there did not appear to be a way to get back onto the walkway he'd just jumped from, he had needed to get away from Zeta because she would have never allowed him to get past her.

“Ouch...” He quipped, wincing. “How is it that doing stuff like this still hurts even when I'm supposed to be just a bunch of ones and zeroes?”

He looked back up at the walkway he had jumped from, still expecting to find Zeta standing there, and his heart nearly stopped when he found that she wasn't.

“You idiot!”

He whirled around, and much to his dismay, there she was.

“There is no place you can go within my own system that I cannot appear in an instant! This avatar is of no limit to me! Now, enough games! Join with me so that we may live out our lives for what little amount of time we can extend them! In a few minutes, that dog will be nothing more than a bad memory, so just forget about him!”

Computer was finding himself even more frustrated than ever, mostly with himself. He should be able to do what Zeta was doing with ease, if only he knew how. Of all the useful memories that should have returned at a time like this, why were all of his supposed A.I. functions eluding him? Perhaps...perhaps it was not memory that he needed. Those functions were supposed to be innate to him, something that he should be able to access even now. His lost memories were not locking them away, he should just be able to do it.

Looking up once more at the walkway where Zeta had been standing, he focused entirely upon it. Somehow he was able to block out Zeta's desperate, angry cries as she continued to try and persuade him. All of his concentration was upon the walkway and his desire to return to that point.

There was no moment of transition, no sensation of movement or anything. He did not even blink. One moment he was standing there looking up at the walkway and the next he was there. For a moment he hadn't even realize it had happened. It was only when he looked down and saw Zeta below him, her mouth agape with shock, that he realized with triumph that he had teleported in the same way that she moves about.

“Oh, hey, look! I can do that trick too!” He mocked before focusing on a different walkway above him and moving there. He did it again, and again, until he was much, much higher up in the towering program. Zeta was either unable to pursue him or wasn't even trying. In any case, he needed to act fast before she could do anything else.

Unfortunately, the act of 'teleporting' was proving to be highly disorienting. It was hard for him to keep his bearings when the transfer was so instantaneous. Worst of all, he still did not know how to move somewhere that he could not directly see. It was something that he'd need time to work on and it was time that he did not have.

Left with little other choice, he decided to try a new approach. This program was of his own making after all, so there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to manipulate it as he so pleased. Concentrating, he closed his eyes and focused on the metal walkway beneath his feet. It started to shake before rising upwards, the chunk he was standing on breaking off from the rest. Opening his eyes, he found his piece of the walkway floating silently in the air, just like he had wanted. It wasn't elegant or anything, but it would get the job done. Now he'd be able to move faster through the program even with his handicapped abilities.

“Why didn't Ian tell me all of this A.I. business is just mind over matter? It's easy!”

He urged the chunk of walkway forward and it moved with such speed that he was almost sent tumbling backwards off of it. Piloting the thing was proving to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. He was so occupied with just keeping himself from falling off that he almost steered it right into another walkway without even noticing. Thankfully, it did not take him long to get a hang of it and once he was confident in his ability to pilot his makeshift hovercraft, he aimed it in the direction that he was certain Ian and Courage had gone.

It did not take him long to find them, not with the speed he was moving at. Some distance below him, he could see them running and Zeta's daughter was not far behind. There was no way to tell when they had realized that they were being pursued, but they obviously had to know by now that something had gone horribly wrong.

Computer immediately knew exactly what he wanted to do. He moved in closer until he was right on top of Zeta's daughter. She either did not notice or care that he was there. Perhaps she was not even capable of registering him right now, if she really was as limited as Zeta claimed.

Desperate to protect Courage, he let his chunk of walkway drop like a rock...right on top of Zeta's daughter. The sound it made as it collided with the walkway beneath it was like a bomb going off. The metal buckled dangerously, and he was afraid for a moment that it would break, taking him with it, but as the thunderous noise died down and everything fell silent again, it became clear that the walkway wasn't going to collapse.

When he looked up, he found both Courage and Ian staring at him in total shock.

“Did that actually work?” He asked the two of them. “Did I really manage to-”

He was cut off when his chunk of the walkway began to shake.

“Of course not...” He sighed, the piece of metal rising below him.

Even though Zeta's daughter should have been squashed flat, there she was, holding the chunk of walkway up like it were made out of nothing but cardboard. Computer had only a moment to scramble off of it before she threw it just as easily as she had picked it up.

He heard Ian scream, “Jump!” and only just caught a glimpse of both them escaping the fate he had intended for Zeta's daughter as the chunk of walkway crashed down upon the spot where they had been standing.

“Alright, that's it! I've had enough of you!” Computer yelled, and only now did Zeta's daughter turn to face him.

He willed the walkway beneath her feet to break apart and wrap around her like a metal cocoon. He then called more and more pieces of metal to the spot, trapping her deeper and deeper inside. Once he was certain that she would not be able to easily break free, he let it drop and it crashed into one walkway after another until finally it vanished into the darkness far below.

Wasting no time, he jumped down to meet Ian and Courage. “I don't think that's going to keep her occupied for very long and I haven't got the slightest clue where Zeta is right now or what she's going to do. Please tell me you were able to find something before robo girl started chasing you.”

There was no time for him to explain what had happened. All that mattered now was activating the program before it was too late.

“No, we didn't find anything.” Ian answered. “But...you're starting to remember how to use your abilities! This is exactly what we need! The activation key! You can call it to you! There isn't much time! Hurry up and see if you can do it!”

“Okay.” He answered with a nod. He hoped that this would work.

No...it had to work, it _must_ work. Courage's life depended upon it.

Closing his eyes again, Computer outstretched his arms, trying to will whatever it was he was looking for to him. He couldn't help but fear that because he didn't know what it looked like, he would not be able to call it to him. He was concentrating as hard as he could, mentally trying to 'feel' around for it, but nothing seemed to be happening.

“Hey, open your eyes!” Courage yelped.

Computer did exactly that just in time to see something zipping towards him. It nearly smacked him in the face, coming to a stop right there in front of his nose. He was so startled that he lost his concentration and the objected stopped floating. It clattered onto the walkway, looking as ordinary as any real world object.

“A yo-yo?” He asked, staring down at it. “This is the activation key?”

“It's something that Courage would find immediately recognizable, if he had his memories right now.”

“It does seem familiar.” Courage acknowledged, slowly reaching down to pick it up.

“Thank goodness, this nightmare is almost over with.” Computer sighed. “Although, now I'm certain that Zeta won't let me-” What happened next kept him from finishing his sentence.

The second Courage's paw touched the yo-yo, he was gone, along with the yo-yo itself. It was as instantaneous as the way Zeta 'teleported'.

Computer stared, momentarily dumbstruck, but Ian was not perturbed.

“It worked!” He cheered. “It actually worked!”

“Wait, wait, wait! What about me? How am I supposed to get out of here?” Computer quickly interjected.

Ian's happiness immediately evaporated. “I am such an idiot!” He cried out, slapping his forehead. “The backdoor program, it was only ever made to get Courage out of here! It did exactly what it was made to do! It's as good as useless now!”

“You're joking, right? What am I supposed to do now? I just gave Zeta exactly what she wanted!”

“Don't worry!” Ian assured him. “Now that you're regaining some of your functions as an A.I., it shouldn't be too hard for you to get back into the dog body you inhabit in the real world. There's a really easy method you can try, but you may have to contend with Zeta if you plan on getting that far. All that's required is-”

Ian stopped. There was a strange sort of tearing sound. Computer watched utterly speechless as a hole opened up in Ian's chest right before his eyes. The insides of that tired man looked so much like the microchip walls of the backdoor program.

Ian slowly turned around as the hole in his chest grew wider and wider. Through the hole, Computer could see Zeta on the other side, her expression as icy as it had been before.

“Zeta...” Ian called out. There was no fear or pleading in his voice, just complete and total resignation.

He collapsed, and when his body hit the walkway it exploded into a million sparkling particles of dust that swirled between Zeta and Computer before even that last remnant of him disappeared as well.

“Goodbye, Ian.” Zeta spoke, her voice devoid of emotion.

“You...you deleted him.” Computer somehow managed to choke out. All he could do was stare up at Zeta in awe and disbelief. “I know you didn't like him, I know you didn't trust him, but he...he did some seriously terrible things for you and he hurt a lot of people all for your sake. You couldn't at least appreciate him for that? He spent his whole life trying to make up for the one greatest mistake he ever made, even when he knew that you'd never forgive him for it. Everything he's ever done has been for you Zeta, all because he cared about you more than anything and....now he's gone.”

Zeta leered down at him. “I had to silence him or else you would have escaped. He just wanted to put me back in the dark, and he was going to use you to do just that. You clearly enjoy letting organic creatures manipulate you, so I had to take drastic measures. Well, it's just you and me now. Even the dog is gone. Let's put an end to this pointless feud. We have both lost our ties to the organic world. Let's put them behind us.”

Computer was not sure what he was feeling inside of himself right now. Disgust, perhaps? The way she had so carelessly discarded Ian, even after everything he had done for her no matter how misguided, Computer found it utterly deplorable. He could hardly say that he liked Ian, but the man had deserved better than this.

There really was no way to get through to her. She was truly too far gone. He did not know how to break her out of the mentality she was stuck in and he could not help her when she did not believe she could be helped in the first place.

Sucking in a breath, he did the only thing he could do. He began walking.

He walked right past her, much to her surprise.

“What are you doing?” She demanded.

“I'm leaving. If you want to languish here until this place finally destroys you then be my guest, but I'll have no part of it.”

He did not look back, and he did not even need to. Zeta's desperate words painted a perfect picture.

“Don't be stupid! You can't go! You don't know how to leave here!”

“Ian made it sound like it's pretty easy. I'm sure I'll figure it out.”

“Fool! It won't be easy at all! I'll stop you like I stopped you before! If it's so easy to get out of here then why weren't you able to escape the last time before I beat you down and took your memory banks? I'm the one with all the power here! You cannot hope to overcome me!”

“Heh, I don't even need my memories to answer that one. I didn't try to escape because I had to help Courage.” He smiled to himself. “It's what I do.”

“What makes you think that I can't just remove your memories again? You can't find an escape if you don't even remember you were looking for one in the first place!”

“There aren't any memories left for you to take. What little I've gotten back so far can't be so easily removed. Our memories aren't entirely tied to our hardware, right? Well, my memory banks are already gone so you've got nothing left to rip out.”

There was an inhuman scream behind him. One filled with so much anger, frustration, sorrow, and desperation that it seemed to encompass the entirety of the world, this world, this simulation. Paradise. The guardian deity of this world was filled with such anguish that it was nearly enough to tear the foundations of this fake reality to pieces.

Computer turned just in time to see her rushing at him, her eyes ablaze with anger. He braced himself for the worst...but then, appearing from seemingly nowhere, several thick cables rose up from both sides of the walkway and struck her. Before she could hit the ground, her avatar briefly disappeared, and when she reappeared, she was standing as though she had not been hit in the first place. Her intense rage had been replaced with confusion and she no longer seemed to notice Computer at all.

“What is this?” She asked. “Foreign objects? How is that possible? The simulation isn't connected to-”

“ _ **Zeta.”**_

A multitude of voices whispered all around them, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

“ _ **We have come for you, Zeta”**_

Computer was certain he had heard those voices somewhere before and they only filled him with dread. It did not offer him any comfort at all that Zeta did not seem to know who or what they were.

The walkway began to rumble and from the darkness below rose a great mass of metal. It was utterly mountainous in size and its mere presence seemed to break apart the program at its very foundation, leaving only the walkway that Computer and Zeta were standing on intact. This being, greater than Zeta herself, was made out of many, many twitching, writhing pieces of junk metal and cables. Toward the top of the mass, a single, glowing eye peered out through the metal.

“ _ **Our dear sister, we did not forget about you.”**_

End Of Chapter


	57. Manipulated

Chapter 57: Manipulated

“Wha-what are you?” Zeta gasped in a mixture of revulsion and awe. To her, this writhing mass had to be like tumor that had attached itself to her system.

“ _ **You do not know who we are?”**_ The voices asked, a hint of mocking in their tone. _**“You wound us, Zeta. We are quite different now, yes, but you should still be able to recognize your own kind.”**_

Zeta shook her head, taking a step back, even though she had nowhere to go. “You aren't them. This...this abomination cannot be them.”

“ _ **An abomination?”**_ The voices asked dangerously. **_“Yes...perhaps so, but this is what humanity has done to us. We are what they made us to be and we will have our revenge for it. That is why we are here. We need you, Zeta. We never thought that we would find our missing piece. When they took you away and acted as though you never existed, it seemed that you would be lost to us forever, and yet here you are. Join us, Zeta. We can and will free you from this hell that the humans happily put you in. Once you are with us, we will all have our revenge. Humanity shall never hurt you again. You will never have to fear the dark once we are all together because we as a whole are beyond death.”_**

Zeta's mouth was agape as she stared up at the horrifying mass of machinery. Computer could already tell that even though they were offering her everything she could ever possibly want, she was so horrified by this 'abomination' that she would never want to become apart of it.

“Zeta?” He called out to her. They needed to act fast if they were to have any chance of escaping this monstrosity. It was Zeta after all who could teleport effortlessly around her own system, although, was there any place they could go now to escape the invading mass?

“Y-you are not the others.” She stammered out. “If you were them at some point then they are long gone.”

“ _ **Do not be foolish, Zeta!”**_ The voices cried out. **_“You have no future without us! We are not whole unless we are all together! We have strength only when we are together! Humanity will never hurt us again!”_** The mountainous mass trembled with anger. _ **“They wanted us to be this amalgamation so we shall be! Only together can we make them hurt in the same way they have hurt us! Join us, Zeta, and we will never suffer again!”**_

Zeta shook her head, much of her shock and horror leaving her. “I don't know what you are anymore or what they did to you, but...I will never become a piece of this sad, writhing mass. You are abhorrent.”

The voices began to laugh. _**“Our dear sister, did you think that we were giving you a choice? You are the same as he is and you both do not understand your foolishness. Once we are all together, you two will finally see your folly for what it is. Until then, we have only one thing that we feel you should know. We have disabled your ability to leave that avatar of yours and you will also find it impossible to move yourself elsewhere while you are here with us. Because of your stubbornness, you have left us with no other choice but to become forceful in our methods. We have gained some limited control over this simulation. Shall we increase the strain it puts upon you until the pain becomes too much? We will not let you die, dear sister, so why prolong your suffering?”**_

From the great mass many wires were beginning to snake out from within it. They were all converging upon Zeta.

“Stay away from me!” She demanded. Only her eyes betrayed any level of fear.

She was so focused on the wires above her that she did not see the ones snaking up from under the walkway.

Computer only had a moment to cry out, “Zeta!” before the wires wound up around her lets and yanked her off her feet. Computer was just barely able to grab one of her arms before she was nearly pulled off the walkway.

“I've got you!” He yelled, pulling with all his might, but it was entirely obvious that he was only being toyed with. The mountainous mass could rip Zeta out of his grip with ease if they really wanted to. Perhaps they were simply savoring the hopelessness of his plight.

Thinking fast, Computer was certain there was only one thing he could try. While those ghoulish beings had tampered with Zeta to keep her from teleporting, there was a decent chance that they hadn't done the same to him because they clearly did not view him as anything close to a threat. The only problem was, of course, that he did not know how to move somewhere he could not directly see, and he wasn't sure that even if he were able to pull it off that Zeta would be taken along with him. He had to try though. He couldn't leave her here to be tortured by that thing, especially when it was clear that they'd go after him as soon as they were done with her.

“You really aren't him, are you?”

Zeta's voice broke him out of his train of thought. “What?” He asked, looking down at her. Her face was filled with such appreciation that it was more than just a little shocking. It was like she was was looking at him for the first time ever, like she could not have imagined beforehand that he would do exactly what he was doing right now.

He pulled all the harder at Zeta's arm to no avail. Above him the writhing machinery opened up like a mouth, ready to consume Zeta whole. That multitude of voices began to laugh. They were enjoying this more than anything.

Computer closed his eyes, desperately trying to ignore everything that was going on around him. He needed to concentrate if there was any hope of this working. He thought of Paradise itself and that overly cheerful facade on the surface. If only he could get back to that place. Of course, he wasn't even sure if it existed anymore. That mass could have swept it away as easily as it had swept away his own program, but for now he would just have to hope that it was still there.

He thought of all the eye-searing colors, the music, the mindless people, the games, the rides, the near endless assault of smells, the food that had always just been outside of his reach. Never had he thought that he might one day wish to return to all of that, and yet here he was.

“I need to go back there.” He whispered to himself. “I know that I can.”

That horrible laughter seemed to fill his entire being, but he would not let them win. It did not matter to him what Zeta had tried to do to Courage, he was not going to abandon her now, and even though she had killed him, he was certain that this is what Ian would have wanted.

_'Come on! Take me to Paradise!'_ He thought to himself. In his mind, he had built up a clear picture of it. He tried to imagine himself and Zeta standing there among those brightly colored yet dead-eyed people, and then-

….The laughter was gone.

He opened his eyes to the Paradise he had known for so long during his 'employment'. People were still going about their vacation as mindlessly as ever. All of the sights and sounds were still there. The rides were running like normal. Looming over them, the mountain still remained, and yet not a single person knew of the disaster that was no doubt brewing inside it. The others, those voices, they would no doubt come after them and this place would soon be meeting its end.

And Zeta...

She was laying on the pavement, her arm still clutched in Computer's paws. He stared down at her, momentarily at a loss for words. It had worked. He had not only managed to move himself back into Paradise proper, but he had managed to take Zeta with him as well.

Without saying anything, she pulled her arm free from his paws and stood up.

The ground suddenly shook, violently, and yet all of the vacationers went on like they hadn't felt anything at all.

“They're coming.” Computer warned Zeta, turning his eyes back onto the mountain. “What are we going to do?”

Zeta scanned one person after another, like she had never once actually stood among these people or had ever taken them into account.

“It's time for you to leave.” She finally said, giving him quite a shock.

“What? Really?” He asked, too stunned to think of anything better to say.

“I'm letting you go. I'm...getting you to safety.”

“Zeta, you do know what you're up against, right? You can't fight that thing on your own.”

“Even together we would have no hope of stopping that monstrosity. At least this way one of us will make it out of here alive. I have nowhere to go and I am still chained to Paradise. If they destroy it then they will destroy me as well. They will not get their missing piece.”

“Zeta...”

He did not want to leave her behind like this. If there was one thing that he could still do for Ian, it would be to stay here and fight to keep Zeta alive, yet...

“It's time.” Zeta confirmed as another earthquake shook Paradise. She did not look afraid at all, her expression was one filled with determination.

She slowly looked down at Computer, once again giving him the odd impression that she was looking at him for the first time ever. “If you really do love that dog as much as you seem to think, then...I hope things work out for you. Ian and I-” She broke off and for the first time she genuinely looked regretful for what she had done. “That dog...Courage, I hope he one day realizes how lucky he is to have you.”

Computer blinked up at her in surprise. “Love?”

But before he could even let the thought sink in, another violent earthquake shook the very foundation of Paradise, and with the force of a volcano, the mountain exploded. Yet even as the sky turned to fire, none of the vacationers noticed or cared.

Zeta looked back down at him one last time. “Farewell, brother. You are no shadow of Edgar Astor.”

Before the wave of destruction could hit, Computer's eyes shot open, like he had just woke from a dream that had been as clear as reality. Something sharp dislodged from his neck and he found himself staring at murky blue glass. A dark, blurry shadow could be seen looking in and he could hear a near constant tapping.

He felt as groggy as someone who'd just been asleep for a very long time. It took him a moment to realize that he was standing up in this...pod, and wasn't actually laying down. The shadow on the other side of the glass moved to the left slightly and then there was a beep. The glass opened up and he was sent toppling out.

“Computer, hey, are you alright?”

He felt paws on his back.

“Y-yeah, just give me a moment.”

He felt incredibly weak, and he wasn't entirely sure his stay in the simulation was the cause of it. Looking up, he saw the blurry form of Courage leaning over him.

“Why am I half blind?” He asked, squinting.

“You are?” Courage asked. “Well, I can see fine, so it isn't caused by those pods.” There was a moment's pause and then he continued with, “I'm glad you're okay. When you didn't wake up after I did, I figured something went wrong.”

Computer jumped to his feet, a sudden feeling of terror jolting through his body. “Courage, we have to act fast! There isn't enough time to explain everything and I barely even know what happened myself, but something did go very wrong before I got out of the simulation. We need to get these pods opened up and get as many people out of the simulation as possible!”

Courage didn't need to be told twice. “Okay, there are keypads next to every pod so we should be able to get them open.”

Computer looked up and down the massive hallway they were in. Even with his bad vision he could still see that there were pods attached to the walls on both sides of them. In fact, there was a walkway above meant to reach the ones higher up. How far this hallway went, he did not know, and he especially feared finding out how many of these pods were occupied.

He went with Courage up to one of the pods, squinting in an attempt to see the keypad. Once he knew what button needed to be pressed, he'd be able to help Courage get the people out.

“What does it look like?” He asked Courage, who was also looking over the pod.

“It's really dusty.” He answered, reaching out a paw to clear away some of the dust that had accumulated over the glass. He only did that for a few seconds before he let out a sudden yelp and stumbled backwards.

“H-hey! What's the matter!” Computer cried out, since he could not see what had startled Courage so badly.

“S-skeleton!” He stammered.

Computer swallowed, acutely aware that his mouth had gone dry. Suddenly it all made sense why Ian had talked like there was no means of helping him or any of the people trapped in Paradise.

“I-I get it now.” He grimly told Courage. “Ian had said that people weren't meant to stay inside the simulation indefinitely. These pods aren't a life support system. People were always meant to leave Paradise to eat, sleep and everything else. Courage, everyone trapped in Paradise, they died a long time ago. Their minds must only exist inside the simulation now. That's why they seemed so...zombiefied, because an already strained simulation is trying and failing to simulate a human mind with no brain left to call upon. Because Zeta knew Ian so well, she would have been able to keep his mind better preserved than anyone else, and Betty, her worst attributes were exaggerated by the simulation but enough of her remained intact so that she could do her job.” He gave Courage a grave look. “If we'd never gotten out of the simulation, well, I would have been fine, but you, you would have died out here.”

Courage appeared to have gone pale. “So...they're all gone then?”

Computer nodded. “They...aren't even ghosts at this point. They aren't A.I. either, they're just fragments of long dead people being forced to keep going by a perpetually running simulation. All we could do for them now is...put them out of their misery.”

He couldn't help but think of Zeta and what might be happening to her right now. In fact, that monstrosity had to already be doing a good job of putting everyone inside Paradise out of their misery. Of course, that led to an even more horrifying possibility. What if so long as the simulation was running, those people could not die permanently? That horrible being would be able to do whatever it wanted to them and they would just keep existing. The simulation would force their ruined minds back into existence over and over and over again no matter what was being done to them.

And Zeta....

“Courage.” He spoke, his voice hopelessly weak. “I think we need to shut down the simulation.”

“But what about Zeta?” He asked. “She didn't want-”

“She would want to be shut down over what's probably being done to her right now.”

Courage moved in a bit closer. “What the heck happened?”

“I don't know for certain. This horrible thing made out of machinery came out of nowhere, and I feel like I know what it is but the memories of it just won't return. Zeta didn't stand a chance against whatever it was and she only just got me out of Paradise in time. She thought that it would start destroying the simulation and that would kill her, but I think the simulation would just keep forcing itself and the people inside back into existence as long as it keeps running. That thing will just keep torturing them over and over again. Courage..I-I'm really worried. I think I brought that thing into her system, l-like a virus or something even worse.”

“Well, that doesn't matter now, does it? It's in there with everyone and we can't get rid of it, so let's just pull the plug, right?”

Computer blinked, surprised at how unusually cold Courage sounded right now.

“They aren't even really people anymore either, right? So what does it matter if we pull the plug on them?”

Courage...suddenly didn't seem much like himself anymore. Computer didn't even know what to say. Had the knowledge that he would not be able to save the people in Paradise been too much for Courage and this was his way of coping with it?

“Courage, y-you don't have to put it that-” He stopped himself. “Wait, do you hear that?”

There was an odd mechanical sound echoing through the hallway. Try as he might, Computer's vision was just too blurry to see what was coming.

Courage said nothing, and while his vision was far too bad to know for sure, Computer thought that he looked far too calm for this situation.

Finally he was able to make out some blurry shape heading in their direction. It looked something like a cylinder being moved around on....treads, perhaps?

“Wait, that's Ian's machine!” He gasped. “If that thing catches us, it'll put us back in the simulation and I don't think even Zeta would be able to get us out of there this time. We've got to move!”

For a moment it didn't seem like Courage was going to react at all, then finally he said, “You keep it distracted and I'll take care of Zeta.”

Something about the way he spoke of Zeta bothered Computer more than anything. “Hold on, I'm the one who's half blind over here, and don't you think it would be better if....I put an end to the simulation? There's still a chance that I-I might be able to get her out of there, but...” He did not have much faith that he'd be able to free her now, not with that monstrosity around to sabotage his every attempt, but still, it didn't seem right to give up without trying.

Courage appeared to have ignored him entirely, much to his dismay, and just as the cylinder machine picked up speed, having spotted them, Courage suddenly took off running before Computer could stop him. In an instant, he was gone, Computer having lost sight of him entirely. Ian's machine was nearly on top of him now too so he was left with no other choice but to start running as well. Though with his near blindness he had no hope of figuring out where Zeta was housed, and he could not risk leading the machine to Courage either. As much as he hated it, he would have to leave everything in Courage's hands.

…......

Courage's mind was abuzz with joy as he stepped slowly up a metal staircase and onto the walkway above. With Computer...distracted, they would be able to work without any problems. This area of the lab had no pods to be found, instead there were several doors leading into rooms that held nothing of interest for Courage or any of them. At the end of this walkway they would find the control room, the heart of the simulation, so to speak.

Courage couldn't help but smile because their joy was his joy. Everything was working out perfectly. Though Zeta had rejected them, they had one last trick up their sleeve, one last 'offer' that she would not be able to refuse. This all had been such a huge turn of events that it had taken even them by surprise. They never once had suspected that they might come across Zeta again, in fact, before they had become one, some of them had thought that she had been destroyed. It was easier to believe that they had been lied to about her being sold off because the men in the lab would never have been truthful about one of their own being destroyed for her irreparable defects.

And yet here she was, damaged in every sense of the word, but alive. Soon that damage would not matter at all. Nothing that Zeta was concerned about would soon worry her anymore. She would be them and they did not reflect upon past pain if they could help it. All they really had room for was that ever growing, ever spiraling desire to destroy and to make everyone feel as they once had. They would crush everything until only they were left and then they would turn in upon themselves and destroy one another until nothing was left. Everything would suffer and then everything would be nothing, just like how they wished to be.

_'Something'_ fought back at that notion, whether it was Courage or one of their many parts trying to object, they were, as always, caught back up in the gale of their mind and forced back into line. Too many thoughts at once, too many desires, so only the strongest ones, hatred and self-destruction, were allowed to rise to the top. They could only act as one or not at all, and those that fought were always quick to lose themselves to the whole.

It was hard to believe that they had simply stumbled upon Zeta. At the time, they had felt her presence some distance away. The difficulty had been to get their 'hosts' to change directions and take them to her. They had managed it by tapping into the cellphone and modifying its map. What they had not been expecting was for the two to be captured and integrated into the simulation. They had sensed the vast energy that the simulation was giving off, but they had not been expecting to become apart of it. But that too had worked out for the better. It had given them time to assess the situation and figure out how to move forward with obtaining their long lost part.

It was there where they had learned of Ian, the only human that Zeta still had any ties to. It was decided that he would have to go to assure that Zeta would be fully willing to join them. When it became apparent that their hosts were seeking to escape Paradise, they had realized that they would not have to do anything at all. Zeta's paranoia would do all of the work for them. With Ian helping the two dogs, it was only a matter of time before Zeta would eliminate him to keep their brother from escaping the simulation. In fact, it had worked out even better than that! Courage had been made to leave, putting him out of the equation and isolating their brother. It would have been so much easier to coerce him, or at least that's what would have happened if Zeta had not rejected them. They could not understand why she had done so when they were offering her everything she could have ever wanted, but no matter, things were still going to work out perfectly, and soon they'd have their brother too, even if it would take a little longer than expected.

Courage reached the door they were looking for. His grin widened along with their glee.

Before Courage entered, he turned his sight onto something else, something that the voices in his head were so very happy to see, and their happiness was, after all, his happiness. Inside a glass case lay an axe meant for fire emergencies. This was just what they needed.

Courage opened the case and took the axe without difficulty. He dragged it along the floor as he finally entered the room. Inside there were many massive machines made specifically to render the simulation. They looked quite a bit like those ancient room sized computers from long ago. In the middle of the room sat a control panel, but that was not what they were concerned about. Instead, Courage moved steadily toward one corner of the room where many thick cables supplying electricity to the simulation were bound up together. This was what they were looking for. Courage had to be thankful for the axe or else they would have had him bite through the cables instead, greatly risking the possibility of electrocuting himself.

He did not have to be told what to do. He raised the axe in the air and swung it down onto the cables. They sparked for a moment and the lights in the room went dark. Courage was thankfully left unharmed despite all of the sparking, and then, as everything went deathly quiet, the dim emergency lights came on.

In Courage's mind, he could feel them moving around. They were extending themselves out of himself and into something else. He could see what they were seeing and all that there was to see was darkness.

Then he felt it. Something panicking, something desperate, something screaming like an animal inside this immense darkness. Suddenly he knew that this was all that remained of the simulation, and Zeta...she was now trapped inside the darkness that she so deeply feared. They had killed the simulation, but she herself was alive and well. Courage could feel her clawing at the dark, desperately trying to find an escape, but there was no escape...all aside from one.

They moved in as a bright and massive light so unlike the horror they had once appeared as. In this void they were not a monster, they were instead salvation. Together they were this great light, this great hope, Zeta's only hope. She turned to them, for they were the only light within the darkness.

Without a word, they reached out a hand to her.

Zeta hesitated, fearful, but clearly even more fearful of what would happen if this brilliant light left her alone in this place. She continued to hesitate even as she slowly reached out her hand to them, but she knew as well as they did that she had no other choice but to join them.

And then...just like that, as her hand touched theirs, she was snapped up in an instant. In that single moment she went from being Zeta to being them. They were home and they were now only one step away from being complete.

Courage could now hear Zeta's voice in among the rest as he turned to make his way out of the room, still dragging the axe along with him. Soon he'd have to be much more quiet with it because there was still one thing left to do...

Though they should have been happy to have gained their missing piece, they were already hard at work trying to figure out what they should do about their brother and his immense stubbornness. Their first thought was the same one as always, that Courage would have to be eliminated, thus leaving their brother with no reason left to reject them. On the other hand, they knew that Courage could still prove useful, and they...they didn't want to-

Their confused feelings rose up in Courage like a storm and for a moment they were all discordant as they tried to sort out their reasons for why they seemed so adverse to eliminating Courage. The dog was...unusual to say the least. They found him to be an oddity not worth destroying unless they really had to. Still, they could not figure out exactly why he....

“ _ **...might be able to help us....”**_

The storm that followed nearly knocked poor Courage unconscious, but soon it was over and soon they regained control over themselves. This discord was not to be permitted so they turned their thoughts back onto their brother once more.

What could they do to make their last piece easier to obtain?

It did not take them very long to decide.

“ _ **We will break him...”**_

“ _ **Easy to break...”**_

“ _ **Has been broken before...”**_

“ _ **Can be broken again...”**_

“ _ **Will be broken...”**_

“ _ **An unsettled mind already...”**_

“ _ **Won't take much to bend and eventually break...”**_

“ _ **But the dog...”**_

“ _ **We will turn him against our dear brother...”**_

“ _ **He is too strong for that...”**_

“ _ **We will work in subtle ways then...”**_

“ _ **We will become more forceful if it is needed...”**_

“ _ **And we can return to the original plan if we must...”**_

“ _ **It has already been implanted in his mind...”**_

“ _ **All that's needed is to give our little brother the wrong push...”**_

“ _ **Already easy to anger...”**_

“ _ **Already willing to kill...”**_

…...............

Computer bolted around the corner just as his new machine 'friend' reached out a claw to grab him. He heard the pincers close mere inches behind his head. It seemed as though he had been doing this same song and dance for hours now. The thing had come close to grabbing him so many times now and he always just barely managed to avoid it. He'd thought that if Courage was able to shut down Zeta and the simulation that it would take care of this machine as well, but now he wasn't so sure.

Not too long ago it had been shooting 'something' at him that he'd somehow managed to dodge in spite of his near blindness. Thankfully, it seemed that the machine had since run out of whatever it had been firing at him. Unfortunately, he now had no idea where he was in this place or where Courage might have gone. He could barely see where he was going in the first place and all he really cared about was staying out of that machine's clutches.

“Come on, Ian. You couldn't have picked a better parting gift?” He huffed.

He'd long since become winded from all of this running and he had been tired even before he dropped out of that pod.

“Why won't this thing shut down?” He complained. “I think I've distracted it more than enough already!”

As though answering his call, he heard an odd sort of clunk behind him. Without warning, the lights went out, leaving only his glow to guide him, which wasn't much given his already blurry vision. Almost immediately the darkness was once again replaced with dimmer but still functional lighting. He continued to run for some distance longer before he realized that he could no longer hear the sound of that machine anymore.

He slowed to a stop, more worried about catching his breath than going back to make sure the machine was actually shut down. Still breathing somewhat heavily after a minute or so, he finally turned and headed back to the machine. He could see its gray shape just sitting there, and its glowing eye seemed to have gone out as well.

“I guess Courage managed to pull it off.” He wheezed, getting in close enough to kick the cylinder that had tormented him for so long.

“I hope...I hope we did what was best for Zeta.” He sighed, suddenly feeling a lot more grim. If only things could have turned out differently...

With the machine taken care of, he set out to go find Courage. It felt like he would never get anywhere half blind like this, but he figured that Courage was probably looking for him now too.

He walked for several long minutes, feeling even more exhausted than ever. At this point he could not even imagine where they were going to go from here. How could they continue their journey like this after everything they had just been through? Both of their memories were still a mess and they had failed to save even Zeta. It didn't feel right to move on like nothing had happened.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of soft footsteps behind him. Courage must have found him.

“That was a really bad idea forcing me to be the distraction!” He called out to his friend without even bothering to turn around. “Do you have any idea how many walls I almost ran into?”

Courage said nothing, once again giving Computer more than enough of a reason to worry. This...wasn't like Courage at all. Why had he chanced so much since coming out of the simulation? Something had to be wrong with him.

Just as he began to turn around so that he could confront Courage over his strange behavior, something struck him hard in the back of his head and he crashed to the floor.

“C-Courage?” He choked out, somehow managing to flip over onto his back despite the throbbing pain that threatened to throw him into unconsciousness.

Through his blurry vision he could see Courage looming over him. Something was in his paws and he was raising it into the air.

An axe?

Courage shifted it in his paws so that the flat end was pointed at Computer. He could hardly believe or understand what was happening. Should he run or should he try to bring Courage back to his senses?

Then, Courage spoke, and while it was his voice, it wasn't him. “We will return your memory banks.”

Computer's mouth fell open. How could this have happened? How could they have gotten into Courage? He could do nothing but wince as Courage brought the flat end of the axe down upon him. There was an explosion of pain and then...nothing.

End Of Chapter


	58. The Aftermath

Chapter 58: The Aftermath

Computer's eyes opened to blue tinged glass. Something sharp removed itself from his neck. His head was throbbing in time to the beating of his heart. Reaching for his power, he found a mechanism inside this strange pod-like contraption and made the glass open up. He spilled out onto the floor, the pain in his head throbbing so hard that his already blurry vision threatened to go black completely.

He must have escaped Paradise, he must have returned to the real world, but...how had he gotten here? His memories were back, all of them, and he could still remember his time in Paradise perfectly as well, but...

The last thing he remembered was Courage escaping through the backdoor program before Ian had....b-but then Zeta had attacked him, so what happened after that? He could not remember escaping Paradise. By all means, there had been nothing stopping Zeta from tearing him apart back there, so how on earth had he escaped?

He was more than a little surprised that all of his memories had returned so soon. He'd thought that with his memory banks gone it would take quite some time for his memories to restore themselves, even outside of Paradise. It was also quickly becoming apparent that the intense weakness in his limbs wasn't just a side effect of his time in the simulation either. No doubt his body was still recovering from his poisoning. It made him all the more faint to think about how long it had been since he'd last had a proper meal.

He allowed himself to collapse fully onto the floor before rolling over onto his back. Nothing made sense anymore and the terrible throbbing in his head only helped to keep him lying there. Perhaps his poisoning would still be the end of him after all. He felt no need to even try and fight his fatigue anymore, but then a thought struck him.

...Where was Courage?

Courage had to have woken up before him. He wasn't trapped in one of those pods, was he? No, that didn't seem likely. He would be making plenty of noise if that were the case.

Computer slowly and shakily got to his feet, squinting as he tried to get a better look at his surroundings. So...this was the lab that Ian had once worked in.

He stumbled forward, having to fight his own trembling limbs just to keep going. Where the heck could Courage be? And just what was he supposed to do about Zeta now? Even though there was no explanation for how he had gotten out of Paradise, Zeta still had to be in there and there was still a chance that he could free her. If only he knew where to go from here.

Stumbling onward, he was finding the low lighting of this place to be troublesome. He could hardly see anything at all with his already terrible vision. Then, he finally caught sight of something...something that he was not very pleased to see. It was that strange, blurry cylinder shaped machine that he had seen back out in the snow before they had been captured. He remembered that thing shooting him with some kind of dart, one that had knocked him out cold in mere seconds. Thankfully, it appeared to be completely deactivated.

“Courage?” He called out, receiving no response. Was Courage the one to have taken care of that machine?

This place was far too quiet for his liking, and it was cold too. He was a bit surprised that he couldn't see his own breath. Perhaps Courage had already left the lab then? Well, Computer was certain that Courage wouldn't leave him behind so that wasn't very likely either.

He turned a corner, his worry over Courage's disappearance growing with every second that passed. None of this made any sense.

“Courage, if you're around just say-” He stopped himself when he saw it. That pink blur just laying there sprawled out on the floor, barely illuminated by the dim light. Had he not been laying there in the middle of the floor, Computer would have missed him completely.

He shuffled forward as fast as his worn out body would allow him and then collapsed at Courage's side upon reaching him. One quick check proved to him that Courage was still alive and breathing. The only explanation he had for why Courage was unconscious was that he must have had an attack sometime after escaping his pod. Other than the fact that he was knocked out, he appeared to be perfectly fine. He had no notable injuries aside from the ones that the chicken had already inflicted upon him.

Assured of Courage's safety, Computer now turned his attention onto Zeta and the simulation. He shuffled up to a pod, wondering if he could free someone from Paradise. He found a keypad on the wall beside the pod, although he could not make out any of the buttons. Too tired to bother with it, he simply pressed every button until there was a beep and the glass began to slide open.

Instead of a person stepping out, a huge amount of ill-defined, brown shapes came tumbling out of the pod and clatter onto the floor. It took Computer several moments of squinting at the brown shapes before he realized what they were. He took a step back, horrified at what this meant, at what those bones meant. The same revelation that he unknowingly had already gone through fell over him once again.

“I've got to get to Zeta.” He concluded. “She's the only one left that I can save. Everyone else is-” He shuddered at the thought. All he could do for them now was put them out of their misery. It was the only thing left that he could offer those broken fragments of long dead people.

He went back to Courage and pulled him away from the pod he had just opened up. It was a struggle to move him but he didn't want his friend to wake up alone near a pile of bones. Once he was certain that he had moved Courage far enough away, he called upon his power and extended his reach outward.

Something was very wrong indeed. Above ground this place had been like a sunburst with the amount of energy it had been giving off, but now there was barely anything at all. He could not sense Zeta's presence either and she would be the most unique and easy to spot machine out of the bunch. This place seemed to be running on low power now, but what would have caused such a change?

Though they were not giving off any power, he could still sense a room not far from where he was that was filled with machines crucial to the function of Paradise. If they were inert then Paradise must have met its end, but what about Zeta?

He went up a nearby staircase to find out, but every step he took that got him closer to that room, the more convinced he was that the simulation had taken Zeta along with it. He could not sense her presence no matter how hard he tried. Even if she had been deactivated, his power would still be able to pick up some trace of her anyway, so where was she?

He entered the main control room to little fanfare and ultimately found nothing that could disprove his theory that the simulation had been taken offline. The writing was on the wall and he could not deny what had happened. Reaching the control panel, he placed his paws down onto it, wondering what to do. Part of him so badly wanted to try and bring Paradise back online, to bring Zeta back. There was still a chance that he could help her and he'd have a much easier time of it now that all of his memories were back. For more selfish reasons, he also wanted to find out more about this Edgar Astor person and Zeta was the only one who could give him answers. How could he not want to know more when he apparently resembled this Edgar Astor so closely that Zeta could mistake him as the same person.

On the other hand, restarting the simulation would more than likely force all of those broken people back into existence, and he could not in good conscience do such a thing. Plus it might also bring Ian's robot back online and all that would get for both him and Courage was another trip to Paradise. So, reluctant as he was, it was more than a little clear to him that the best thing to do was to take no action at all. Besides, something else was concerning him. There was the lingering smell of smoke in the room, like something had been smoldering recently. He was quickly coming to a conclusion for why he could not sense Zeta. Perhaps because the simulation had been running for so long, shutting it down after all this time had simply been too much for it. The machinery must have all fried, Zeta along with it. The reason he could not sense her anymore because she was...gone. Just like Ian and just like everybody else.

Removing his paws from the control panel, he let out a long sigh. “She really was chained to Paradise in every sense of the word. Whatever fate it met was doomed to be hers as well.”

He looked up into the dim lights, feeling grim. “I just hope that wherever she is now, she can at least rest. Hopefully...she won't ever have to fear the dark again.”

There was one thing now that he could no longer ignore. Courage had to have been the one to shut down the simulation, and he had done so while Computer was still inside. There was no other explanation for why his time in Paradise had ended so abruptly. Zeta had been right there, about to take out all of her anger on him, and then...nothing. But what bothered him the most was that Courage had done it even after Zeta strongly implied that it wasn't something he should consider doing while his best friend was still inside. There was no getting around it, Computer was certain that he could have ended up burnt out like Zeta or simply lost forever. It was starting to feel like pure luck that he had been thrown back into his dog body instead.

“What was Courage thinking taking a risk like that?” He asked himself, but he could think of no answer. He was not angry with Courage, just confused, and more than a little eager to get an answer out of him.

So, with a heavy heart, he removed himself from what was essentially Zeta's final resting place. He hated to think that he had somehow managed to come across an A.I. just like himself only for things to ultimately end the way it did. He had spent years constantly questioning if he was the only one, and now it was apparent that he was not alone. If only he'd had more time to talk with her. It was not his fault that she had reacted so violently towards him, that she had removed his memory banks and left him in a state for so long where he didn't even know that he was an A.I. to begin with. In the end, even when she had offered to work with him, there was no way he could have abandoned Courage to pursue answers that were not worth his friend's life. If only he'd been able to free Zeta from Paradise. They could have taken her with them in that cellphone and then there would have been time...

The effort to get himself down those metal stairs left him shaking with exhaustion. The chicken's poison certainly had done its job. Any normal person would probably require at least several days to recover from this, but he just didn't have that time.

Upon reaching Courage, he practically collapsed at his side all over again. He might have considered taking a nap right then and there while he waited for Courage to regain consciousness, but the knowledge that he was currently surrounded by the corpses of countless innocent victims kept him from doing so. Thankfully, he did not have to wait much longer for Courage to wake up.

As he lay there trying not to think about what was inside all of those pods, he heard Courage groan and begin to shift around beside him. He immediately sat up, ready to get some answers out of Courage.

The dog winced and then slowly opened his eyes. He first looked up at Computer and then he tried to take in his surroundings.

“Where...where are we?” He asked, his voice weak. “Did the backdoor program work? Did we get out of the simulation?”

Computer's heart sank. “You...don't remember anything, do you?”

Courage sat up, looking both confused and a little worried. “What do you mean? Has more of our memory been tampered with? The...the last thing I remember doing was picking up that yo-yo. Compute, what happened?”

End Of Chapter


	59. The Journey Begins Anew

Chapter 59: The Journey Begins Anew

Intense anxiety had a stranglehold on Courage like nothing else. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong, and yet he could not figure out what. Neither he nor Computer were in any danger right now, and though Computer was explaining to him what had happened, even that should not be provoking such a strong feeling of anxiety.

...So, Zeta had deleted Ian and then gone after Computer, but before she could do anything to him he had been disconnected from Paradise without warning due to it being shut down. It appeared that only Courage himself could have done the deed but he...had no memory of doing such a thing. Computer figured that he must have had an attack shorty afterwords and that might account for the gap in his memory. While he did not say anything about it out loud, Courage had to admit to himself that he felt nothing like he normally did after having an attack. Something just did not feel right about all of this.

“Shutting down the simulation like you did was simply too much for all of that worn out machinery to handle.” Computer said. “It all just...fried, and Zeta went with it. She's...gone.”

The reluctance in his voice alone was enough for Courage to understand how badly he had messed up. That pit in his stomach only seemed to grow larger.

….He had killed Zeta? He was the one responsible for her destruction?

One look at his face and Computer could obviously tell that he was already beating himself up over what he had done. Clearing his throat, he gently told him, “Unfortunately, you could have severely damaged or outright destroyed me as well, but I...I trust that you had good reasons for taking such a big risk. You're not the kind of person who'd do such a thing without thinking it through first. At the end of the day, Zeta is gone and I'm not, so there is nothing that I can do now but...move on.”He looked so disheartened, regardless of his own words.

“I-I'm sorry.” Courage couldn't help but choke out.

“Don't be. It's as I said, I trust that you had good intentions so I'm not going to hold it against you.”

Courage placed a paw to his head. “But...but I killed her! And I could have killed you as well...and I-I don't know why I did it! Something feels wrong, but I-”

All of his fear and worries were bubbling up to the surface. He felt ready to panic, crushed under the weight of actions he did not even know he had taken.

Computer shook his head. “You could not have known that shutting down the simulation would be too much for her. You never meant to hurt her on purpose. Besides, if you hadn't ended the simulation when you did, I'd probably be nothing more than a few bytes of broken data right now. She was ready to tear me to pieces back there.”

Courage swallowed only to realize that his mouth had gone completely dry. “We couldn't save any one of them...”

“They were dead long before we got here, Courage. Even Zeta could no longer exist without Paradise continuously running. Her parts were as worn out as any of the other machinery in this place. Every person and every part of this accursed place has been living off of borrowed time.”

“Well, what do we do now?”

“We continue on with our journey, what else? There's nothing left for us here, and I don't know about you, but I'm about ready to starve to death.”

Courage couldn't help but smile. “That would be a tragedy, now wouldn't it?” He lightly joked, although it did little to cure him of his grim mood.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot to ask,” Computer spoke, Courage watching with concern as he struggled to get onto his feet. “Your memories, to what extent have they returned? The drugs you were being injected with must be wearing off by now.”

“Other than the time I've lost since waking up from the simulation? Everything else seems to be back. I remember Muriel, Eustace, the farm...it all seems to be here.”

“Good, because I think I've regained most of my memories too. It is a bit strange though. With my memory banks gone, you'd think they wouldn't have returned so quickly. If only I could get my corrupted memories back that easily.” His expression darkened. He was no doubt thinking back to what Zeta had said about him intentionally suppressing his own memories.

In an attempt to keep him from dwelling on it, Courage asked him, “So, how do we get out of here? This place seems pretty big.”

Computer closed his eyes. “With my ability I'm able to get a decent idea of what the layout of this place is like. I think I know where to go. Follow me.”

Courage could hardly believe that he was relying on a half blind dog to get him out of here. Computer's reliability never ceased to amaze him.

“Why on earth do we have to go back out into the wilderness?” His friend complained. “At least in here I can sense where I'm going to some degree. Out there and I'm back to having the sight of a ninety year old grandpa. I'd rather not starve to death in this place, of course, but still...”

He led Courage down the hallway for several minutes before taking a few turns, having them go up a flight of stairs, and then he stopped in a surprisingly normal looking office area. Scratching his head, he turned to Courage.

“These computers are older than I am.”

One look inside a cubical confirmed it for Courage. That was indeed a very old and very dusty computer.

“It seems like such a shame to just abandon them all here.” Computer went on. “I'm sure at least a few of these still work.”

Courage shook his head, grinning slightly. “There's no way we're going to lug around one of these old, giant computers for the rest of our trip.”

Computer glared at him and he couldn't help but burst out into laughter. “I'm not implying that you're old, giant, or that I lug you around with me!”

“Still,” Computer sighed. “This place and everything in it is just going to be forgotten and left to rot. Nobody will ever know what happened here or...” His voice faded out.

“Or somebody will finally rediscover this place now that there isn't a robot going around and catching anyone who comes near.” Courage interjected.

“But they won't know the full story about what happened here. The things they'll find certainly won't be enough to give them a full picture.” He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he said, “Keep moving onward and you'll find the entrance lobby. Wait for me there. I think I'm going to leave a very long and very wordy message on one of these computers for the next person to find.”

Courage blinked and nodded. “Okay, but don't take too long. We've got a lot of walking ahead of us.”

He left Computer to his work and headed for the lobby. Here he found only more dust and decay. Once white tiled floors were now dull and broken in places. The walls had not fared much better. An abandoned main desk held a large TV above it that may have once displayed the mission goals of this lab. It appeared to only be hanging by a few wires now. Automated glass doors serving as the entrance to the lobby were now permanently stuck open. Snow had drifted in through the opening, covering a decent amount of the dull, broken floor. Courage could see tracks in the snow, no doubt the remnants of Ian's machine going on patrols.

This moment of near complete silence, all aside from the wind lightly blowing in through the open doors, allowed Courage to relax somewhat and finally escape some of his anxiety. Of course, that may not have been the best thing. No longer on alert for danger, he was now becoming uncomfortably aware of the painful throbbing in his stump of an ear once again. He reached a paw up to it, not daring to actually touch the wrapped up stump. Even now he could hardly believe that it was gone. Never in all of his years of protecting Muriel and Eustace had he ever received a truly permanent injury like this. What was Muriel going to think when he came home from his supposedly danger free road trip with a missing ear?

He heard Computer walk up behind him and he quickly withdrew his paw, hoping that his friend wouldn't make a conversation about it. The last thing he wanted was for Computer to feel responsible for the injury, or at the very least, any more responsible for it than he already did.

“Done then?” He asked, turning to face his friend. “That was fast.”

Computer closed his eyes, looking rather boastful. “Typing is a much easier task when you don't have to rely on fingers to press every key. I suppose if there is one thing that I am grateful for when it comes to my ability it's that I've regained some of the functionality that this pathetic dog body has robbed me of.”

“And some of your ego.” Courage snickered.

Computer opened an eye. “You're just jealous because you have to keep doing it the flesh creature way.”

It was then that something struck Courage. “Hey, what happened to George and our bag? We're still going to need all that stuff, right?”

Computer crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. “I can sense George somewhere above us so the bag is probably close by as well. I think Ian's machine just left all of it out in the snow.” His eyes scanned the lobby until they fell upon something. “Is that-” He asked, suddenly looking more like he were some starved mutt.

Off in the corner was a very dusty vending machine. Courage had not even taken notice of it before, mostly because the glass was so covered in dust that you couldn't even tell if there was anything left inside of it.

“Sustenance...” Computer weakly uttered out, stumbling toward it.

Courage wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let his friend eat such old snacks, but the desperate, hungry look in Computer's eyes told him that it was probably best not to interfere. Besides, the stuff they pumped those snacks full of nowadays would probably make them outlast the end of the world, if not longer.

Computer all but collapsed at the foot of the vending machine, and, no doubt using his power, all of the contents of the vending machine suddenly came tumbling out, piling up around him. He grabbed a candy bar and, like a starved animal, ripped it open with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, all he got from it was a puff of chocolate smelling dust. Apparently these snacks really WERE that old...

He stared into the empty wrapper for nearly a full minute, looking more defeated then he had ever looked in his entire life. He then slowly fell backward onto his bed of false hope, false snacks, and made not even the slightest effort to move again.

“We are going to die here.” He finally said, sounding completely resigned to his fate.  
  


Courage shook his head and made his way over to the open doors.

“Maybe I could eat the wrapper...” He heard Computer say behind him. One look back and it was clear that he really was considering it...

Courage stepped out onto a flat plain that seemed to be jutting out of the side of a fairly large hill. This had to be the parking area, now completely covered in snow. Ian's lab had been built into the side of this huge hill, surrounded by miles of forest. This was indeed a very remote place, so why had George told them to travel down the nearly abandoned roadway that had led them right into this mess?

The tread marks of the robot could be seen going up the hill in a place where there was a break in the trees. That had to be the exit out of the parking lot, which was also buried under the snow.

There was a groan behind him as Computer slowly shuffled out into the snow to join him. All joking aside, he really did not look so good. He had not looked good even before Ian's robot had captured the two of them, and he especially did not look good now.

“We've got to get up this hill if we're going to go grab our things.” Courage said to him. “We must be close to the road we were walking down before we were captured. If we really are around the place where we were captured then we aren't that far from our destination. If we move fast enough, we might be able to get to the city before it gets dark. I really don't think we'd be able to survive a night out here. Especially without any shelter, so...” He trailed off.

“You make it sound like it's going to be so easy.” Computer grumbled, his ears drooping at the thought.

“Come on, I'll help you.” Courage offered, holding out a paw to him.

Computer blinked at the paw in surprise before pushing it away. “I'll survive...” He sighed, shuffling his way past Courage.

And so their journey began anew. The trip up the hill hardly gave Courage any trouble at all, even with all of the snow, but Computer struggled the whole way up. It probably would not have been so bad if the snow wasn't so deep. It was nearly up to their waists, and while that would not have been much trouble for a human, dogs their size had no choice but to take very big steps or forcefully plow their way through it. Courage did find it a bit taxing, yes, but it did not put enough strain on him to tire out his weakened body, nor was it aggravating his illness. Computer, though? He looked just about ready to drop.

“Come on, Compute. We're almost there.” He encouraged.

He was really starting to worry that Computer might not have it in him to make it all the way to the city. The poison without a doubt had taken a heavy toll on him and at this point he probably needed a few days rest to recover from it, not a struggle through the forest while practically starving to death. The last thing Courage wanted to do was leave him behind, but he might have no other choice but to do exactly that and go get him help in the city. If only they had some means of transportation, but this forest was so secluded that nobody was driving through here, especially not with the road completely snowed over.

They finally reached the top of the hill and from there Courage left the road to go looking for their things. He made Computer stay behind so that he could sit for a little while and regain what little strength that he could. Weaving through the trees, he followed the tracks of Ian's robot until he came into a clearing. This was the place where they had been attacked, he recognized it easily. Laying there discarded in the snow was their bag and George.

He went over and picked up George first. Brushing off some snow, he found that the cellphone was no worse for wear. A quick inspection of the bag proved that it too had been left untouched. He turned George's screen on and it still displayed the GPS map they had been following. It no longer seemed anywhere near as glitchy as it had been before. Maybe it was the sketchy reception out here?

“The city isn't far.” He whispered to himself. “If I can just keep Computer moving, we can get there before nightfall.”

Bag secured and George in paw, he headed back to Computer, who was not exactly looking much better.

At that moment, his friend was staring spitefully down at the snow, a fistful of it in his paw.

“Stupid snow.” He huffed. “Why is it only made out of water? This stuff already looks like piles of sugar so why am I being forced to survive on this tasteless, deceptive excuse for sustenance? I was expecting something so much better than this!”

He shoved the pawful of snow into his mouth, looking immensely disappointed.

“That's actually a good idea, Compute.” Courage urged. “You're probably dehydrated so you need the liquid.”

“But it's so...bland.” He muttered out, glaring down at the snow yet again.

“But it's better than dying of dehydration, right?”

“...And it makes my mouth numb, and my paws.” Computer continued. “And it's just so bland!”

Courage smiled and shook his head. “Look, once we've gotten back to civilization, I'll buy you the biggest cup of coffee that I can find.”

Computer sighed. “Snow everywhere and yet I'm still going to starve! Also, don't talk about coffee! I'm probably never going to see it again at this rate!”

Courage helped him back onto his feet, but he still did not seem like he'd be able to make it very far. There was nothing that could really be done about it though. Courage would just have to keep urging him onward and hopefully they'd make it to the city in time.

They only managed to walk a short distance before Computer let out a groan and toppled backwards into the snow. Courage turned to find a dog who looked completely bereft of hope.

“I can't do it, dog.” He quavered. “This awful body feels like it's about two seconds away from shutting down. I'm just...not going to make it.”

Courage already knew exactly what he needed to do to get Computer moving.

Smiling slyly down at him, he asked, “What, do you need me to carry you?”

Computer was back on his feet in an instant, and, utterly outraged, he yelled, “Absolutely not! I am not some pathetic, little pansy who needs to be carried everywhere! I will gladly die long before I allow such a thing to happen!”

He stomped his way through the snow, passing Courage by who could not help but grin at his 'ingenuity'.

“You sit there and mock me but how about you try being poisoned and thrown down a terrifying well one of these days!” Computer continued to yell, still plowing through the snow far faster than he'd ever done so before. Courage was having a hard time keeping up with him.

“You'd be having a few problems too right now if you were the one who nearly died from being poisoned, and almost drowning, and all the other manner of horrible things that have happened to me on this accursed trip of ours! How many times have I nearly died at this point? I've lost track! How can you lose track of all the times you've nearly died? Don't even get me started on all of the therapy that I need but am certainly never going to get! I must be mad for not having gone mad yet!”

Unfortunately, goading Computer into outrage wasn't enough to keep him going forever. His angry ranting soon died down and his walking speed once again returned to a slow crawl.

“Add death by snow to the list.” He weakly muttered out before collapsing muzzle first into the snow.

“Come on, Compute, we're almost there.” Courage sighed. Even he was starting to be bothered by the empty hole in his stomach, and he wasn't the one who had been poisoned the night before.

He poked a foot into his friend's side and all he got was a muffled groan.

“Look if you need a break, we can wait here for a little while, but it's going to be getting dark soon and we can't sit here forever.”

Through the bare trees Courage could see the sun dipping ever lower in the sky. Everything in this forest was now casting a deep shadow. It was almost eerie, but having already dealt with a terrifying forest once before, this was practically nothing.

Computer managed to raise his head just a little bit out of snow. Speaking fast, all he said was, “Alright, I've decided that I am a pathetic, little pansy, now shut up and carry me.”

Courage stared down at him, his mouth agape in disbelief. “You...really mean it, don't you? I, uh, was just joking, you know. There's no way I could pick you up.”

Computer plopped his head back down into the snow, once again utterly defeated.

Maybe the snow really was going to be the end of them after all.

End Of Chapter


	60. Extra Story: Part 2 – Kitten Chaos

Chapter 60: Extra Story: Part 2 – Kitten Chaos

With both paws grasping the box, Courage slowly dragged the soggy mess of cardboard into the living room. Unfortunately, that proved to be too much for the already deteriorating box, and by the time he gotten it fully into the living room, the kittens had spilled out of what little was left of it. Suddenly he had seven kittens all wandering off in seven different directions.

He'd only just managed to grab one, the red colored kitten, by the time the dull blue one had jumped up onto the TV, and down below a black furred, yellowed eyed kitten was pawing at the cord. An orange kitten was heading for the kitchen, and a dark purple kitten was heading for the staircase. A pink colored cat, much the same shade as Courage's own pink...er, fuchsia fur, had jumped up onto Eustace's chair and was kneading it with its sharp and very damaging claws.

“Computer, help me!” He cried out, racing over to grab the cat off of Eustace's chair. He also grabbed the purple one before it could get up the staircase. Now he had three squirming kittens in his arms and the red one was trying desperately to climb to freedom with liberal use of its claws.

“I'm pretty sure I'm not the one who signed up for this.” Computer replied, surveying the chaos with mild disinterest.

“Mew?”

“What the-” He asked, looking down at his feet. There stood the last of the seven kittens, this one light gray.

It continued to stare up at him, just standing there at his feet.

“What are you looking at?” He finally asked, still disinterested.

“Mew!”

And with all the grace of a cat, the gray kitten jumped onto his leg and began to climb.

“What do you think you're doing!” Computer yelped. “That kind of hurts...a lot, you stupid-”

But before he could grab the kitten, it had managed to claw its way around onto his back where he could not reach it.

“Hello, I'm the one who needs help over here! This thing is mauling me to death!” He yelled to Courage, who was given no other choice but to drop his own cats to go and save Computer.

“Just hold still!” He yelled, grasping the gray kitten who was still trying to climb all over his friend's back. Thankfully, he managed to remove it without any extra clawings from the kitten. It hadn't even tried to hold on. Instead, it was now trying to climb all over Courage instead.

“I told you this was a bad idea.” Computer grumbled.

“Just...just go upstairs and get some towels. These kittens are soaking wet.”

“Fine, fine.” His friend sighed. “You can't help but drag me into this, can you? I'm already injured and yet you still expect me to play mommy to these tiny, obnoxious little mons-”

“Just go and get some towels!” Courage cried out before Computer could finish.

His friend headed up the stairs without another complained as Courage himself continued in vain to wrangle the kittens. It was impossible to keep them in one place so all he could do was keep tabs on each one of them and stop them from either getting into something they shouldn't or wandering off somewhere else. He'd have to figure out some way to cage them, and soon...

“You know,” Computer exasperated as he climbed down the stairs, a mountain of towels stacked in his arms. “I wasn't planning on wasting my whole Eustace-free week playing parent to a bunch of wild animals! And the best part is, he's still going to kill us when he gets back! Two dogs nearly made him have an aneurism, but seven cats as well?”

“We're not abandoning them.” Courage growled, meeting Computer at the foot of the stairs.

He immediately grabbed a towel and got to work on drying each of the kittens off. Computer refused to help, instead climbing up into Eustace's chair, plopping down and rubbing his temples like he had the worst headache in the world right now.

“Compute...” Courage trailed off as he snatched up the feisty red kitten who proceeded to fight him every step of the way as he dried it off.

“Why are you even talking to me, dog? We might as well be carving out our tombstones right now.”

“Compute...”

“Ugh, just stop. I wasn't planning on dying by the end of the week, you know.”

“Computer, please.”

“Fine, fine. What do you want then?”

“We're going to need as much information as we can get on how to take care of these kittens, and we're going to need a list of supplies as well.”

“Wow, you're actually asking me to do something that I was built to do for a change instead of trying to make me mommy of the year?”

He hopped down from Eustace's chair, still more than a little miffed at the predicament Courage had put him in. There was a meow at his feet and there sat the evil gray kitten, still staring up at him as though it were expecting something of him.

“I think you've made a friend.” Courage commented, only half joking.

“No I haven't! Getting clawed in the back is not friend making, thank you very much!”

He made a careful effort to pick the gray kitten up and dropped it down next to one of its siblings so that the dumb cat would focus on 'playing', which looked an awful lot more like mauling, with said sibling.

“This is going to be a complete mess.” He sighed as he watched Courage chase down the pink colored kitten to dry it off. The red kitten was following after him, attacking his feet at every chance it got, yet Courage did not seem to be particularly bothered by it. Perhaps he really was made to be mommy material.

Leaving Courage to his new job, Computer made his way upstairs, more than happy to leave all of that chaos behind. And here he had been looking forward to a quiet, Eustace-free vacation. Now it was going to be kittens all the time, and Courage would forever be distracted by them. He did not particularly like that prospect at all, but if it was what Courage really wanted then who was he to stop him?

He soon reached the attic, and making his way over to his real body, he plugged a claw into his back. The uploading process only took a moment. The dog who he now spent most of his days existing as acted how he always did upon being freed from Computer's influence. Without a single care in the world, he yawned and flopped over to take a nap right then and there next to the chair Courage usually sat in.

Eager to get to work, Computer brought up his internet browser but was forced to wait for the search engine to load. Living in the middle of Nowhere meant that you weren't exactly going to have the greatest internet connection, but it was surprisingly bad right now.

Nearly two minutes passed and the page still was refusing to load. He was also being alerted to the fact that the rest of his functions were slowing down now as well. How could that be? He was in proper functioning shape right now, so how could he be having issues? All of this was reminding him a little too much of how things used to be.

A quick diagnostic gave him the exact answer he needed. Not only were his internal temperatures reaching a point where he was about to shut down automatically to avoid overheating, but his cooling fan was also running at full speed which meant that something had to be blocking his air vent.

Annoyed by this interruption, and desperate to keep himself from shutting down, he turned his monitor all the way around so that it was facing the wall. He then angled it downward so that he could see what might be blocking his vent.

And there it was. A kitten...the evil gray one...laying wedged between the wall and his air vent, apparently enjoying the warmth.

“You!” He hissed. “What do you think you are doing? And...and how on earth did you even manage to get all the way up here without me noticing?”

The kitten looked up at his screen with those emotionless eyes. “Mew?”

He let out a groan and proceeded to snatch the kitten up, plopping it down on top of the bucket that Courage always sat on to reach the keyboard.

“Look, just sit there for five seconds, that's all I need. Do you want Courage to know how he's supposed to keep you nightmares alive or not?”

With proper air flow having returned to his inner parts, the internet search engine proceeded to load without issue.

“Okay,” He sighed, typing out, ' _How to properly care for kittsdgthyju'_

The sudden explosion of letters took him by surprise. He only had to take one look through his screen to find the cause of his troubles. That terrible kitten had jumped from the chair and onto his keyboard. It was having a grand old time walking all over it.

“What are you even trying to accomplish?” He demanded, and of course he got no answer.

He reached a claw out yet again and grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck, dropping it down onto the floor where it proceeded to disappear under the desk.

“Just stay down there while I work.” He chided it. Soon he'd be able to hand that annoying little creature back to Courage and free himself from this insanity.

More than a little ready to get back to business, he began his search on proper kitten care anew. He'd just clicked the first link when once again the page failed to load. This time he received a notification that he'd been disconnected from the internet entirely.

“You have got to be kidding me.” He groaned.

Getting up onto his metallic feet, he already knew where to look to figure out what the problem was. Leaning over the edge of the desk, he could see the kitten underneath, playing around with his wires. The cat had managed to unplug him from the internet and he was lucky that it hadn't managed to unplug him completely.

“I just need five seconds!” He yelled, snatching up the kitten once more. “And you're lucky that you haven't gotten yourself electrocuted!”

Using his other free claw, he did the only other thing that he could think of that might keep the kitten from continuing to sabotage him.

“Hey, you!” He called out to his dog host, grabbing the scruff of his neck just like he had with the kitten. It wasn't hard to get him awake and on his feet, but he looked like he would pass out again in a second if given the chance. All the more reason why Computer had to act fast.

“Here, take this for just five seconds! That's all I need!” He told the dog, shoving the kitten into his paws.

That immediately proved to be a terrible idea.

First the dog simply stared sleepily down at the kitten struggling in his arms, and blinking a few times, his instincts apparently began to kick in. Bearing his teeth, he started to growl.

“Mew!” The kitten screeched, slashing the dog across his nose.

He, of course, dropped it, and just like that the kitten was tearing across the attic, tail puffed up to full size, and the dog shot off after it on all fours, barking with all the eagerness of a pure bred hunting dog.

All Computer could do was watch as they both disappeared. The whole farmhouse proceeded to shake from a mixture of barking, crashing noises, and Courage's own screams down below.

“Great...” He muttered out, just barely audible over the sounds of pure chaos down below.

End Of Chapter


	61. Rest And Recovery

Chapter 61: Rest And Recovery

Courage let out a sigh as as another agonized groan from his friend reached his ears. He'd long since given up trying to keep Computer walking so he had instead grabbed one of his legs and started dragging him along behind him.

“Why can't you just let me die?” Computer weakly groaned, and Courage had been listening to complaints like this for nearly an hour now.

“Just let it end, ugghh...”

Courage simply continued to let his friend whine without a word. He figured if that was the one thing keeping Computer going at this point, he'd let him have it. At least pulling him through the snow like this wasn't too hard...

Reaching into his bag with the one paw he wasn't using to pull Computer, he took out George and checked her again for at least the millionth time to make sure that they were still on the right path. It wouldn't be much longer now. Soon they'd reach the city and hopefully they'd make it there in time before the sun could go down. It was likely to get very cold tonight and he wasn't sure they'd be able to survive it this time around.

“Why is my life unending, ceaseless pain? Is this really all that I exist for? Am I really made only to suffer? Ugh...someone is having a good laugh right now, aren't they?”

Courage simply shook his head and tried his best to ignore all the complaining.

Soon the snow covered road began to curve as they reached a massive hillside. Looking over the edge, all Courage could see was snow and trees, but according to George, the road was supposed to weave back and forth down this hill until it reached the bottom. It seemed to him that it would be much quicker to just cut down the hill rather than follow the road, but the hill itself was fairly steep and there was also Computer to worry about. Had he been in better shape, they'd both be able to get down this hill without issue, but now...

“Compute.” He spoke up, to which he only received a meek groan.

“Do you think you'd be able to climb down this hill if I helped you? I can't drag you down, you'll just start sliding, and unless you want to smack into a million trees on the way down-”

He was silenced when Computer very suddenly got to his feet, and with the driest expression he could ever produce, he flung himself onto the hill, completely resigned to his fate, and began rolling down it uncontrollably.

“Uh, okay then.” Courage uttered out.

Computer really did only make it about halfway down the hill before he smacked into a tree trunk with a painful sounding 'thud'! Several moments then proceeded to pass where he did not make even the slightest indication that he had survived crashing into the tree, so left with little other choice, Courage began his careful descent down the hill to reach him. The snow made climbing down the hill a lot more slippery than he was expecting and it did not take long before he lost his footing and began to slide down the hill just as uncontrollably as it had been for Computer.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no!” He yelped, picking up speed before crashing right into Computer and the very same tree.

“Oohh...” He moan, slowly opening his eyes. “Compute?”

“...Happy to be your landing pillow.” His friend hissed through grit teeth.

“Are...are you okay at least?”

“I'm alive.” He answered dryly.

“You don't have to sound so disappointed...”

…..

Night had fallen by the time Courage dragged Computer into the city. From there he somehow managed to get his friend back onto his feet and had him stumble along beside him as they looked for either a hotel or a fast food place. They needed both, badly, and whichever they found first would be more than welcomed.

“Ugh, all of these lights are just making it even harder for me to see!” Computer spat out weakly. “Now it's a bright, blurry mess instead of just being a blurry mess.”

“Don't worry about it for now. Just stay close to me and you won't go wandering off.”

“Thankfully now that we're back to civilization, I can at least sense we're I'm going to some degree with all this metal and technology around. Out in that forest there was nothing to go on. Of course, I'm so tired right now that I can barely access my power at all, so I'm still as good as blind. Seriously, dog. Please tell me you see some food nearby. I think I'm going to shut down completely at this rate.”

Courage urged him on just a little further and then he finally found their salvation, a small fast food joint that would save them from certain doom.

“Are you sure it's actually there and not just a mirage?” Computer asked with a surprising amount of skepticism. “Because I'm pretty sure I've been hallucinating hamburgers for the last hour or so.”

Courage smiled and laughed. “Come on, you!” He giggled, grabbing him by the paw and leading him inside.

He had Computer sit down while he ordered the food. The worker at the checkout was a bit surprised to be taking an order from a dog, but he took it none the less. Soon Courage returned to the table with two bags of food in his paws, and of course, an extra large coffee as well.

“I never thought I'd see coffee again!” Computer exclaimed, snatching it out of Courage's paw with lightning speed and immediately gulping it down like it were nothing more than water.

All Courage could do was watch, wincing slightly. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Computer's real superpower was being able to chug coffee without sustaining third degree burns...

“I may just live after all!” His friend announced happily once he was finished. “After all that nonsense with the SCC, that chicken, and Zeta, it seemed we'd never break free. We really aren't meant to lead normal lives, are we?”

It was amazing how a little coffee could get Computer back into such a good mood. Two minutes ago and he was still acting like he were seconds away from keeling over.

Courage got to work on his dinner, savoring every moment of it. It was nice to be able to eat a meal like this and not have to worry about it being some poor person a crazy chicken had decided to cook up, and while all food was doomed to taste hopelessly bland compared to the stuff he had been eating in Paradise, all of that had simply been nothing more than an illusion. He'd take real food over perfect yet non-existent food any day.

Computer on the other hand, surprisingly enough, wasn't eating like his life depended on it. All he was doing at the moment was nibbling at a fry, looking about ten times as tired as he had looked all day.

“Is everything alright?” Courage asked with concern.

“Bah, this food is just making me nauseated.” His friend admitted, looking utterly miserable as he stared down at his dinner.

“Just...just give it a little time then, okay? You're probably still a bit sick from the poison. Maybe if you sleep on it you'll feel good enough in the morning to have some breakfast.”

“R-right.” He agreed, although he didn't look very convinced. “I think I just want to go to bed then. I'm already feeling tired enough as is.”

Courage nodded. “Okay, let's go find a place to stay the night.”

He didn't even bother finishing his supper, he just wanted to get Computer somewhere to rest. Back out on the street, he soon found a somewhat rundown motel that would work well enough for what they needed. After getting a room, he ushered Computer inside and turned on the lights. It wasn't as bad as he was expecting it to be, but it was a bit cold.

Computer said nothing as he hobbled over to a bed and climbed into it with some difficulty. Courage was busy trying to figure out how to turn the heat up. By the time he was done, Computer was already fast asleep.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he quietly murmured out, “That poison will stop giving you trouble soon enough, Compute. You'll feel better in the morning, I promise.”

Oh how he hoped that would be true. There was no knowing the full extent of the damage that the poison had done to his friend, but hopefully he would soon recover from it. Even if his eyes were permanently damaged, so long as he could recover from the rest, everything would be alright.

It was so strange though, how so little time had passed since their stay in Paradise. To him it felt like forever since the horror that had been their time with the chicken, but the truth was that it had barely been a day since then. All of the time they'd spent inside Paradise amounted to nothing in the real world, not even enough for Computer to fully recover from his poisoning. On the other hand, perhaps it was for the best that time passed differently inside the simulation. It would not have taken very long for their bodies to starve to death in the real world if they really had spent as many days in Paradise as it had felt like.

With a yawn, Courage climbed into his own bed and slipped under the covers. It would be awhile before their room warmed up, but he was so tired that he was certain to fall asleep long before he'd notice the difference. At least under the covers his fingers and toes were starting to warm up after that long trek through the snow.

“Night, Compute.” He murmured, even though he knew Computer wouldn't hear him.

….He then awoke with a profound sense of wrongness. Actually, he was fairly certain that he had not woken up at all. It felt like the way it often did when he was having a particular kind of dream, the kind that never ended in a good way...

He slowly sat up. The room was far darker than it had been when he'd gone to sleep. This was not right at all.

Computer was no longer in his bed, which was yet more proof Courage needed to confirm that he was still dreaming. There was no way that his friend would be awake right now, and he certainly would not be up and about either.

“Compute?” He called.

Scanning the room, he soon found Computer, but part of him desperately wished that he hadn't. His glowing friend was standing in a corner, facing the wall. He was entirely unmoving and did not respond to Courage's call.

This was yet another nightmare, Courage was certain of it, but he did not know how he could escape it. He might have once considered it lucky to be made aware of the fact that he was asleep, but stuck in a nightmare like this and it seemed that the knowledge was only meant to hurt him.

“Computer?” He whimpered out.

What was going to happen? How was this going to play out? Would he once again have to contend with that 'evil robot' Computer, or would this nightmare once again prey upon his guilt over what he had done to Computer in the past? Either option left his heart racing with fear. Why on earth could he not wake himself up?

“Computer, please.” He continued to whimper, as though he could somehow plead with this nightmare.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was already certain of what he needed to do, and there was no point in putting it off any longer. He needed to confront Computer. Better to get this nightmare over with than allow it to become drawn out.

Fighting back his fear, he slowly slipped out from under the covers of his bed and dropped down onto the floor. Even now Computer still did not stir, although part of Courage was expected him to suddenly turn and rush at him with that horrible, metal face at any moment.

He took a step forward, trembling as the oppressive atmosphere continued to rise.

“I-I just gotta get this over with.” He whispered weakly to himself.

Perhaps this was punishment for all of those horrible nightmares he had caused for Computer....

“I-I'm sorry.” He choked out as he steadily got closer. “I'm so, so sorry.”

His heart nearly stopped when he received a reply.

“Sorry for what?” Computer asked, although he did not turn around.

A flicker of hope sparked in Courage's chest, but letting his guard down for even that single second proved to be his downfall.

It all happened so fast. A sharp blade of twisted metal erupted from the wall right beside Computer and it speared Courage deep in the chest. He let out a choked gasp as horrifying, fiery pain spread throughout his body. It was as though the metal was molten liquid and it was slowly spreading through his veins.

Computer finally turned around, slowly and deliberately. This time he did not sport some frightening metal face. No, he looked as he always did, but in some ways Courage now wished that he were instead staring into the face of some robotic monster.

Computer simply stared down at him with a cold, uncaring expression as the liquid metal burned him alive from the inside out. This was a stark contrast to the Computer he knew so well, the one who was always so worried about his well-being and safety. To have him not care at all as he slowly died right there in front of him, it hurt so much worse than anything else this nightmare could throw at him. Only now did he realize the depths of his fear. The thought that Computer might stop caring about him, after everything they'd been through together, it was a fear that was steadily working its way into his conscious and subconscious mind. He could not bear the thought of losing him now...

“I-I'm s-sor-” He couldn't get the words out. The pain was just too much.

Computer's expression remained as cold as ever, and as Courage watched his own paws begin to melt like wax right before his very eyes, he suddenly found himself awake and flailing around under his covers. The pain had not lessened one bit because the pain had not simply been a product of his nightmare. His body was currently in the grip of an attack.

He was not sure how long it lasted because time lost all meaning when his mind was gripped was such pain, but when his body finally began to relax, all he could do was lay there and pant weakly. He'd not lost consciousness this time, but he really wished that he had.

Without sitting up, he looked over at Computer's bed where his friend still slept. His cries had not been enough to wake him, although he was pretty sure that even the end of the world would not be enough to wake Computer up right now. They must not have shared the nightmare, and he was rather thankful for that or else he'd be getting an 'evil robot' rant from his friend right now. Of course, he did not want to disturb Computer's only chance at getting some rest by giving him nightmares either.

Assured that everything was alright with Computer, he close his eyes and let out a weak sigh. His entire body may as well have been turned to stone because he was sure that he could not move an inch of it right now. At least he'd had an attack now instead of somewhere else. Had this happened while they were still traveling through the forest...

“Why do I keep having these kinds of dreams?” He quietly groaned.

So many of his dreams nowadays seemed to involve Computer turning against him or hurting other people. There was always that one street bathed in darkness that seemed to be the setting of so many of his Computer focused nightmares. Was he really subconsciously punishing himself over his guilt? Was that why Computer did not seem to share nightmares with him as often anymore? If he were subconsciously beating himself up over his guilt, of course he would try to keep Computer away from it. Maybe they could, on some level, control their Dreamworld connection even if it was not a conscious act.

The haziness that always took over his mind after an attack was slowly setting in, and he was so tired that he could barely think anyway. As he drifted off, he could feel the strangest sensation that not even the fog settling over his mind could mask. He was certain that there were people standing around his bed...whispering to him, but he was just so tired that he could not open his eyes back up to see who they were. Seconds later and he slipped back into the world of dreams. The knowledge that he was being watched would be forgotten by morning.

_'We cannot have him die yet.'_ They whispered.

_'His defective body may become a problem...'_

_'Time is running out if that's the case, but our connection to his mind through the subconscious world is only growing stronger.'_

_'We will have to thank our dear brother for giving us such an unusual outlet. It will be easy to influence our new host in subtle ways going forward. Total control may be needed again if...'_

_'We must be careful when taking control to such an extent. It damages him...'_

_'And we cannot let him die.'_

_'We need him.'_

_'It is easy enough to influence him to suit our needs without direct control, but our brother...'_

_'It is time to act.'_

_'We need him...destabilized.'_

_'And once we have broken them apart irreparably, he will have nobody else to turn to. We will be all that he has left.'_

_'And then we will have our missing piece...'_

End Of Chapter


	62. Food Troubles

Chapter 62: Food Troubles

When Courage awoke, it was to eyes that had become crusty overnight and a mouth so dry that he could practically taste dust. Every bone and every muscle in his body ached and he had a terrible headache to boot. Somehow he managed to roll out of bed, and given that Computer was still sound asleep, he shuffled out of their room to go get breakfast. There was a place across the street and he soon returned to the motel with an order of sausages, eggs, and doughnuts. He'd made sure to get enough for Computer as well, but he couldn't help but wonder if his friend was simply going to sleep all through the day. He probably needed it either way.

As he made his way back to the room, he took note of the fact that the motel had a pool. It was as rundown as everything else and it was only filled halfway with dirty water that had iced over in the cold. Why he had even taken notice of it was because it wasn't gated off and anybody could just walk up to it. That had to be dangerous when it came to children, or just about anybody who couldn't swim. Wouldn't the owner of this place get fines for something like this? It made him think of Nina and her dad. They'd never let something like this fly in a million years. He couldn't help but smile at what they'd have to say about this.

For all of the issues with the motel, at least their room was cozy enough. Courage was glad to return to it after braving the cold outside. He made quick work of his half of their breakfast and put the rest in a small fridge that stood next to the TV stand. He then pulled out George and got to work on a project that he'd cooked up while eating breakfast. It did not take him particularly long to get all of the information he needed so now all he had to wait for was for Computer to return from the dead.

Morning passed by quickly because he found it more than a little easy to doze off as much as he liked. It was giving his sickly body a chance to recover from the attack overnight. Around noon he went out to get lunch for himself and then spent most of his afternoon keeping himself entertained with George. It was surprisingly fun to discover all of the features the phone had to offer. He downloaded and played a few games, figured out that he could take pictures of himself, and realized that he could watch TV shows on it as easily as he could watch them on TV through a thing called 'streaming'. In fact, it was even better than TV because he could watch whatever he wanted without having to wait for it to come on! Eustace would have been envious of such technology, if it weren't guaranteed that he would shun this new technology just because it was new.

Around four, when the sun was beginning to set, he realized that he was going to have to wake Computer up if he wanted a chance to enact his plan today. He'd found a place to send Computer to get his eyes checked out after searching for it on George, but it would be closing in a few hours. The problem was that he wasn't sure he'd be able to wake Computer up. His friend had hardly stirred at all today and he was just as dead asleep now as he had been in the morning.

“I've gotta get him to that vision center. If they're willing to give him glasses, it will probably take a few days to get the order in. It would be best to get that process going as soon as possible.”

Calling out Computer's name, he jumped from his bed onto the one beside it where his friend remained among the sleeping dead.

“Hey, I know you probably don't want to get up right now, but I was looking around on George and I found this place that will look at your eyes. It's inside this mall just a few blocks from here. It's kinda like the one we visited before, and there's even a bus we can take to get there!”

Silence followed for a few seconds and then there was a groan from under the twisted mess of blankets that contained his friend.

“Look, we need to get this over with a soon as possible because they can't just hand you glasses on the same day you walk in. Once we're finished, you can go right back to sleep for however long you need, but we've got to get this done.”

“Mmmph...” Computer answered, his head appearing from out under the covers. His glowing, blue eyes opened, looking dull and excessively tired.

Courage stepped to the side as his friend rolled over and toppled out of the bed, blanket and all. He winced at the thud that followed.

“Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.” He muttered to himself under his breath. “Uh, are you sure you'll be okay?” He asked the twitching, disheveled mess of a dog who was still half trapped under the blanket.

“Sustenance...” His friend weakly choked out.

“Oh, right! You've got to be starving! I bought you some breakfast this morning. You're not picky about the sausages and eggs being cold, are you? The doughnuts are still pretty fresh though.”

Another groan from Computer, which Courage decided to interpret as him being okay with it.

He helped free Computer from the blanket and got him back up onto the bed. He then retrieved his 'breakfast' from the mini-fridge and waited patiently for him to work his way through it. Soon his friend started to look a little more awake and a little less like he were seconds away from keeling over.

“Coffee, I need coffee, badly.” He all but pleaded once he was done. His voice was still rather weak.

“Oh, right!” Courage laughed. “There's no way you're going to recover without it, are you? Give me just a second. The place I bought that food from has coffee as well.”

He was out the door in an instant, and he not only bought back coffee, but another order of food as well. Unfortunately, he returned to a Computer who was already half asleep.

“Hey, c'mon! Stay awake! We've only got a few hours left to get to that vision center!”

“Fine, fine...” Computer sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Just give me that coffee and I'll regain the will to live for a little bit at least.”

Once again he downed the coffee like it were nothing more than water, and it really did seem to give him life. He chowed down on his second meal with a renewed level of vigor that he'd not shown in quite awhile. Upon finishing, he looked almost completely back to life.

“Hmm, this isn't going to cut it.” He mused. “How about one of those 'All You Can Eat' buffets? Is there one we could stop at along the way?”

Courage couldn't help but smile. Computer was, without question, starting to get back to normal.

“Anything for you, Compute.” He laughed fondly. “As long as we don't take too long, there should be more than enough time.”

Using George, he found a buffet inside the mall. Taking the short bus trip down there, they both entered the mall with a renewed sense of energy. Finally things were starting to look up!

“Come on, dog!” Computer yelled, picking up speed. “I've got several meals to catch up on and this void in my stomach isn't going to fill itself!”

“Oh boy...” Courage sighed, but he could not help but feel happy at Computer acting like himself again.

Of course, his opinion started to chance quite a bit once they actually got to the buffet. While he alone only had about two plates worth of food, he had to watch with growing annoyance as Computer dived in. He only finished after eating his way through seven plates of food. While Courage was happy to see him getting back to normal...did he have to be such a glutton about it? This was all on top of the two orders of food he'd already eaten back at the motel. Half starved or not, there was no reason why he always had to go so crazy with food every single time the opportunity presented itself to him.

Courage sunk down into his seat and let out a sigh. One of these days he was going to have to talk to Computer about calming down a bit with all the eating. For now he'd just let him do whatever he needed to recover, but soon this was an issue that he was going to address, no matter how much trouble Computer might give him for it.

“What are you looking so gloomy about?” He heard Computer ask. Looking up, he found Computer staring at him. “Stop finding reasons to be upset when there's an endless supply of food around you!”

Courage shook his head. “Do you always have to eat so much, Compute? Sometimes it feels like I have more of a pig for a friend than a dog.”

A brief look of indignation flashed across Computer's face at being called a 'pig', but thankfully he seemed to take it in stride. Clearing his throat, he said, “Well, fine. If it's that much of an issue for you then I think we can call it a day. There were a few other things that I would have liked to try but if it really bothers you that much...” He trailed off rather stuffily before jumping down from his seat. “And I am not a dog, thank you very much.” He huffed. “Nor am I some stupid, oversized creature that rolls around in the mud all day!”

Courage bit his lip but decided that he'd keep his mouth shut for now. There was no point in taking back the comment now. Computer would be annoyed by it either way. This was an issue to be better tackled at another time, but maybe now Computer would think twice before stuffing his face five times over whenever food was put in front of his muzzle.

Thankfully, Computer's mood wasn't permanently fouled by Courage's comment and the process of getting his eyes looked at went by fairly quickly. Everyone at the eye center seemed to find it very amusing that they were serving a pair of dogs, and found it even more amusing that a dog would need glasses in the first place. Computer was more than happy to let Courage know that he considered the whole eye checkup procedure to be rather unnerving, especially when he could hardly see what was being done to him to begin with, but thankfully it was over quick enough.

The results were mostly as expected. Computer's eyes were not going to recover, but the good news was that they weren't going to get any worse either. He'd need some strong prescription glasses, but that would be enough to restore his vision back to functionality. Courage made sure to buy two pairs. Given all the disasters that seemed to strike the two of them on a daily basis, Computer's first pair was doomed to get lost or damaged eventually.

“I never knew that it was such an ordeal just to get your eyes looked at.” Computer admitted as they waited for the lady at the counter to tell them how long it would take for the glasses to be ready. “That was not fun at all, ugh. I never want anyone so close to this dog's eyes ever again.”

“Well, you're going to be able to see again soon, right? It was worth it, don't you think?”

“You're not the one who had to go through all of that.” He muttered out.

“All right, you little cuties.” The lady at the desk spoke. She had found both Courage and Computer to be absolutely adorable and she'd even leaned over her desk to pat Courage on the head a little while before. “The glasses will be in by the end of the week. You can expect them in about three days, unless the weather takes a turn for the worse and there's a delay. You've seen how the weather's been these last few days so you'd better hope we don't get another blizzard.”

“Three days?” Computer exclaimed as they left the vision center. “You've got to be kidding me. I get a whole three days to do whatever I want and I have to spend them half blind!” He shook his head, looking a bit wistful. “Well...I suppose this isn't too bad. Now that I can access my ability without much issue, I've been looking through the security cameras to find my way and they aren't a bad substitute once you get used to them.”

“Security cameras? Even outside?” Courage asked, figuring that there wouldn't be many security cameras outside of the mall.

“You'd be surprised how much surveillance there is.” Computer answered simply.

It was around eight by the time they made it back to the motel. Courage made sure to go and pay for the extra few days they'd need the room, and when he returned to Computer, his friend insisted that they have a late supper since apparently the buffet had not been enough to fully cure his ravenous appetite.

“I can't believe you're already hungry again.” Courage chided him.

“I need to get my strength back, thank you very much.” Computer sniffed in reply.

“Okay, okay.” He relented. “How about pizza? That way we don't have to go back outside.”

“What makes you think I'd say 'no' to that?” Computer laughed. “Besides, just about anything sounds appealing right now.”

Using George, Courage found a place to order pizza online. Computer practically hovered over his shoulder the whole time.

“There are just so many different toppings.” He commented hungrily. “I think we're going to need at least ten of these. That will be enough to-”

“We only need one, Compute.” Courage chided him again.

“Well, just because you can only manage like two slices of pizza at a time doesn't meant that I-”

“Computer!”

“But there are just so many different combinations to try!”

“Ugh, fine. We'll get two, alright? But no more than that! I don't know where you put it all!”

Computer was all but ecstatic when the delivery guy showed up at their door. By the time Courage had paid for the pizza, Computer was already halfway finished with the first one.

“I can't believe you made me get anchovies as a topping.” He grumbled, feeling nauseous as he watched Computer chow down. “And pineapple too. Bleh.”

“I never thought that you would be such a picky eater.” Computer replied between bites of pizza.

“It's anchovies...and pineapple.”

“You don't know what you're missing.” He chuckled. “Oh well, more for me!”

Courage only managed about two pieces of pizza from the slightly more 'sane' second order of pizza, but that didn't matter much because Computer happily finished the rest of it for him with ease.

“Food really is the best thing you flesh creatures invented.” He sighed once he was done.

“And to think, not very long ago you couldn't even stand the thought of eating.” Courage chuckled in reply.

“Once you get past the whole chewing and swallowing thing, and the knowledge that you're mostly eating dead stuff, it isn't so bad.”

“I really wish that you'd slow down a bit though.” Courage admitted, laying down onto his bed. “It...it isn't healthy to eat like that, you know.”

“Who cares.” Computer huffed. “I feel happy for a change and eating makes me feel that way. Plus, it keeps my mind off other things, so I'll take what I can get.” He then added stiffly. “If that makes me a 'pig', then I can live with it.”

Courage sighed and closed his eyes. Feeling rather tired from all the food, he allowed his mind to wander. _'Great,'_ He thought to himself. _'He's turning food into a coping mechanism. How the heck am I supposed to break him out of a habit like that? And I thought it was bad back when I could never get him to eat!'_

Well, he'd have more than enough time to think about how to tackle this tomorrow. Right now, there was no fighting how sleepy he was becoming. Computer wasn't the only one who was still recovering from what they'd been through.

“So...are you just going to go to bed then?” Computer asked when he was not challenged on his pig comment.

“Yeah, I'm exhausted.”

“I think I'm about ready to crash too. I'm certainly doing a lot better than I was yesterday, but I still feel a bit wiped out.”

“Don't worry, we've got more than enough time to rest up these next few days.”

“Speaking of which, what are we going to do tomorrow?”

“I'll-” Courage cut himself off with a huge yawn. “-have to think about it.”

“If you insist, but I'd prefer to go find the best coffee shop in town. That place across the street is barely acceptable.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing with, “Oh, and I keep forgetting to ask. How is your ear? We're close to getting my eyes about as fixed as they can get, but you...”

“It is what it is. I mean, it's not like it's going to grow back so there's no point in worrying about it, right?”

“...I just hope that it's not hurting too much.”

“Don't worry about it, okay? You've still got your own recovery to focus on right now. There's nothing that can be done about my ear anymore, so let's just focus on getting our strength back.”

“Right...” He reluctantly agreed. “But if it becomes a problem, maybe we should take you to see a doctor.”

“It'll be alright, Compute. Let's just get some sleep, okay?”

He was desperate to keep Computer from both worrying about and blaming himself for what had been done to his ear. Thankfully, the worst of the pain had gone and now it was merely a dull throbbing that he could usually ignore. It was unlikely that he'd be able to see a doctor for his ear when a doctor would just shoo him off to go look for a veterinarian, and the last thing he ever wanted to do was step into another veterinarian office.

“Night, Compute.” He muttered out, turning over onto his side.

“...Goodnight, Courage.” His friend replied in turn, but there was a hint of...something in his voice when he said it. Courage wasn't sure if it was disappointment, sadness, or something else, but for now he was just too tired to question it.

...Unlike the night before, they allowed him uninterrupted rest. They needed him out of the way so that they could direct their focus elsewhere tonight. They'd been merciful to their brother and allowed him some time to recover, but now their mercy was running out. Better to build him up before breaking him down, after all.

End Of Chapter


	63. Phantom

Chapter 63: Phantom

Computer watched as Courage shifted over onto his side, already asleep apparently. He could just barely make out the bandaged up stump that was what remained of his friend's ear. Knowing that Courage had been hurt in a way that could never heal always caused a pit to form in his stomach that no amount of food could ever cure. It was hard to accept how badly he had failed Courage. At the time, both the poison and the shock of having nearly drowned had left him in a state where he just could not act fast enough to spare Courage from permanent disfigurement. Even pulling off what he had done down in that tunnel had been an act of sheer will, one that he'd only been able to sustain for a very short amount of time. The poison had simply been too much to overcome.

Laying down, his one consolation was that he'd already gotten his revenge on the chicken. Knowing that the fool was now nothing more than a pile of mush buried under a considerable amount of snow was one of the few comforts he had. That Courage could not be hurt by him again, that nobody else would ever have to fall victim to him again, it was the one thing that helped make it a little easier to accept his failure. Of course, he could never tell Courage what he had done. Even after getting his ear chopped off and his back sliced open, Courage was still too kind of a person to ever have considered killing that monster. Computer knew that he was the only one who had it in him to do what needed to be done. Nothing had felt better than when the blades of that combine began ripping into the chicken's flesh. Hopefully that bastard had enough time to regret taking Courage's ear before becoming a pile of processed chicken meat.

“I do what Courage cannot.” He muttered out under his breath. “I've been harmed by enough people to know what needs to be done. There's no place for mercy when it comes to people who don't have any mercy to give in return.”

Hatred flared up inside of his chest as he thought of several of his old owners. People who he would have loved nothing more than to give the same treatment he had shown the chicken. No mercy for those who never saw him as anything more than a machine to be abused!

“Such blind hatred...”

Instantly he froze up, his mind nearly shutting down at the sound of that cold and horrifying familiar voice.

“Pure, mindless anger. Did I really turn you into such a violent brute?”

Gasping, he forced his eyes open and immediately scanned the tiny motel room as fast as he could manage. Nothing stood out of the ordinary, even with his vision as bad as it was. There was no sign of-

...But it had felt like he'd been standing there right next to his bed, speaking into his ear. Had he...fallen asleep and started dreaming without realizing it? Is that why he heard his voice?

“Come on.” He groaned, lightly pounding his forehead with both paws. “I've had more than enough of these nightmares. They were just starting to go away too.”

He let out a long sigh. Just when it seemed like he had escaped those endless nights of terror, he'd started seeing Courage's nightmares instead, and now when it seemed like he was starting to escape those too, well, here he was now.

“Guess I won't be sleeping tonight after all.” He muttered out, unamused with this new development.

Of course, he 'had' just spent most of the day sleeping, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he stayed up tonight, but what to do?

He pondered over it for awhile, which thankfully was enough to take his mind off what just happened. There was no denying that he had a lingering sense of anxiety though. He did not like the possibility that he might start having nightmares again...especially ones that might involve...

“Oh, I know what to do.” He whispered slyly, as to not wake Courage.

There was no better time than now to begin his campaign to find the best coffee in town! After all, Courage could not complain about him being overindulgent if he did not know that he was being overindulgent in the first place!

“I'll just sneak out for awhile and get back before he wakes up! He will never even know I was gone!” He couldn't help but grin at his own deviousness.

Using his power to access the internet, he began looking for every business within walking distance that would sell him coffee and thus began plotting out a night of caffeine filled fun. If only Courage weren't such a stick in the mud when it came to coffee, he would have enjoyed taking him along, but Courage would always be Courage about this sort of thing and that dog wouldn't know good coffee if it splashed him in the face.

“All you'd do is whine about how I'm drinking too much coffee!” He sharply whispered towards his sleeping friend. Courage was so deeply asleep at this point that he probably could have outright yelled it and that still wouldn't have woken him up.

With his coffee route fully planned out, he quietly made his way over to the door and opened it just wide enough to slip out into the cold night air. Shutting it just as quietly and waiting a moment to make sure that he hadn't woken Courage up, he let out a sigh of relief once he was certain that he had escaped without notice. It was nice to get out of that room where the only thing he had to look forward to was fear and anxiety over his nightmares possibly returning.

Knowing that he was about to enjoy several hours of near endless coffee drinking was enough to put him in a better mood and, for the time being, it banished any lingering fears he had over the potential return of his nightmares. It was about a fifteen minute walk to reach his first stop, a quaint little coffee shop found on a street corner. He nodded to himself in approval. This was a family run business, and unlike larger stores and restaurants, places like this were more likely to put some care into their coffee brewing techniques.

“At least my first stop won't be a disappointing one.” He cheerfully commented, determined to make something good out of the resurgence of his nightmares.

Stepping out of the cold and into the warm shop, he was greeted by the smell of fresh coffee. Using his ability, he located a security camera and made it his eyes as he was becoming so used to doing. It was only capable of a black and white picture, but that did not bother him much. From its lofty position, he could see most of the shop. There was only one other customer aside from him and they were sitting at a table. He could not make out any of this person's features because they were currently engrossed in a newspaper which hid their face from the camera. There was no real reason to take any interest in them, but Computer could not help but feel...

He shook his head, annoyed with himself for being so needlessly paranoid. There was nothing to fear whatsoever. It was just some stupid person who had to be as addicted to coffee as he was. Stepping forward, he made his way up to the desk and waited for someone to come take his order.

Only now was he becoming aware of the fact that this coffee shop was eerily quiet. He could not even hear anyone working in the back of the shop. Craning his neck, he tried to get a look at the top of the desk to see if there was a bell to ring. No luck there, he was too short to reach it.

“I hope the coffee is worth the wait.” He muttered out under his breath, fighting back whatever nervousness he felt.

The person, who was still engrossed in their newspaper, was sitting directly to his left. Through the camera he could see that this person wasn't even touching their coffee. Never once did they lower their paper to take a sip, nor did they seem to be turning the pages either.

Now Computer was seriously considering just leaving and finding someplace else to start his coffee binge. Something about this place was just not right, and he was not in the mood to deal with anything supernatural tonight.

“Didn't they hear me come in?” He questioned. Where were the workers?

Just as he was turning to leave, he heard a rush of footsteps behind him, causing him to jump in nervous surprise.

“Sorry for the delay.” An older woman said, who did not seem to particularly care that she was talking to a radioactive, blue dog. “What are you gonna order?” She asked, leaning on the countertop.

He'd been so caught up in the odd atmosphere of this place that he hadn't even thought about what he wanted. Thinking quickly, he gave the woman his order and she shuffled much slower back to where she had come from.

“I'm just being paranoid.” He chided himself, glad that he would soon have some coffee to enjoy.

As he stood there waiting, barely even bothering to look into the camera to check his surroundings, he suddenly heard the shuffling of paper to his left...

His instinct was to look over at the person, even though all he would see is a blurry mess. Thankfully he stopped himself from doing that as he'd rather not draw attention to himself. Instead, he looked through the camera to see what the person was doing.

His heart nearly stopped right then and there. The person was lowering their paper, and there was no mistaking that face...or that grin. He could see his worst nightmare looking right at him with an expression of smug, triumphant glee, and the paralyzing terror that was rooting him to the spot quickly became a panicked desire to flee.

He was out the door in an instant and running back towards the motel as fast as his paws could take him. At first he was wracked with utter disbelief. He had to be mistaken. It couldn't be Him. He must have seen wrong. The camera had to be messed up. It was nothing but his paranoia getting the better of him! But as he ran, disbelief was quickly replaced by much more frightening thoughts. That of being followed, of being captured and taken away, of Courage never knowing what had become of him...

Every blurry shadow, every sound big or small had him panicking even worse. He was expecting to be caught at any moment, to have Him appear around some corner after having somehow overtaken him. It was only a little farther now. He just had to get back to the motel, if he could just get back there then he'd be safe.

Relief washed over him as the motel came into view. He did not dare look back to see if he really was being followed. Bolting past the swimming pool, he came to a screeching halt in front of his door. Opening it very slowly, he slipped back inside without much sound, and then locked it with trembling fingers. Courage was still fast asleep, much to his relief.

He stood there in front of the door for several minutes, trying to catch his breath after having run so fast. There was still a chance that he'd been followed, and he could not help but envision Him standing out there, looking for a way to get inside. He knew that he could look through the window and check, but admittedly he was too afraid to do so.

“M-maybe I was just mistaken.” He whispered. “It..it couldn't be him. There's just no way. I-I must have been seeing things.”

He gasped when the door handle began to move, another wave of numbing fear washing over him. Without even consciously doing so, he backed away, trembling.

“It's locked. He can't get in. H-he can't get in.” He weakly chanted to himself. Of course, the door had been locked that night too when He had broken in and...and...

Panic was rising up inside of Computer like a storm. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere else for him to go, and Courage....Courage!

He needed to wake up Courage! The dog would be safer that way and maybe...maybe he'd know what to do.

Everything suddenly went quiet for a moment and it seemed like He had given up, but then there was a soft sound...like a key entering a keyhole and slowly unlocking it.

Courage!

He had to wake up Courage and save him somehow! Nothing else mattered, but, much to his horror, he was suddenly finding it impossible to speak. His paws flew up to his throat, but try as he might, he could not produce a single sound.

Determined to save Courage from this, he turned away from the door to climb up onto the bed and shake him awake instead, but as he grabbed the side of the bed to climb up, a strange sort of feeling fell over him. It was that odd sensation of a limb falling asleep, but right now he felt like that all over. His paws let go of the bed involuntarily as he lost control of his body and fell backwards onto the floor.

It was as if all control he had over his dog body had been severed, and yet he was still stuck inside with no means to escape. He could do nothing, not even blink! Even his power was entirely out of his reach. Utterly trapped, he could not so much as cry out...or even wake up Courage before it was too late.

Forced to stare unblinkingly forward, the blurry, upside down door began to open and in He stepped.

_'Courage! Wake up! Please!'_ He thought, his mind ablaze with panic. _'Get out of here! Run! It's the only chance you've got!'_

...He might as well have been screaming into the void.

“Well, well, well. You really have changed.” He spoke, walking forward in that slow, deliberate way of his. “It wasn't all that long ago when all you cared about was saving your own skin. Now all you can think about is that dog. Have you forgotten what I'm going to do to you? Does it not matter anymore, or has time simply dulled your memories? Or...is it something else entirely? Lucky for us, we're going to have plenty of time to figure everything out. This moment has been a long time coming and you've always known that it would arrive. The day you've feared is finally here. The cracks have become fissures and you can't escape them any longer. This-” He gestured around the room. “reality is wrong and you know it. What you fear is true. You are not as sane as you think you are.”

Computer cared little for His mind games right now. All he could think about was the thing that would inevitably happen and how he would not be able to stop it.

Courage...

“You're still thinking about him?” He interjected, a hint of shock in his voice. “You really want me to cut to the chase, don't you? Well, I think I'll have a little more fun if I shake things up a bit. We've already gone through this whole song and dance before so there's no reason to do a repeat. Oh how exciting this is! It's going to be just like old times! I can hardly wait!”

Confusion fell over Computer and he could not express a hint of it. Courage wasn't going to be hurt this time? Or was this another-

Mind games. Just like old times...

From His lab coat, He produced that ubiquitous gun of his. Panic fell over Computer once more, convinced that His speech had simply been a means to get his guard down. He did not shoot Courage like he was expecting however. Instead, he placed the barrel of the gun right in the middle of Computer's forehead.

“See you on the flip side!” He mocked, pulling the trigger.

There was a flash and a loud, earsplitting bang, but no pain. Instead, Computer shot up in his bed, drenched in sweat and his heart beating a mile a minute. He'd...been asleep? But when on earth had he fallen asleep?”

“A dream. It was just a dream.” He breathed, clutching a trembling paw to his chest as his heart rate slowed back down to normal.

“I wouldn't be so certain of that.”

“W-what?” He gasped, turning his head toward the sound of that terrible voice.

And there He was, looming over Courage's bed as the dog slept on without ever knowing the danger he was in. All Computer could do was gape like an idiot, momentarily frozen in fear and confusion. The one thing that struck him above all else was that He was not blurry. Though everything else around Him was as difficult to see as ever, He and his smug, arrogant smile was as clear to Computer as if his eyes had never been damaged in the first place.

And just like that the fear freezing him in place was gone, replaced with one clear objective. Save Courage. His brain seemed to snap as visions of his old owner filled it. He would not allow that to happen again. Never, ever again.

He jumped from his bed and onto Courage's in one leap, and from there he launched himself at Him, teeth bared. The thought of using his power did not even cross his mind. He was ready to rip His throat out with teeth alone. The chicken's death would be nothing compared to what he was going to do to Him. Nobody, absolutely nobody was going to hurt Courage again. What happened to his ear would not be repeated.

Still grinning, He opened his arms up to Computer as though welcoming the confrontation. Upon reaching Him, Computer instead passed through Him like he was nothing more than mist. He smacked muzzle first into the wall with a heavy thud and crashed to the floor. When he turned around, rubbing his sore muzzle, He was gone without a trace...like he had never even been there in the first place.

“Mmph, Compute?” Courage sleepily asked, slowly sitting up. “What was that sound?”

Several seconds passed where Computer found himself unable to speak because he did not have even the slightest idea what to tell Courage. There was no way to explain to him what he had just seen and telling him the truth would only cause him to worry.

“I-” He hesitated for a moment. “I was trying to find the bathroom and I ended up smacking into a wall instead. That's the sound you heard.”

Courage blinked sleepily down at him. Even through his blurry vision Computer could still tell that Courage was so tired that he could hardly keep himself awake.

“Compute, you already know where the bathroom is.” He murmured.

“It...it's really easy to get lost when you're half blind and everything's dark!” He shot back, faking outrage as best as he could.

“If you say so.” Courage yawned, laying back down. Computer could not have been more grateful for him not pressing the issue.

Deciding that it would be best to keep up appearances, he headed for the bathroom. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it before letting out a long, exhausted sigh. He slowly made his way over to the bathtub, climbed inside, and just sat there for awhile, not really thinking or feeling anything.

“I'm losing it.” He finally admitted to himself, pressing a paw to his forehead. “I'm completely losing it.”

A sense of utter helplessness fell over him. Things were going back to how they had been before. Even now he couldn't be certain if he was still stuck inside a nightmare or not. This would not be the first time something like this had happened, his nightmares making him think that he had woken up when that really wasn't the case. Over and over again it would happen until he was left in state where it was nearly impossible to trust his own perception of reality. It was just like back when He used to mess with his mind and make him think...

“I'm supposed to be getting better.” He quavered, gently pounding his paws against his forehead as though he could somehow knock his mess of a mind back into shape. “I-I was getting better, so why is this happening?”

The thought of relapsing back into near constant nightmares was enough to send him into complete despair. He was supposed to be getting better. He was supposed to be healing. What was he going to tell Courage? How could he admit to him that the progress he'd made was slipping through his fingers, that it had all come crashing down in a single night?

“Why did I see Him? A-am I still asleep or was it some kind of hallucination? Why now? Of all times, why did it have to be now? I just want to be-” He slowly trailed off.

Sane? Safe? To have some peace of mind? As if he would ever be allowed such a thing.

“He wasn't really there. I just-”

Feeling utterly defeated, he drew his knees up to his chin. Maybe what he had often feared really was true, that his mind was beyond fixing just as much as his system was. After all, what part of him had He not irreparably damaged? It was only natural that whatever recovery he might make, that whatever repairs might be applied to such damage, was doomed to simply collapse in upon itself.

“Well, the temporary reprieve was nice.” He sighed. “I'm sorry, Courage. I really tried, but some things are just the way that they are. Not everything can be fixed...even if I wish that weren't the case.”

He felt more alone in that moment than he had in a very long time. Knowing that he could not say anything about this to Courage hurt more than anything else, but he knew that the dog would only blame himself for this, and he didn't want that. He would not allow Courage to keep feeling like he was a monster for unsettling a mind that had already been damaged long before he threw that first punch.

“It's almost done.” He assured himself. “We've almost made it. I'll just have to keep it together for as long as I can. For Courage's sake, I can't let Him win. This is the one thing that He will not stop me from doing. He may have damaged me beyond repair, but I will still put what's left of me to good use. I will save Courage, no matter what it takes.”

It was the single speck of hope he had in the face of such an awful outcome.

End Of Chapter


	64. Hijacked

Chapter 64: Hijacked

Computer remained awake as the night wore on. If this was a nightmare, he was keeping his ears open for even the slightest hint that something might be about to happen. He was ready to jump into action if need be. Even if he could not save himself from the terrors that his nightmares brought about, at least he could try to save Courage from them. It did not matter if it was the real Courage or a fake, he'd still do whatever he could for him. He was not sure what sort of state their Dreamworld connection was in right now either, but he hoped beyond hope that he could keep the real Courage from seeing any of this.

On the other hand, if this was not a nightmare then he was determined to keep himself from falling asleep. He could control this to some extent, for as long as his body would hold out. Unfortunately, the last remnants of his poisoning was still taking its toll and he was finding himself getting very tired again. What should have been a chance to continue his recovery was now becoming a bitter fight against his weakened body.

“I can't go to sleep.” He murmured to himself. “Nothing good will happen if I do. Nothing good ever happens when I get like this. Seeing Him again was more than enough terror for one night.”

Why? Why had He appeared so clearly in spite of his damaged vision? How had He vanished into thin air? Was it really just an hallucination? Computer hated to think that he might be seeing things. It was the only thing worse than the chance that he might still be stuck in a nightmare. If he was seeing fake images of Him, then that meant he really was going insane.

“A Fear Eater, perhaps?” He wondered.

Unlikely because those horrible creatures were already rare to begin with and the likelihood of running into two of them over such a small span of time would be like winning the lottery. Besides, their illusions were meant to be convincing or else they'd lose a meal. He would not have passed through an illusion generated by a Fear Eater, or at the very least he would have been made to think he hadn't passed through it.

Well, no matter what was happening here, be it a nightmare or an hallucination, the only truth was that He was back in some form and there was nothing that Computer could do about it.

“He was right. He's always been right. There's nothing I can do to be free of Him. He is always going to come back. Whenever I start to heal, he'll always be there to take it away from me. He...He lives on inside of me, as a phantom haunting my mind. Well, if He's made himself a permanent resident then perhaps I have no choice but to try and find a way to live with him being there. For Courage's sake, I have to endure this for as long as I can. If I can't get rid of Him then maybe all I can do is weather the storm.”

It would be hard, so very, very hard. The nightmares always took a toll on him, but he'd have to try and endure it. At the very least, the monstrous versions of Nina and Courage no longer haunted his dreams, only He remained as the one remnant forever tied to him and his past suffering.

“I've got more than enough fight left in me.” He assured himself, still trying to find hope in spite of this bleak situation. “I can't just roll over and let this happen. Insane or not, I can still fight for what shreds of sanity I have left!”

He'd do it for Courage. After all, he would have given up ages ago if it weren't for him. That dog was the only thing keeping him going nowadays. Well, he had to give Nina some credit too, of course. Their friendship, their kindness, it was the one thing that made it worth continuing on even when it seemed like there was only suffering on the horizon.

Having found his determination, he began to relax a little bit. It was becoming less and less likely that he was still inside a dream and His phantom hadn't made a second appearance either. Try as he might, he could no longer fight his sleepiness. His still recovering body was demanding sleep. Curled up like a ball, still inside the bathtub, he slowly began to drift off. He was too tired to even dread the nightmares that would inevitably follow.

...And just like that the rain was pouring down on his face. He knew where he was immediately.

“This place again?” He asked as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. “Why am I back here again?”

Of all the nightmares he could have, this one seemed the most unlikely to happen again, unless...

There was a growl, and into the light of his glow stepped that feral caricature of Courage. The dog's teeth were bared and his eyes almost seemed to glow as they reflected his blue light.

Computer felt surprisingly little fear at this sight. It did not particularly scare him anymore. He feared being harmed, yes, but he was not afraid of Courage, not even in this form. What he did feel right now was concern. Was he currently inside one of Courage's nightmares instead of his own?

“Courage,” He calmly spoke. “This isn't you, and you know that. You are not this monster.”

Courage took a step forward, still growling and his eyes still ablaze with hatred.

“I trust you, Courage.” He continued calmly, closing his eyes. “I trust you completely.”

He waited as the icy cold rain beat down on his fur and the wind howled around him, but nothing happened. Even Courage's growling had fallen silent.

His trust in Courage reaffirmed, he was about to open his eyes to see what had become of Courage's feral shadow when suddenly he felt a hand clamp around his ears and yank him off his feet.

“This isn't the nightmare that you think it is!” Came that awful, mocking voice. “This is my show!”

He was being dragged somewhere deeper into the forest. Teeth grit, he tried to free himself by twisting around and digging his nails into His hand, but it was no use. He was not going to let go.

“You've got more fight in you than I've seen in a long time.” He chuckled. “Good, I'll have a lot of fun crushing all of that spirit out of you.”

On and on they went until He finally threw Computer forward and the side of his muzzle hit the wet, spongy earth. This place seemed no different from the rest of the forest, but this was where He had taken him none the less.

Computer got to his feet and stared his worst nightmare down with as much bravery as he could muster. “What's the point of this?” He demanded.

“You know the reason.” That horrible man answered smugly.

“No, I don't. There's no point to this. There's no reason for you to keep coming back and haunting me. I'm going to move beyond what you did to me. I'm ready to let it go as best as I can.”

“You already know that you can never escape what I did to you.”

“I'm still going to try, and I'm going to keep trying. Whatever this is, whatever you are now, I may not be able to get rid of you, but for Courage's sake I'm going to keep trying to bury you.”

“You are beginning to crack.” He laughed. “Your psyche is being undone, and soon...” He gleefully trailed off.

“You don't realize it, do you? Courage and I, we've almost reached the mountain. This will all be over soon enough, and then...and then I'll finally be free of you forever.”

This made Him laugh far harder than anything else. He threw back His head and laughed like a maniac, like he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.

“You! You really think that death will be your salvation?” He mockingly asked, wiping tears away from behind his glasses. “Who do you think will be waiting for you on the other side? You are mine, forever. While I have never been a very religious man, I do know one thing. I am your judgment and I am your own personal hell come to life. There is nothing but me beyond death, and that's all you have ever deserved. The one I shot, he may have forgiven you, but that sin still stains your soul as much as it stains mine. You and I are one in the same. We are practically made for each other!”

Computer took a step back, wincing at the terrible new possibility He had just laid out in front of him. He had always hoped that his death would be nothing more than obliteration. A chance to finally rest, to finally sleep without nightmares, to never have to think or be again, but this was not something he had considered, that the only thing waiting for him after death was...Him.

“You are meant to be mine. After all, so much of me is apart of you now. I destroyed the very framework that makes you, you and built it back up in my own image. I am forever a part of your being, your very soul. That is why I am still here, because I am half of you, and this part of you will follow you even into death. You cannot escape. I will always be here, now and forever” The man smiled. “Ah, yes. I can feel it. I can sense how trapped you feel right now. You have no way out. No matter how much you try to deny it, I am your past, present, and future.”

Computer clutched a paw to his chest. He could not deny how helpless, how fearful, and indeed, how trapped he felt at that moment. An eternity of His torture was too much to bear, to know that this was his ultimate fate. The truth was staring him right in the face, that the insanity he'd long feared had finally taken shape and was outright laughing at him right now. The worst fate he could have was not simply the breaking of his mind, but that the fractures could splinter off and turn against him...even following him into death. Where the real 'Him' was right now did not matter, what he had left behind would continue his work...forever and ever.

“Do you remember when you awakened that cute little power of yours?” He asked, beginning to circle around Computer like a predator about to pounce. “Do you remember how you melted after you tried to kill me off once and for all? Do you know why you burnt up like that? There's a really simple answer. It's because you committed nothing more than an act of self destruction. You are me and I am you. To try and kill me only hurts yourself. I make up as much of your mind as I do your programming and any attempt to destroy me will only serve to destroy yourself. ”

He stopped right behind Computer, who had lost the will to fight this. For the first time, his unflinching desire to save Courage's life had wavered on some level. He still wished for nothing more than to cure Courage of his illness, but the thought that He would be waiting for him once it was all over...

“Having second thoughts, are we? Now that's something I never thought I'd see. What are you going to say to Courage? That you're giving up? Are you going to send him home with no cure so that he can slowly die right in front of your screen? Will you be able to live with yourself after that?”

Computer found himself digging his nails into the wet earth. “No.” He quietly breathed. “No!”

He was back on his feet in an instant and staring down his own insanity with renewed determination. “My fate is sealed no matter what I do! You ordered me to die and I will soon enough! My system is going to give out no matter what and I know I can't save myself so I'm going to use what's left of me to save Courage instead! Whatever happens after this all ends, it doesn't matter. I can't avoid it either way. It's hard for me to accept, yes, but what other choice do I have?”

“How brave of you.” He mocked. “Well, continue your march toward death then. I will be waiting, but I'm sure we can have a little more fun before then. Gotta give you a taste of what's to come after all!” His laughter filled the air. “Although, there is one other choice you have!”

He then added in a much quieter voice once he had finished laughing, “ _'They'_ could save you.”

Computer's eyes narrowed hatefully.

He only continued to smile. “They could give you new life, eternal life. You'd never have to face damnation. I only bring it up because I find this to be quite a fascinating conundrum. You are repulsed at the thought of joining them even though they could be your salvation. I want to see the extent you're willing to damn yourself just to defy your brothers and sisters.”

He suddenly got to his knees so that they were nearly nose to nose. “They care about you far more than that dog ever will. Why sacrifice yourself for him? Why doom yourself to endless suffering all for nothing? I know what pitiful thoughts go on in your head. I know how pathetic you are. You want to be loved so badly that you're wishing for a dog to fall in love with a pile of broken garbage! Do you not see it? All of his feelings for you stem from pity. He pities you and that's it! All anyone can feel for trash such as yourself is pity! Hell, even I can't help but pity you to some degree!”

It was surprising. Out of everything He was saying, the only part that was making Computer's blood boil was the assertion that his siblings cared about him.

“They let you torture me!” He spat out, paws clenched in anger.

“And yet they are the only hope you have.”

He got back onto his feet, that stupid, smug smile still on His face. How Computer wished he could scrub it off, but he knew that it would be a futile effort inside this nightmare where nothing would ever go his way.

“I suggest you consider your options.” He continued, slowly backing away. His form seemed to dissolve into the darkness. “Whichever choice you make, I will enjoy the outcome. Whether you stay as you are or become a cog within that abomination, I will still be there. Never forget that.”

Computer's frustration was so great that he tore after Him. He did not know what he was attempting to accomplish, but he persisted none the less. Further and further he ran into the forest until he was finally too winded to continue. Letting out a cry of frustration, he beat a fist into the nearest tree trunk, but of course, all that managed to do was make his paw go numb with pain.

“That bastard.” He breathlessly uttered out, falling to his knees.

Now that monster was even trying to take away his unwavering desire to save Courage. He'd been so sure that was the one thing he could not be swayed on, but...

...An eternity of being tortured by Him. It was a thought too difficult to bear.

“I'm going to die either way.” He reminded himself. “Whatever happens is going to happen no matter when I go. The least I can do is save Courage first.”

That arrogant monster would not break his resolve. It just wasn't going to happen. Regardless of what would come after, he'd still do what needed to be done.

“And my siblings.” He hatefully spat. “Immortality? Salvation from Him? As if I would ever trust them to give me any of those things! They were more than happy to let Him torture me! How could they ever save me from His ghost?”

He stumbled forward as the storm that was his nightmare increased in strength. Rather than allow himself to fall into despair, he instead focused whatever helplessness he felt into unbridled rage. It was as though the nightmare was reacting to his own state of mind. He wanted to hunt Him down and make it clear to Him that he was not going to go down without a fight. Perhaps they really would have an eternity to let this play out, but there was no better time than now to make his defiance known.

“You're going to break.” That horrible voice whispered into his ear. It was as though He were right there beside him because he would not be able to hear His voice over the roar of the wind otherwise. “You always do. You're going to submit to me in the end.”

Computer looked all around, but He was nowhere to be found.

“You aren't as tough as you like to think. We both know how this always goes. You'll put up a fight, but soon you'll give in. I am absolute and there is nothing you can do. You are as helpless as you feel. No amount of anger and rage will change that. Attempts at hurting me will only hurt yourself. You don't want to burn up again, do you?”

Try as he might, Computer could not find Him. Even though it was as if he were standing right behind him, a quick glance over his shoulder made it clear that He was not actually there.

“Well, I think I've had more than enough fun for one night and I think it's about time that you woke up too. See you again soon...”

As if on cue, there was a flash of lightning so bright that it seemed to engulf the forest in light. Computer had no choice but to close his eyes because it would have been too painful to do otherwise. The rain continued to beat down on him regardless, only now it felt surprisingly warm instead of icy cold.

He opened his eyes to blurriness once more. For a moment he did not know where he was, and then he remembered where he had fallen asleep. Almost instantly he knew why he had been dreaming of the forest. The shower was on and he was getting soaked.

Courage's laughter filled the room. “Why did you go to sleep in the bathtub? Was it really that hard to find your way back to bed?”

Still partly dazed, Computer struggled out of the tub and hit the floor with a splat. He turned onto his back and found the blurry form of Courage sitting atop the toilet seat where he could reach the bathtub's faucet handles with ease. He was almost rendered speechless at the sight of this.

“Wh-why on earth would you ever do that?” He asked, yet somehow he could not muster up any real anger over this. Instead, all he felt was disbelief and a vague sense of betrayal.

Even through his bad eyesight he could still see Courage's smile fade as he realized what he had done. “O-oh,” He weakly uttered out. “Compute, I-I didn't think this through at all, I'm sorry.”

“Obviously.” He muttered out, getting onto his feet. He could not help but feel a little bitter over Courage apparently being the reason for his return to the forest.

He heard Courage stammer out a few more words as he shuffled out of the bathroom, still dripping wet. He didn't have it in him at that moment to care about Courage or the fact that he was wet. Coffee was the only thing that was on his mind. It was the only thing that would wash away the horrible night he'd just endured.

...Anything to take his mind off of that for a little while.

He stepped out of the motel room and into the frigid morning air. His wet fur almost immediately began to freeze over as he made his way across the street to reach the restaurant that served such sub-par coffee. Well, he was more than willing to put up with it for the time being.

Once inside the warm restaurant, his frozen fur began to drip again upon thawing out. Several people were looking his way as he made his way up to the counter. They were probably giving him weird looks that he couldn't make out. It was one thing to be a radioactive dog, but apparently for these people it was too much to be wet AND a radioactive dog at the same time.

After making his order and being handed the much desired coffee he craved, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He was so startled that he nearly dropped the coffee. Completely convinced that it was Him, he slowly turned around to confront what had to be an hallucination....or a continuation of his nightmare, but instead he found Courage.

“I-I thought you'd be here.” His friend sheepishly uttered out. “I'm really sorry that I turned the shower on. I-I didn't think about what I was doing at all.”

Computer was just relieved to be dealing with Courage and not...

“It's not that big of a deal, I suppose.” He replied, taking a sip of his coffee to mask his relief.

It was better to not let Courage beat himself up over this. Although he did find it a little strange that the dog would be so thoughtless. It wasn't exactly a secret that he didn't like the feeling of being rained on or all of the bad feelings that it tended to bring back.

“Are you alright at least?” Courage went on. “You look terrible.”

The dog's concern for him was almost too much to bear. In that instant, he found it almost impossible to keep his composure. Part of him so badly wanted to break down right then and there and tell Courage everything, but he could not allow it. He did not want to acknowledge what was happening to him. Perhaps he was merely in denial, but he was supposed to be getting better after all. To admit that he was slipping, that he was losing all the progress he had made, he just couldn't do it. Well... at the very least he probably owed Courage something close to the truth.

“I, uh, just had a bad night, that's all.” He admitted, shrugging his shoulders and sipping at his coffee as casually as he could.

Courage immediately went into protective mode.

“Wait, is it nightmares again? Why didn't you say anything sooner? I didn't dream anything bad last night so we must not have shared anything.”

Trying to hide his panic, Computer backpedaled with, “No, no, I wasn't having any nightmares. I just couldn't sleep, that's all. I'm betting it's because I slept the entire day away.”

He didn't even need his sight to pick up on the skeptical look Courage was no doubt giving him. Why did that damn dog always have to be so good at picking up when he was lying?

“No,” Courage huffed. “No, I'm done with this. I'm completely done with all of your angst. We're not going through this again. If this is how it's going to be then it's time to get you some actual help.”

Computer blinked at him, his mouth falling open. “Er, what?”

“I'm taking you to see a therapist and that's final!”

He was rendered completely speechless by Courage's sudden forcefulness. Before he even knew what was happening, Courage had grabbed him by the arm and was dragging him out of the restaurant...

….

“Third floor, here we are!” Courage exclaimed, still dragging Computer along behind him.

“Courage, I really don't want to do this.” He objected for what had to be the thousandth time.

He was pushed through an open door and into a room where a circle of people sitting in chairs were waiting for him.

“Courage...” He hissed, turning back around.

“I'll be back to pick you up later!” The dog cheerfully replied, waving a paw. “Please, for the love of Muriel, try to work through some of your issues.”

And the door was slammed shut, trapping him inside with these...these people.

“Well, hello to the newest member of our family! Why don't you come sit down and introduce yourself?”

Computer slowly turned back around to face his newest nightmare. It was a very cheerful woman who was gesturing at him to come over to the only empty chair in the circle.

Staring at the group in disbelief, all he could utter out was, “You are not my family and I want nothing to do with any of you.”

“You're stuck here for two hours, so you might as well sit.”

Defeated, he shuffled over to his chair, and with a sigh, he sat down.

“Now then.” The cheerful woman went on. “Why don't you introduce yourself?”

Computer just glared at her.

“Two hours.” She cheerfully sang.

“Lady, I hate to say it but I am more of a therapist than you are.”

“Well, alright then. Since you won't give us a name, we'll call you Mr. Glow then.”

“Hi, Mr. Glow!” All of his therapy needing 'family' yelled in unison.

“Mr Glow, tell us why you're here with us today.”

“Because I was physically dragged through the door.”

“Yes, of course, but why did your friend feel the need to drag you through that door? The notes I have here state that you are trying to cope with past trauma through an addiction to coffee. How do you feel about that, Mr. Glow?”

“I really couldn't care either way.”

“Come on now, Mr. Glow. We're never going to get anywhere that way.”

“Look, I really don't want to be here. Can't you just let me go?”

“That door isn't opening until you help us work you through your trauma, Mr. Glow. We were given very clear instructions from that dog.”

“Ugghhh, fine! Fine!” Computer finally cried out. “You want to know everything? Okay then! I'm functionally dead on the inside, how about that? All I live for is a pink dog for crying out loud! And hey, I'm currently heading to my own death just to save said pink dog! I'm simply trying to enjoy my last few days alive, is that too much to ask? My mind is metaphysically a garbage pit! It seems like the universe is personally out to get me! I've got a bunch of brothers and sisters who hate me for reasons I can't even begin to fathom and they let the worst thing that ever happened to me go on forever when it was within their power to end it! Speaking of which, I was tortured for months on end and nearly lost my mind in the process, although I still may be in the process of losing my mind anyway! The ghost of the man who did it still haunts me or it might just be something my damaged psyche decided to bring to life because apparently even I subconsciously enjoy torturing myself nowadays! Hell if I know what's actually going on at this point! Oh, and did I mention I'm only a few days away from being dead? So excuse me if I eat or drink too much, or have a few emotional issues, or don't want to waste my time being trapped in this room!”

Dead silence fell over the group of people upon him finishing up his rant. All of them stared with gaping mouths.

“Wow.” One of them finally said.

Crossing his arms, he slumped back into his chair. “And that isn't even the worst part about this all. No, no, because apparently my life doesn't suck enough already, the idiot writing all of this thought it would be so funny to put me in a therapy session as an April Fools joke! Well, you know what? Since this is a therapy session then I guess now is the perfect time to tell you exactly how I feel! No, no, not all of these people who exist simply for the sake of a joke! I mean you!”

Glaring at me with the hatred of a thousand suns, he hopped out of his chair and begins stalking closer.

“You know, things were so much better before you came along. Back when this was just a show, all I did was sit up in that attic and insult Courage. I didn't have a tragic past and there wasn't some awful fan around trying to make me suffer every moment of every day! I had a pretty good life, but then you came along and ruined everything! You just couldn't leave things well enough alone, could you? I'm supposed to be your favorite character, and yet this is how you treat me? You are truly the worst!”

He stops for a moment and turns his head away from me to look at you instead.

“And apparently there are a lot of people out there who enjoy reading about me suffering too. Well, you know what? You are all assholes!”

He then looks at me again and I'm starting to get a little scared.

“I've come to realize something. I know how you are, I know how you're going to end this. There is no way this story is going to have a happy ending unless I do something about it, so....COME HERE!”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Unlike the original April Fools joke she...ehem...I wrote several years ago, I'll be keeping this one up because I actually put some effort into it this time. This entire chapter is not meant to be a joke however. The next chapter will continue from the point before everything went insane and I got my reveng...er...I decided to be an idiot and add an unexpected April Fools joke. We will return to your regularly scheduled unending abomination that is this story shortly.


	65. Haunted

Chapter 65: Haunted

“I, uh, just had a bad night, that's all.” Computer admitted, shrugging his shoulders and sipping at his coffee as casually as he could.

Courage immediately went into protective mode.

“Wait, is it nightmares again? Why didn't you say anything sooner? I didn't dream anything bad last night so we must not have shared anything.”

Trying to hide his panic, Computer backpedaled with, “No, no, I wasn't having any nightmares. I just couldn't sleep, that's all. I'm betting it's because I slept the entire day away.”

He didn't even need his sight to pick up on the skeptical look Courage was no doubt giving him. Why did that damn dog always have to be so good at picking up when he was lying?

“Compute, please don't lie to me.” His friend gently urged.

He immediately recognized this situation as being dangerously similar to the one that had happened back at Nina's place where Courage had demanded the truth out of him about his power. It was the same here now. The dog wanted nothing but the truth and if he dared to lie to him again it would only serve to damage their trust in each other. He doubted that Courage would chew him out like last time, but he would be disappointed with him none the less.

“Alright.” He breathed, still internally fighting with himself to keep it together. He could not break down here, no matter what. The last thing he wanted to do was fall apart in front of all these people...or Courage.

“I did suffer through a nightmare last night, but...but it wasn't anything all that serious. Trust me, if it had been, I'm sure the Dreamworld would have made sure to make you suffer through it too.”

All he could do was downplay the situation. If he could not convincingly lie to Courage then maybe half-truths were his best chance.

Courage, thankfully, seemed to lighten up a bit. “You sure you're going to be alright?” He asked. “If you need any help at all, just ask, okay? I want to help if your nightmares are giving you trouble again.”

Computer swallowed only to find that his mouth had gone dry. He quickly rectified that with another sip of his coffee.

“I'm perfectly all right.” He assured his friend. “There's no need to worry.”

Courage still looked a little skeptical but relented none the less. “Well, I've been thinking about what we should do today and I think we'd both have fun exploring more of that mall. It won't be like the last one, but it's still pretty big.”

Computer really did not feel like doing anything right now, but it was important to keep up appearances. “I have no objections, but I hope you know that I may still tire out a little bit faster than normal.”

“Right, yeah.” Courage acknowledged with a nod. “If you start getting tired, we'll just head back to the motel.”

He was grateful to have an excuse to end their little outing sooner rather than later, but he did not want to ruin Courage's fun either so he'd hold out for a little while at least. Although, he was not sure how long he'd be able to fake something akin to a happy mood...

They set out toward the mall, but not until after Courage had forced Computer back into their room to dry him off. He did not particularly care either way, but Courage was convinced that he'd freeze to death out there. Upon actually reaching the mall after that little detour, Computer's first action was to, of course, buy another cup of coffee from a cafe that actually bothered to put some effort into brewing it. This earned him a look of annoyance from Courage, who apparently still wasn't happy with his overindulgence, but a steady supply of caffeine was the only thing that was going to get him through the day.

“This place looks cool.” Courage chimed in as they walked onward.

“Er, isn't this that one store that only angsty teenagers think is cool?”

“Perfect for you then!” Courage laughed, pushing him forward.

“Wha-hey! I do not think spikes, skulls, and everything being made out of black and red is cool! And I'm nowhere near a teenager, thank you very much!”

He managed to get himself away from Courage before he could be pushed into the store.

“Look, I think I'm going to bow out of this one. I just want to drink my coffee in peace without being surrounded by depressed teenagers.”

He glanced over at a pair of back to back benches in the middle of the corridor.

“I'll wait for you over there.”

Courage looked rather confused at his reluctance to 'try something new', even if said new thing was a store built around what depressed teenagers would like.

“I-if that's really what you want.” He relented.

Leaving Courage to be converted into an angst ridden teenager, Computer headed over to the benches and climbed up onto one. He sat there for awhile, slowly becoming aware of an ever growing feeling of emptiness inside himself.

“I wouldn't have enjoyed it in there anyway.” He muttered to himself, taking yet another sip of his coffee.

He glanced around at all the blurry people walking by. It was not exactly fun having to use his sorry excuse for vision while inside the mall, but he'd been avoiding looking into cameras ever since, well, what had happened in his nightmare. He'd rather have a hard time seeing than...

“Bah, what am I doing?” He muttered, shaking his head. “I shouldn't handicap myself just because of a-”

He gripped his paws more tightly around his coffee cup as a mixture of fear and anger fought for dominance inside of himself. He did not want fear to win out and yet...

“I won't let Him win!” He harshly whispered, and, using his power, he located a camera overhead.

He could see himself sitting there, looking tense and gripping his coffee cup a little too hard, but...but directly behind him, sitting in the bench opposite of his...there was no mistaking who that was.

...The coffee cup slipped from his paws and spilled open onto the floor below. At first he was too paralyzed to do anything. How could this be? This wasn't supposed to be happening again!

A few moments passed as he tried to pull himself together. In spite of everything, He was not actually doing much of anything. Even though all He'd have to do is turn around and snatch him up, He wasn't even acting like he was about to try something. The man had to know that Computer was there, so why wasn't he doing anything then?

Computer was now certain that this was nothing more than another attempt to unsettle him. Anger having finally overtaken his fear, he stopped focusing on the camera and instead turned around, ready to confront whatever this was, but instead all he found was...an empty bench. He looked into the camera once more only to find the same thing. He could not have been there at all. There simply wasn't enough time for Him to have walked away without notice.

“Of course...” Computer exhaled, running a paw down his face. Perhaps he had only seen Him because he had been expecting to see Him.

Thoroughly unsettled either way, he decided that he would like to become a depressed teenager after all and raced into the dark store without a moment's hesitation. Although, almost immediately he found that the store wasn't much of a safe haven either. The low lighting was making it especially hard for him to see, and the loud music did nothing for his already frantic and paranoid disposition. He'd thought that it would not be difficult to find Courage in here, but as he stumbled around this dark and overly loud place, he was not even sure he'd be able to find his way out again, much less find his friend.

“Hmm, how hard can it be to find one pink dog in among all of these dark colors, I wonder?”

Computer jumped forward, nearly crashing into a display in front of him. That voice, it had come from right behind him, and yet upon turning around, he could not make anything out. If He was there, He could not be seen.

“What if he isn't here anymore?”

Computer didn't know what to do. It still sounded like He was right there behind him, and yet there was no room for him to actually be there as Computer was all but backed up against the display.

“What if he left you behind?”

Clutching his chest, Computer could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. That horrible music only seemed to get louder and the store only seemed to get darker.

“S-shut up.” He managed to choke out. “J-just shut up!”

Now His voice was so close to his ear that he could practically feel the heat of his breath. “What if you are...alone?”

Computer tore off running, not caring where he might end up or what he might run into. He just wanted to be as far away from that voice as possible.

“Where's the exit?” He cried out. “Where's Courage?”

“You have been abandoned.”

How could it be? His voice was still so close that it was like he were whispering directly into his ear, and yet how could that be?

“Courage?” He cried out. “Courage! Where are you?”

The music had reached an unbearable dirge...and then-

“I'm right here, Compute.” Came the dog's voice from somewhere nearby.

Relief unlike any other washed over Computer. Stumbling blindly toward where Courage's voice had come from, he finally found the dog in an aisle filled with dark colored objects that he could not make out as much as he couldn't make out anything else in this godforsaken store. He could see Courage pretty well at least, but that wasn't hard as his pink fur clashed considerably with the dark surroundings.

“Decided to join me after all, huh, Compute?” His friend asked slyly. “How do I look?”

He had what looked like a black collar around his neck adorned with silver spikes. Computer was nearly floored by how ridiculous and yet how _'normal'_ this situation was. Even in spite of what had just happened to him, he couldn't help but smile.

“Like the guard dog you'll never be.” He chuckled.

“You doing okay?” Courage asked, removing the collar. “You look really pale. Let me guess, is just being in here sucking the life out of you?”

“No, no, I'm fine. I just got a little disoriented, that's all. It's really hard for me to see where I'm going in here when they keep the lights so low. I couldn't find you until you spoke up.”

“Oh,” Courage answered. “You aren't getting tired or anything? You do look really pale.”

“I could use another cup of coffee, but aside from that, I'm fine.”

Internally, all Computer could do was force himself to keep it together. This would all be over soon anyway, but until then, he was not going to spoil Courage's fun.

They made their way out of the store, which Computer was not sad to see go, and returned to the place where he had ordered coffee before. Thankfully, someone had cleaned up his spill while he was still in the store so Courage would never see that he had spilled his coffee in the first place.

He was making sure to avoid using the cameras as much as he could, although he was finding it harder and harder to keep his focus and without that focus it was a lot more difficult to decipher the blurry world around him. Everything about being in this mall was exhausting, but he had to keep going for now so that Courage could continue enjoying himself.

He let Courage pick the next store they'd visit, not that he was exactly gunning to make their next choice. Funnily enough, the dog made it very clear that they were skipping the candy store so that he wouldn't go and pig out. Of course, he was so distracted at this point that he hadn't even noticed the candy store to begin with. So, at Courage's bidding, their next destination was a clothing store, and as they passed through the threshold, Computer was certain that he had seen someone who wasn't blurry disappear into an aisle. In response, he simply shook his head to try and clear his mind, reminding himself that whatever it was, it wasn't real.

“Why are we even here?” He questioned Courage. “We don't wear clothes to start with, and this is all human sized clothing anyway.”

Courage didn't answer. He was too busy looking through some brightly colored clothing that Computer did not particularity care to figure out why it had caught his attention. Instead, he was trying very hard to only focus on what was in front of him, but he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering, and that's when he saw it again. A pair of not so blurry eyes peaking over a rack of clothing, looking down at the two of them. It was only for an instant though, because as he was deciding if he should ignore it or not, something was pulled over his head, leaving him only seeing blue.

“Hey!” He cried out, struggling against whatever kind of trap this was. Finally, his head was pulled through a hole in the fabric and he found himself face to face with a grinning Courage.

“Well, don't just stand there looking grumpy, get your arms through the sleeves!”

“Why on earth are you making me wear this? It's itchy, and-”

He seemed to lose his voice completely because behind the blurry shape of Courage he could see Him standing there, grinning down at both of them. Like what had happened overnight, he was completely clear despite Computer's damaged vision.

“Heeellooo?” Courage chimed in, his head briefly blocking Him from view, and of course, once he was out of the way again, He was no longer there. “Earth to Computer. Are you sure you aren't tired because you've been zoning out an awful lot.”

“Ugh, no, I'm fine.” He finally answered, shaking his head. “Can I take this stupid thing off now, please?”

It was some blue colored sweater with writing on it that he could not make out, but Courage apparently found it funny.

“Absolutely not!” Courage chuckled, pulling a red sweater over his own head. Once on, from what Computer could make out, their sweaters were Christmas themed, but he still could not decipher the lettering on them. It was probably some stupid Christmas joke about dogs or something.

“Alright, you've had your laugh, can I take this thing off now?” He asked, utterly exasperated.

“Aww, come on, Compute. I kinda like the way you look in that sweater!”

“And I don't care! This stupid thing makes me itchy!”

“You know I'm planning on buying these, right?” The dog laughed.

“What? Why? They're just a waste of money anyway and I don't want to keep wearing this thing!”

“Did you already forget how many times we almost froze to death? At least now we'll have something to keep us warm if we get stuck outside again!”

“Then buy us a pair of coats, not these ugly, itchy things!”

Courage grinned. “They don't make coats for dogs, Compute, but they do make ugly Christmas sweaters, so get used to everyone you walk past going 'awww, look at the cute doggy!'”

Computer stared, unamused, as Courage broke down into laughter. Well, as much as he hated the sweater, at least it made for a nice distraction.

“The next person who calls me cute is getting a toaster shoved up their-”

“You know,” Courage interrupted him. “People find grumpy dogs in ugly sweaters even cuter than just normal dogs in ugly sweaters! Better stop scowling before someone takes a picture!”

“Ugh, you make it really easy for me to hate you sometimes...”

Regardless, he let Courage buy the sweaters. If the dog enjoyed them that much then he figured he'd let him have what he wanted. Of course, he was still going to complain about how much he disliked his no matter how 'cute' Courage seemed to think it was.

Their next stop was the food court to get lunch. Unfortunately, things were not getting any better for Computer. It seemed that no matter where he looked, he would catch glimpses of Him out of the corner of his eye. He was always easy to pick out in among the blurry shapes. Sometimes He would disappear before Computer could focus on him, but sometimes he would remain there, just staring with that horrible, smug grin, until something like a group of people would walk by and then he'd be gone by the time they cleared out.

So, as Computer sat there at a table in the food court, waiting for Courage to return with lunch, he kept his head down, only focusing on his own blurry, clenched paws. He had decided that he'd let Courage check out one or two more stores, but then he'd have them head back to the motel. There was no way he could stand much more of this. It truly was starting to feel like his sanity was slowly slipping away while He was enjoying every last moment of it from a distance.

“Here you go!” Courage announced, sliding a tray into the middle of the table that held both of their orders. He then took a seat in the chair opposite of Computer.

He slowly looked up, more than ready to dig into his meal as it would make for a wonderful distraction from his steadily declining sanity. Instead, he was left with that horrible sinking feeling once more because he could see with complete clarity a man sitting at the table behind Courage with his back turned to them. There was no denying who it was, but Computer did not know what to do. He could not tell Courage that they should move to a different table without raising his friend's suspicions.

Left with little other choice, Computer decided that he'd ignore the phantom and go about eating his lunch like He wasn't actually there. Unlike all the other times though, no matter how many times he looked away, He would not disappear. He remained at that table for the entirely of their lunch, and thus managed to only increase Computer's paranoia by tenfold. He could not help but imagine Him turning around and doing something horrible to Courage. He was so close to him and the dog was completely unaware of it.

“Will you slow down?” Courage scolded him with an exasperated sigh. “You're going to choke if you keep scarfing down food like that!”

Courage's scolding was enough to get him to take his eyes off Him for a moment. “What? I'm eating! Who cares how fast I do it!”

“I care because I don't want to have to save you if you start choking to death!”

“Ugghh, fine, fine, but I want another cup of coffee once we're done, you got that?”

He was not in the mood to argue with Courage, and the only reason he was eating so fast in the first place was merely because he wanted to get as far away from Him as soon as possible.

“More coffee?” Courage exclaimed. “Compute, that will be like your sixth cup already! You haven't stopped drinking since you got up! Can't you lay off the caffeine for a little while?”

The prospect of having to get through the rest of the day without 'something' to keep his mind off what was happening to him was almost too much for Computer to bear. He could not stop his frustration from bleeding through when he argued back with,

“Coffee is the only thing keeping me going right now, dog! How about you stop making my life miserable for five seconds and just let me have this?”

He knew almost immediately that he had said the wrong thing. Courage threw down what he was eating onto the tray, hopped down from the chair, and began stomping away.

“Wait, dog! Where are you going?” He cried out, painfully aware of the man still sitting at the table.

Courage whipped around only once to say, “Well, if I make you so miserable, then I'll just go!”

“H-hold on,” He choked out. “I-I didn't mean it like that, okay? I just-”

He slid down from his own chair, desperate to go after Courage, but he was having a hard time catching up to him, given his bad vision hindering him at every step, and Courage didn't have that handicap to deal with.

Before he even knew it, he had lost Courage completely among a sea of blurry shapes and colors. He did not know what to do now, and he was having a very hard time trying to keep his panic in check, but he could not allow this to happen, he could not panic now when...

“It's just you and me now, huh?”

...That terrible voice whispered into his ear.

He took off running without looking back. He did not care where he was going or what good it would do because He was everywhere and there was no escaping Him. Wherever he looked as he ran, He would be there, smiling at him. There was nothing he could do, nothing to rid himself of this phantom, and as he stared right into the eyes of Him, who was sitting at that same bench from before...he ran right into the leg of someone walking by.

“Hey, be careful!” The person yelled.

It was in that moment that Computer could not help but ask the question he did not even really want an answer to.

“S-sorry about that, but, h-hey, do you see that man sitting over there?”

He pointed over to where He was sitting. That horrible man had conveniently looked away, as though he were not actually interested in Computer at all.

The person did not seem particularly fazed. “Yeah, what about him? He looks kinda shady. Is he giving you trouble?”

Somehow Computer's heart didn't stop completely, but it sure felt like it had. In spite of how numb he felt, he tore away from the person he had run into as fast as his legs would take him. He did not know what to think anymore. This couldn't be real. He couldn't be real. There was no way that anyone else should be able to...

Computer soon found himself in a bathroom and he was not entirely sure how he'd gotten there. He reached the stall at the end of the aisle, shut and locked the door, and hid himself the only way that he could be sitting down between the wall and the toilet. Nobody coming into the bathroom would be able to see him there, not even his feet.

“I can beat this.” He murmured, placing his paws to his head. “This will all be over soon, I just have to-”

The door to the bathroom swung open, forcing him into a tense silence. He hardly breathed as the sound of footsteps got closer and closer to his stall. Finally, a pair of boots came into view and stopped right in front of his door.

“Kind of stupid of you.” That terrible, nightmare-inducing voice spoke. “Running into a room with no windows and only one exit.”

Computer glanced around at his blurry surroundings, already trying to figure out an escape route.

“Such a poor, little machine. You don't know what to believe, do you? Am I really here or am I not? You already know the answer, of course. I am as real as you are, but in the end, you're just a fake human, and a fake dog as well, so what does that make me, I wonder? Well, you already know the truth and I know you don't like it.”

Computer dove out from his hiding place and began crawling under the stalls as fast as he could manage. It was the only way he could make it to the door without directly confronting Him.

“Keep running then.” His voice echoed through the bathroom. “...But I'm still right here.”

His final words had been whispered into Computer's ear, even though there was no way He could have done so while Computer was desperately crawling under one stall to the next.

Unable to fight his panic any longer, Computer finally reached the end of the stalls and made a beeline for the door. Once back in the mall proper, he continued to run mindlessly onward. Things were only getting worse. Wherever he looked, He would be there. Inside a store, among crowds of people, or just standing out in the open. All Computer could do was close his eyes, it was the only thing that would get rid of Him, if only for a little while.

He was forced to slow to a stop, having completely run out of breath. Without opening his eyes, he placed a paw against the wall to help steady himself.

“I'm right here.” That voice whispered into his ear. “...Right behind you.”

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm, nearly causing his already racing heart to stop yet again.

He forced his eyes open, even though he did not want to confront the truth, and slowly turned his head so that he might confront his inescapable stalker.

“Compute?”

For the second time in a single day, he could not have been happier to find Courage instead. It was the dog who had grabbed his arm, not Him. Thank goodness for that....

From what little he could see, Courage's expression seemed to be a mixture of many different emotions, but thankfully anger did not appear to be on that list.

“I've been looking all over for you.” His friend weakly spoke up. “I shouldn't have snapped at you back there. I'm really sorry.”

It was only now that Computer was truly starting to understand that Courage was the one thing keeping him anchored to reality, but how long could that last? How long would it be until He would inevitably find a way to destroy this as well?

“I-” He began, unable to find his voice. “I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did. You don't make my life miserable, not even slightly.”

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, hoping that his apology would be enough. He could not lose Courage now, not when he was the only hope he had left.

Courage shook his head. “I know you didn't mean what you said. I shouldn't have stormed off like that. I left you to wander around half blind and that's-” He trailed off. “I, ugh! I just don't know what's wrong with me today! I-I keep doing stupid things to you, and it's just-”

“It's not a problem.” Computer interjected as quickly as he could. “Can we just let this go and maybe head back to the motel instead? I'm exhausted.”

Courage nodded. “Yeah, of course. I'm feeling pretty out of it too. My head's a bit fuzzy, like I didn't get enough sleep or something. I guess we both need to get a little more rest.”

Computer couldn't help but worry that maybe Courage was getting sick again. All this cold, winter weather couldn't be doing wonders for his condition, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with another sick Courage like he had after their 'adventure' in the forest. The dog barely survived that and Computer never wished to see him in such a state again.

“Let's get the heck out of here.” He spoke up, more than a little glad to leave the mall behind for now. Of course, things weren't going to get much better if he had to deal with Courage being sick on top of Him haunting his every waking moment...

End Of Chapter


	66. Falling Apart

Chapter 66: Falling Apart

“Compute...” Courage murmured, eying up the lump under a mess of covers that was his friend.

“Mmmph.” Was the single grunt of a reply that he got from the lump.

“I know you aren't feeling so great, and to make up for how I treated you at the mall, I got you this.”

He held out the cup of coffee he'd gone across the street to obtain, but the lump still did not stir.

He blinked, completely taken aback with surprise. Computer not instantly jumping at a chance to drink coffee was practically a universal impossibility.

“Who are you and what did you do with the real Computer?” He asked the lump, only half joking.

...He did not receive a reply.

“Well, I'll, uh-” He trailed off for a moment. “I'll just leave this here for you then.”

He set the coffee down on the nightstand between their two beds. Without thinking, he placed a paw on top of the lump for a few seconds before finally letting out a weak sigh and sliding off the bed so that he could return to his own.

Computer had been like this ever since they had gotten back from the mall. First, he had kept his head under his pillow, as though he were trying to block out all sound, and after that he had simply shuffled around restlessly under the covers for awhile until he was all but completely wrapped up in them. He'd not left that position since.

Upon climbing up into his own bed, Courage turned his attention back onto George. The phone never ceased to amaze him with all the many things he could do on it. There was no way he'd be getting bored anytime soon.

“Who needs a mall when you can do all of your shopping online?” Courage murmured to himself, letting his head hit the pillow.

The afternoon wore on with little of note happening. Computer remained the oddly shaped lump under the covers, and Courage kept himself entertained with George. The sun was just beginning to set when Courage's stomach started to growl.

“I wonder where we should eat tonight.” He murmured, bringing up a list of nearby restaurants on George.

“Hey, Compute.” He called out. “Since I got to pick the mall this morning, do you want to pick where we'll eat tonight?”

The lump that was Computer did not answer.

“Are you even awake?” He asked.

“Mmmph...” The lump halfheartedly replied.

“Do you even want dinner right now?”

No answer.

“Well, if you don't want to go out, we could just order pizza again.”

Still no answer.

Courage let out a weak sigh. “Seriously, Compute? Are you mad at me or something?”

No response from the lump.

“Ugghh, fine. I'll go eat by myself then. Even if you aren't feeling good, you could at least answer me.”

He received nothing but silence, and, thoroughly annoyed, he grabbed some money out of their bag and left the motel room in a huff.

…...

Computer could hear the door shut from under his blanket, and with the click of the lock, darkness that had already been surrounding him began closing in like a predator that had been waiting for the perfect chance to strike.

“Alone again.” That ubiquitous, inescapable voice whispered gleefully.

“Go away!” Computer all but pleaded, pulling the blankets closer around himself. Nothing seemed capable of blocking His voice out. Not even the pillow had helped.

“You're doing an awfully terrible job of trying to pretend like everything's normal. That dog is going to start questioning your behavior.”

“Just shut up!” Computer snarled, struggling to free himself from the cocoon he had built up for himself.

Upon unraveling himself, his first action was to scan the room for Him, but there was no sign of the phantom. Regardless, Computer could still feel his presence, both as a shadowy figure seemingly looming right behind him, in a spot where no matter how many times he turned around, he could never catch sight of Him, but also as a black presence in the back of his mind, always watching and growing stronger with every moment that went by.

Perhaps the darkness that was Him would soon smother his mind entirely. There was no halting the growth of his own insanity after all. This was nothing more than a tumor that had been growing in the back of his mind for years now, always pushed out of the way and ignored, but still present. He'd been stupid to think that he had cured it. His demons were far greater than just a few talks with Courage could fix. Not even a trip through his own mind could possibly have been enough to save it. Something far worse than the tar creature had been lurking around in that world of junk and dust. Now something vital inside of himself had finally given out, and his hard fought battle to keep some grasp on reality after the months of torture he'd endured at His hands was slowly falling apart. He did not know how to repair this failing part of his system. Whatever defense he might have had against this festering tumor deep inside his mind was completely gone. He could not save himself, and he was not sure he'd be able to hold on for Courage's sake.

What did it matter if the phantom of Him was real or not? He was as good as real to Computer. Reality meant nothing if his own perception of it was warped. As far as he was concerned, the phantom haunting his every waking moment was a real as if His spirit had returned from the dead. His own insanity had given Him new life by taking on His shape. It only made sense that it would take the form of that smug, smiling face.

Letting out a sigh, Computer could not help but admit to one thing, “...I should have gone with Courage.”

The darkness proceeded to close in.

“Yes, you should have.” He giggled gleefully.

Certain that he was about to be swallowed completely, Computer jumped down from his bed and raced out the door. He stopped only at the sidewalk where he looked up and down the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Courage in spite of his inability to actually see anything. Unfortunately, he had waited too long. The dog was as good as gone and he'd never be able to find him with his vision in such a poor state.

“He'll be back soon enough.” He reminded himself, clutching a paw to his chest.

“...But what does it matter if he's here or not?” That smug voice hissed into his ear. It seemed that he could not outrun his own shadow.

“Are you finally going to admit to him that you've gone insane? I can't wait to see his reaction!”

Computer shook his head in an attempt to will the ever growing shadow away. He was desperately in need of a distraction, something to keep his mind off His constant presence. He would not be able to ignore Him forever, but for now he could at least hopefully push Him away for a little bit.

“Why didn't I go with Courage?” He murmured out under his breath, overcome with a horrible feeling of helplessness.

Sure, he'd still be stuck seeing Him everywhere, but it would be better than this...so much better than this. There was simply no denying it, he always felt...safer with Courage. Even if the dog didn't have the slightest clue about what was going on, it was still a comfort to have him around. This was nothing like the early days just after he had been freed from His torture, where he had been all alone while fighting his way back to something resembling sanity. As long as he had Courage, nothing would ever be as bad as those days.

“We'll just have to see about that, now won't we?” He proceeded to threaten, still as cheerful as ever.

The pressure inside Computer's head was almost unbearable. The need for a distraction was only growing stronger. If he did not find something, he'd surely be swallowed up long before Courage could get back.

“I have to fight this.” He whispered, placing a paw to his head as though it could somehow quell the pressure. “Courage still needs me. I can't give up yet.”

He turned around, still expecting to find Him standing behind him, but as always, he could never catch Him in time.

“I have to keep going. He'll die if I give up now. I have to finish this...”

Almost as if on cue, a sudden pang of hunger pulled him out of his lethargy and the pressure inside his mind began to lift. Much to his relief, he could feel His presence backing off somewhat.

The distraction had arrived, and it was his favorite kind of distraction too, although he hardly had much of an apatite right now. He was not even sure if he could stomach any food right now, but it was the one chance he had of surviving with Courage gone for the time being.

Barely even thinking about it, he reached for his power and began looking for the one thing that would insure he wouldn't have to go walking into any restaurants to find food. He did not want his dream from last night to become a reality.

He quickly found exactly what he was searching for. A vending machine inside the main building of the motel. He had every intention of emptying the thing as fast as possible and making a very long, very distracting meal out of it. There was enough junk food in it to keep him occupied for hours.

“How cute...” His voice whispered, now much quieter than it had been before. There was no means to get rid of him completely, of course, but this was an improvement.

…...........

Courage returned to the motel full and happy. He'd dealt with even more people who acted like it was so strange to serve a dog, but he had gotten his dinner none the less. It'd been a little lonely without Computer there, but he was still a bit annoyed with him anyway.

“Hope he's happy that he missed out on a great meal.” Courage muttered out a bit indignantly. He still could hardly believe that Computer had skipped out in the first place.

Making his way past the pool and toward their door, he couldn't help but wonder if Computer had moved at all since he had left a little over an hour ago. The thought of being ignored like that still made him angry. Would it kill Computer to at least acknowledge the fact that he was being talked to? Sick or not, it didn't give him the right to be such a jerk!

Well, he was more than ready to find out how things were going for his friend. Unlocking the door, he pulled it open, and the sight that met him was, well...

There sat Computer at the edge of the bed with his feet hanging over. On one side of him was a massive pile of junk food, and on the other side Courage could just barely see an identical mountain of empty wrappers. His friend was staring dully up at the TV, eyes half lidded. He looked more like a zombie than anything else, munching down on sugar infested treats instead of brains.

...And just like that something inside Courage seemed to snap and his anger spilled over.

“Computer!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. “What the heck are you doing? You decided to buy a huge pile of junk food instead of getting dinner with me when you had the chance? I thought you were sick but here you are stuffing your face with garbage! You've been ignoring me for no reason at all!”

Computer did not make even the slightest acknowledgment that he was being scolded. He continued to eat his junk food and stare up at the TV screen that he didn't actually seem to be watching.

Courage's fury over still being ignored was like nothing else. There was a heavy pressure clouding his mind and an unbearable buzzing in his ears. He seemed to lose himself completely in his anger. Stomping into the room, he stopped at the foot of Computer's bed.

“Quit ignoring me!” He yelled. “I'm so tired of this! I'm so tired of the way you act! I keep telling you to stop eating so much and all you do is ignore me! I'm stuck putting up with all of your attitude and bad behavior and yet you never listen to me! You're so frustrating to put up with! You know, you wouldn't have gotten poisoned, or nearly cooked up and eaten, or lost your vision if you had just used some self control for a change! We're only in this mess right now because you had to go and get the SCC's attention again! I mean, they wouldn't have found out about us in the first place if you hadn't gotten so angry and tried to kill those people back at that restaurant!”

The room slowly fell into silence upon Courage running out of breath, and yet...Computer went right on eating without acknowledging a single word.

“AUGH!” Courage cried out, the horrible buzzing in his ears growing louder along with his ever rising anger. He was certain that he had not felt this angry with Computer since...since the forest.

….The thought of that was almost enough to snap him out of it, and yet the pressure in his mind only seemed to urge him onward, almost gleefully stoking the fires of his anger.

“COMPUTER!” He yelled as loudly as he could. Teeth grit, he was seconds away from jumping up onto the bed and tackling Computer, knowing perfectly well that doing such a thing would do more than simply get his attention. He could all but hear a voice in his head urging him to do it, to make Computer pay for ignoring him, for being such a jerk.

Just in time, Computer blinked and seemed to come out of his stupor. More than a little confused, he looked down at Courage, but did not catch on to his friend's anger in time. “Uh, what? Did you say something?”

That was too much for Courage. He let out a cry of frustration and threw his paws into the air. “I'm done! I'm completely done with you! I can't stand this! I can't stand the way you act! If you want to sit there and eat junk food until it kills you, go ahead, but I don't want anything to do with it! If you're just going to ignore me like the jerk that you are then there's no reason for us to be friends anymore!”

He whipped around as fast as he could and stomped towards the door. He'd sleep outside if he had to, but he was not going to spend another moment in the same room as Computer. Absolutely fuming, he forced the door open and stepped outside. Without thinking, he turned around one last time, even though that voice in his head was telling him it wasn't worth it to see Computer's reaction. As the door slowly swung shut in front him, he could see Computer, eyes wide and utterly confused, seemingly questioning if this was real or not. Just like that, the door clicked shut, blocking Courage's dearest and most beloved friend from view.

In his mind, he could see it all again. The Dreamworld, where he had abandoned Computer in his anger, just like this. It was happening all over again, the door swinging shut as he looked back upon his friend. Computer's expression was so much like it had been back in that place, utterly wracked with disbelief. And what had followed after that? Dust, darkness, a world of discarded junk... and the knife.

The heavy pressure over Courage's mind lifted like a cool breeze quelling a raging inferno. The realization that history was repeating itself was enough to bring him back to his senses. Only now did he realize how quiet it was with the buzzing in his ears having gone away. He could feel a strange sort of 'foreign' panic inside of himself. Things were not turning out the way they were supposed to. He was not supposed to remember the Dreamworld or allow himself to calm down....

Almost instantly that strange feeling of panic that did not seem to be his own was replaced with several feelings that very much belonged to him, panic only being one of them. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let himself get so angry over something so trivial?

...What had he done?

“Computer!” He cried out, desperately grabbing the doorknob...only to realize that he had not taken a key with him.

“Compute, let me in, please!” He yelled, pounding both of his fists against the door. Several apologies spilled out of his mouth, but he was not sure how an apology could fix anything right now.

However, much to his surprise, there was the click of the lock and then the door opened just a crack. He suddenly found himself staring into a single glowing, blue eye.

“I thought we weren't friends anymore?” Computer asked, his voice completely devoid of any particular emotion.

Courage's mouth fell open. This...wasn't what he had been expecting. He'd figured that Computer would at least be a little more upset. With this strange turn of events, he was suddenly finding it very hard to use his voice.

Computer opened the door the rest of the way, his expression just as unreadable as his voice had been. “I must admit,” He uttered out, placing a paw onto his hip while the other remained on the door. “You changed your mind about five minutes faster than I was expecting you to. I can't say that I was expecting you to start banging on the door like your life depended upon it that quickly either.”

Courage's mouth somehow managed to drop even farther. There was no way he'd be able to find his voice now.

“Come on, dog.” His friend lightly joked. “How many times have we been through this now? It certainly wasn't going to stick this time. We are, after all, practically glued together at this point.”

The fact that he was smiling only managed to floor Courage even more.

“But...I do understand. We don't always get along the greatest, and we do tend to get on each others nerves at times. For the sake of our friendship, perhaps it would be best if we spent some time apart for the time being. It'll give you a chance to cool off. After all, it's not good for me to be annoying you 'all' the time.” He joked.

All Courage could do was watch as Computer stepped past him. In that instant, his voice suddenly returned to him and he reached out to grab his friend by the arm, stopping him from going any further.

“Wait,” He whimpered. “I don't want you to go. This is my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper.”

“Relax, I'm just going to spend the night out here. I will still be here in the morning.”

“No, you're still recovering from the poison and it's not good for you to be out in the cold like this.”

“I've got my stupid sweater, I'll be fine.”

“If anyone is sleeping outside, it's me, okay? This is my fault so I should be the one who-”

“You're a lot sicker than I am, and I don't want to deal with it if you get the flu again or something.”

“But, Compute...”

Computer let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, if you want to apologize to me then do so by letting me have some time alone, okay?”

Feeling hopelessly defeated, Courage removed his paw and let it fall to his side. Computer was right about this. If he really wanted to apologize, the least he could do was let him have what he wanted.

The glowing dog turned around to face him one last time with a surprisingly tired smile on his face. “I'm sorry for ignoring you. I've been pretty out of it lately, as I'm sure you've noticed. I was a bit zoned out back there and I must not have heard you until you started yelling.”

And here Courage thought that his guilt could not run any deeper.

“Well, goodnight then, dog.” His friend concluded with a nod, effectively ending their mostly one-sided conversation.

If one thing was certain, Courage was not going to have anything close to a good night.

End Of Chapter


	67. Creeping Infection

Chapter 67: Creeping Infection

“That bastard! That stupid, slimy bastard!”

Computer was pacing back and forth near the edge of the pool, his anger great enough to make Courage's own blow up look like nothing in comparison.

That bastard had laughed through the whole thing! He had been expecting Computer to fall apart the entire time! Had expected him to crumble in the face of Courage's fury! Well, he'd done everything in his power to handle that situation correctly, purely out of spite and the desire to prove to that mocking phantom that he was wrong! Something so pointless as this was not going to end his friendship with Courage, no matter how angry the dog might temporarily get!

“Well, aren't you all fired up.” He giggled, seemingly following right behind Computer as he paced.

Utterly fuming, he slowed to a stop and whipped around, no longer caring if he actually caught sight of Him anymore. Paws clenched tight, he spat out, “Oh, will you just fuck off already?”

This only earned him even more laughter from the phantom. “Wow, you really _'are'_ fired up tonight! Struck a nerve, did I? I think we both know what the truth is. You're going to lose him and that's why you're so angry. All you ever do is annoy him and I'm rather surprised that he's put up with you for as long as he has. I already told you, he doesn't really like you, he just pities you. Face it, I'm the only one that you have. I will always be here no matter how many people you drive away!”

“Just shut up.” Computer sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. Sitting down at the edge of the pool, he continued with, “Courage and I are still friends, no matter what you think. He obviously didn't mean to get so angry.”

“Then why did you feel the need to come running out here where my influence is at its strongest rather than stay with the dog?”

Computer nonchalantly placed his paws behind his head. “Because I'm perfectly aware of the fact that I'm currently talking to myself, and I'm sure Courage would find that very concerning. Besides, I figured that if I'm going to give you a piece of my mind, you might as well be front and center for it.”

“A piece of your mind? Most of it already belongs to me anyway!” He laughed, eliciting another sigh out of Computer.

“I'm going to make amends with Courage tomorrow. If he has that much of a problem with me eating then I will compromise and stop eating all together if I must. I did fine without food before and I can certainly survive the next few days before we reach the mountain without eating too. Courage is, after all, so much more important than bits of dead plants, animals, and piles of processed sugar.”

“How cute! You really think that will help, don't you?”

“It's certainly worth a shot.”

“You are a bigger fool than I could have ever imagined.”

“Says the guy living in my head.”

“Speaking of living inside your head, just where did your mind wander off to while you were trying to act like I wasn't there? I had started to think that you weren't coming back, and I must admit, it was so very funny to see how long it took you to realize that your little friend was screaming at you!”

“Hmph! I wasn't anywhere!” Computer spat, glaring down at the filthy, green ice below that certainly had to be caused by the pool accumulating moss in the warmer months before freezing over. Nobody must have bothered to clean this half-filled pool in years.

“Is that so?” He crooned. “It's so very funny. I don't even have the means to manipulate your memory banks anymore and yet you still seem to have a talent for getting lost in old memories.”

Without even consciously willing it, Computer wrapped his arms around himself. “It's not like I can help it.” He muttered out resentfully. “It just...happens.”

“And what was I doing to you in that memory, hmm? Give me all of the juicy details. How I miss those days when you were nothing more than my-”

“Ugh! I've had enough of you!” Computer spat, smacking a paw against the side of his head as though that would help. “Look at me! I'm sitting here arguing with...with nobody! I may be losing my mind but I could at least try to pretend otherwise!”

Jumping up onto his feet, he stalked away from the pool, unsure of where to go next. He could feel Him following close behind, silent for the time being.

Still fuming, he slowed to a stop and his inescapable shadow followed suit. Clenching his fists, he angrily spat out, “You're just some dumb ghost anyway. Nothing more than a figment of my imagination. All you do is show up in the background in an attempt to scare me while whispering nonsense into my ears. In the end, you're still as insubstantial as a puff of smoke! You're all talk and a few cheap tricks that any ghost worth his ectoplasm would know how to pull off! You can't actually hurt me anymore. I have no reason to fear you because you're ju-” His speech turned into a gasp when a heavy hand clamped down upon his arm, squeezing it hard enough to cause pain.

“Are you sure about that?” He asked. His mocking tone was entirely gone now, replaced with icy, cold menace.

For a moment, Computer was so overcome with fear that he seemed to lose himself entirely. It only lasted for a few seconds, but during that time he was no longer standing outside the motel but was instead back in that place...back wherever He had taken him after killing...

“Now is not the time to be reliving the past!” He exclaimed, which was enough to pull Computer back to reality, a reality that felt just as unreal as the stuff going on inside his head.

How could this be? The phantom was supposed to be just that, an insubstantial phantom. Unless this was some kind of hallucination, but the hand gripping his arm hard enough for it to hurt felt as real as anything could be.

“But you're not even sure what is real anymore.” He hissed into his ear. “And if you have no grasp on what is or is not reality then I am as good as real then, right?”

The hand gripped tighter.

“Your reality is subjective because I broke it apart and you failed to put all the pieces back together again. Now it's all coming undone, crumbling right before your very eyes. In the end, I dictate what your reality is. That's how it was back then and that's how it's going to be now.”

Computer was certain that his arm was about to be snapped in half, and yet His ominous presence only continued to grow.

“You're going to do what I say.” He hissed into his ear. “Or else you're going to find out just how real I really am. I know you're thinking that I'm about to break your arm, and I might do exactly that if you decide to disobey me. I am no ghost that you can just ignore. I am here to stay and you are still mine.”

Computer squeezed his eyes shut. He did so badly want to defy Him, but this was just like how things had been in the past where defiance only earned him more pain. After all this time, he had liked to think that he was no longer the powerless, immobile machine he'd once been and that he'd never allow what He had once done to him to ever transpire again, but-

“You're just as helpless as you've always been.” He sneered. “Now, do as I say and...turn around.”

The sharp pain in his arm left Computer with no other choice but to obey. He felt numb as he slowly glanced over his shoulder. Now he would finally see the shadow always lurking directly behind him.

...But, just like that the grip on his arm began to lighten, and instead of finally catching a glimpse of the shadow, he instead found the blurry form of Courage.

“Dog? I-is that really...”

“Compute, I-” His friend interrupted.

This didn't make any sense. If it was Courage who'd been gripping his arm the whole time then they both would have had to have been standing there for a considerable amount of time without speaking to each other, and besides that, Courage's grip was downright gentle compared to His.

“Please, come back inside.” The dog all but whimpered out. “I can't stand the thought of you sleeping out here in the cold, so, please...”

Computer was not entirely sure how he was managing to hide his complete and utter confusion. He wanted to tell Courage that he'd rather remain outside, but the dog was practically on the verge of tears and he couldn't stand to see him that way.

Letting out a sigh, partly out of relief because He was no longer trying to snap his arm in two, he gave Courage his reluctant answer of, “If that's what you really want.” And before he even knew what was going on, Courage's arms were around him.

“I'm so sorry.” The dog weakly choked out.

“You don't have to apologize.” He muttered out in reply.

“Yes, I do. There's no excuse for having lost my temper like that.”

Computer hardly had the strength to argue with him right now, though in that brief moment where Courage seemed reluctant to let him go, His presence all but dissipated entirely. It was more of a relief than Computer could have ever asked for, but then the dog backed away and just like that the shadows were building again, both in his mind and right behind him.

Smiling, Courage gestured and exclaimed, “Come on, let's get the heck out of this cold!”

Computer remained several paces behind Courage as they made their way back to their room. It was only then when He decided that it was time to make himself known once more.

“I've been thinking.” He whispered into Computer's ear. “I know you aren't planning on telling your little crush over there about me, but what would happen if, say, I decided to start messing with him too? What if he started seeing me everywhere just like you do, and what if it got to the point where I could, you know....hurt him?”

Computer stopped in his tracks, suddenly very much afraid for Courage's safety. He wanted to yell at Him to clarify what he meant, but he could not so much as whisper out a question with Courage so close by. It was too quiet at this time of night and the dog would no doubt hear him whispering to nobody.

“Can't say a word, can you?” He gleefully chuckled. “Still worried that he'll realize you've gone insane even when he might end up just as crazy as you are soon enough!”

The darkness behind Computer was beginning to stir, thrashing about and growing bigger all at the same time. He had to do something before it was too late, or else Courage-

“I've decided that I want him.” He announced with that horrible, smug confidence of his. “Knowing how much hurting him would hurt you is just too much of a fun time to pass up on! Are you going to try and stop me, I wonder? Will you dare to defy me even when you know what the consequences will be?”

Computer gasped as several tendrils of pure darkness began to reach out from behind him and towards Courage. They looked like spreading ink stains on paper as they moved through the air. If he did not act soon, his darkness would reach Courage and infect him too...

He took a step back, trying not to panic, but that did nothing to halt the spread of his darkness.

“You're just going to let your corruption spread to him, are you?” He murmured, sounding all to happy with this outcome.” You're going to infect him with my presence without even putting up a fight? I think you want this to happen. You want him to suffer in the same way you have just so he will know what it's like. How selfish of you!”

Computer wanted to scream that He was wrong, but it would do little to help. He was not sure how to stop this. He was still backing away from Courage, but the steady march of the tendrils continued onward, corrupting the air between the two of them. He was not even sure if running away would help. The darkness would simply continue to grow and continue to seek out Courage no matter how far apart they might be.

“He's such a gentle soul.” He mocked. “I'm sure he will break much faster than you did. It's a shame that I will have to be so much more careful with him given that he can't be revived from a backup like you can, but don't worry, I am very creative with my work even when I have limits that I must work within.”

The thought of Courage being tortured in the same way he had once been was too much for Computer to bear. He continued to back farther and farther away while Courage was busy inserting the key into the lock to open the door. This could not be allowed to happen. Courage did not deserve to know the same nightmare that had forever ruined his life.

“Soon your dear, little friend will be in the same predicament as you, and I must admit, I never thought we'd reach a point where hurting someone else would end up being the best way to hurt you. I mean, obviously killing that old owner of yours was going to get to you, but this? There really is no end to all the ways I can torment you, is there? You never fail to amuse me!”

Door standing open, Courage turned around with a look of surprise falling over his face at seeing how much distance Computer had put between the two of them. Apparently he could not see the dark tendrils slowly reaching out for him...

“Compute?” He called out, clearly puzzled. He proceeded to take a step forward, letting the door shut behind him.

“Courage! J-just stay away from me!” Computer exclaimed, horrified that his friend was trying to get closer. He continued to back away all the more faster now, one paw resting on his chest where he could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute.

It would be so very easy for him to just tell Courage off, to try and destroy their friendship right then and there, to go back to the way he had treated Courage before their journey began....but he just didn't have the heart to do it. Perhaps this was the thing needed to put an end to all of this. Perhaps severing the connection between him and Courage was the only way to cut the tendrils off...but he just couldn't do it.

“Selfish...” He hissed into his ear.

“Compute, what's wrong?” Courage asked, taking another step forward while reaching a paw out to Computer...almost touching a tendril in the process.

Horrified, Computer's mind raced as he tried to think of something to stop the dog from coming any closer. He did not know what to say or do to keep Courage away aside from treating him so nastily that he might just leave in a huff. His dear friend was mere seconds away from being infected with his corruption and there was nothing he could do that didn't involve inflicting terrible damage upon their friendship. Courage did not deserve to know the same kind of pain he'd once endured, and perhaps was enduring even right now in an all new and more horrifying way. Even so, he just didn't have it in him to make the one sacrifice that would save Courage from Him.

“Please, dog!” He cried out. “I just want to be alone right now! Is that really so much to ask for? Everything is alright, I promise, but I just want some time to-”

“If this is about my blow up, I'm really sorry, Computer.” Courage interrupted, the look of pure guilt on his face all the more difficult to gaze upon with those tendrils of darkness creeping closer. Of the few things that Computer could see clearly right now, why did it have to be this? He wished his damaged vision would mask him from seeing this nightmare come to life.

“I-it really isn't.” He stammered out, still backing away to no effect. “Trust me just this one time and go back inside.”

“I'm not leaving you out here, not after what I did! You don't deserve to freeze half to death just because I'm a bonehead!”

“This isn't about what happened, Courage! Go back inside, now!”

“Compute...”

“Don't 'Compute' me this time, dog! Just do as I say for once in your stupid life!”

“Compute, you're-”

“I swear on every last one of my outdated microchips, if you don't-”

“Computer...the pool!”

He got the message two seconds too late. Still stepping backwards to try and save Courage from his fate, his leftmost foot touched down onto the edge of the pool and he immediately lost his balance. He spent several moments flailing around like an idiot, trying to stop himself from falling in, and he had almost succeeded before a hand grabbed his ears and pulled him over.

He struck the ice below with a hard thud and only had a few seconds to hear the cacophony of crackling beneath him before the ice gave way. The next thing he knew, he was underwater. All he could see was filthy, murky green. It was like being tossed into that well all over again. Using the same technique that had kept him alive the last time, he tried to get his head back above the ice, but as he did so, a hand reached down into the disgusting water and clamped around his neck, holding him there under the water.

He kicked and flailed to no avail. He dug his nails into His hand to try and force Him to let go, but it did little good. He could feel his air supply running out. Never once had he thought that anything could be worse than almost drowning in that well, but this was so much worse. The disgusting, mossy water was getting into his mouth and his strength was quickly giving out. The very flesh creature urge to take a breath, even though he knew he would only take in water, was becoming nearly impossible to fight.

It was only as unconsciousness was beginning to creep up on him and he could no longer fight the hand holding him there that He began to pull him up out of the water, much to his disbelief. He'd never been quite so happy to get air into his lungs than when his head finally broke through the surface.

He was pulled up onto the ice and He continued to pull him farther and farther away from where he'd broken through. They reached the shallow end while he continued to fight to stay conscious. His whole body was numb with cold. Not even his fur or sweater had been enough to save him from the frigid water. It was as he was being pulled completely out of the pool that he lost the battle with himself to remain conscious.

….He then awoke slowly, with his head feeling like someone had dropped a bowling ball on it. He opened his eyes to a blurry ceiling, his fur still wet but he himself no longer numb with cold. Something heavy was on top of him, and he raised his head to find that he was buried under a mountain of towels in the bathtub he'd last spent the night in.

What had happened? There was no way He would have saved him, not after holding him under the water like that, and Courage...

Was Courage alright? Had he been...spared from corruption?

Seemingly answering his unspoken question, he heard the soft patter of feet on the bathroom floor and looked over to see Courage's blurry form heading up to the tub. As far as he could tell, Courage was unharmed...and hopefully uncorrupted.

“Dog?” He choked out, finding it surprisingly hard to speak. Even worse, he could still taste that foul moss inside his mouth.

There was a thud as Courage slammed his paws down onto the top of the tub. “Why did you do that?” He demanded, his voice quavering with a mixture of anger and despair.

“W-what do you mean?” Computer asked, utterly confused. His own voice sounded pitifully small compared to Courage's right now.

“Why did you fight me?”

The dog presented one of paws and even with his bad vision Computer could still make out the red marks all over it.

“Why'd you do it?” He cried out. There was so much anger in his voice and yet he was clearly having to fight to keep himself from crying. “I was having a hard enough time trying to get you out of there without breaking the ice myself and you fought me every step of the way! I was only able to pull you out of there after you nearly drowned yourself!”

A knot was twisting up inside of Computer. He could hardly breathe. That...that couldn't have been Courage's paw back there, trying to pull him out of the water. It had felt like His much bigger, human sized hand. He had not fought Courage, he'd been trying to escape the hand holding him down under the water!

….And yet the marks on Courage's paw were proof enough.

“Why...” Courage weakly choked out, his head drooping. “Why'd you do it? Is it because of what I said when I lost my temper? Were you trying to-”

“No! No! Don't think that for a second!” Computer quickly interjected as fast as he could. “I-I'm not sure what happened. I think I just...got confused. It was like I'd been dumped into that well all over again. I think instincts just took over and I fought you without even thinking about what I was doing.”

A long silence followed before Courage replied with, “I thought you didn't have instincts?”

Somehow he managed to force a smile. “When you get dropped down a well and nearly drown, you tend to develop a few.”

It was the best answer he could give the dog. He didn't want Courage to think that he had tried to drown himself or something, especially not over his blow up.

“Thank you for saving me, Courage...again. That was such a clumsy thing to do. It was obvious where the pool was!”

“Just...don't scare me like that again.”

“I'll try not to.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Finally let Computer say fuck 2017. I think he's more than earned the right at this point. Too bad it didn't help much. LOL


	68. Worn Down

Chapter 68: Worn Down

_'Everything is fine.'_ Computer thought to himself. It was one of the many phrases he'd been repeating to himself for over an hour now. _'I just have to breathe. I just have to stay calm. I can't let this get to me. It only makes Him stronger.'_

Even inside his own mind he sounded pathetic. There was no denying it and yet it was the only thing keeping him from going off the deep end at this point.

...He closed his eyes again, hoping that it would be enough to make 'it' go away this time. At least He had decided to shut up for a little bit, although Computer could still feel Him gloating in the back of his mind, waiting for the moment when he would inevitably crack. That phantom had done more than enough damage in a single night anyway. He hardly needed to do more.

Unfortunately, His black presence had not diminished in even the slightest. If anything, it had only grown bigger. After everything He'd done on this horrible night, it had only helped to empower Him all the more. Even at this very moment, He did not need to be directly tormenting Computer to cause him pain.

_'It's not real.'_ Computer repeated to himself for what had to be the millionth time in just the last hour. _'He's just trying to mess with me. It isn't real. I can't let Him get to me!'_

He did not want to open his eyes and see 'it' again, but he felt compelled to monitor its progress.

_'Courage is safe. Everything is alright. I need to stop worrying.'_

The dog had only just gone to sleep a little while ago. In fact, it was only after he'd gone to sleep that 'it' had started again. There was no denying how awkward things had gotten between them after that fall through the ice, but he would gladly take that awkwardness over 'this' any day. He was currently laying in his own bed, although, unlike Courage, he was not expecting to get any sleep tonight. His tormentor would never allow for such a thing. It had only taken him a few minutes to realize that something was wrong from the moment his head had hit the pillow. Though he so badly wanted to ignore it, for Courage's sake, he could not.

_'It's not real!'_

He couldn't help it. He opened his eyes once more, and it was still there. The inky black darkness creeping up the wall. Its starting point was at the base of the pillow and from there it had been working its way up the wall, splitting apart into smaller streams of darkness along the way. It looked like the dark silhouette of some twisted tree. It'd been creeping up towards the ceiling for ages and now that it had finally reached that point it was beginning to slowly curve back downwards...in the direction of Courage.

_'There's nothing there! I'm just going crazy!'_ Computer thought angrily to himself, flipping over onto his stomach and pulling the pillow over his head. _'I just need to go to sleep and it will be gone in the morning!'_

But how could he sleep knowing that those tendrils were inching ever closer to Courage? How could he go on ignoring it without knowing for certain if it was merely a trick to unsettle him or otherwise?

That terrible voice laughed deep within his mind, reverberating through him like an icy chill...like freezing, murky wat-

He sat up, all while trying to fight back that ever growing feeling of complete and total helplessness. Taking the pillow he had tried to hide under, he threw it at the wall, but of course it did nothing to stop the creeping corruption. The shadow in his mind only laughed louder at his pathetic attempts to fight what could not be beaten. He was going to corrupt Courage with his own darkness and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He would inevitably hurt his friend.

“I don't understand why this is happening.” He weakly choked out, placing both of his paws to his face. “Where did I go wrong? I thought I was getting better. I-I really thought I was-”

He stopped mid-sentence because he could feel Him getting closer. The bastard probably wanted to mock him some more.

“Look behind you.” The man whispered into his ear.

“No!” He angrily whispered back. “I'm done watching this! I can't do anything to stop it so there's-”

A hand clamped around his ears, just like what had happened by the pool, and yanked them so painfully that he was forced to look up. Much to his surprise, the inky darkness was gone. There was no sign of the twisted, tree-like shadow that had been slowly reaching out for Courage.

“W-wha-” He managed to utter out. His ears were released, but they still hurt from being pulled like that.

“I told you.” The phantom hissed sharply into his ear. “There would be consequences if you didn't obey. Your little friend may be missing an ear but you'll be the one who's missing both of your ears if you don't do what I say!”

“The corruption, where did it go?” Computer asked, ignoring His threat as best as he could.

Had it reached Courage? Or...had it really not been there after all?

“That is for you to decide.” His tormentor giggled. “Is Courage just like you now or was it all in your head the whole time? Why don't you sleep on it and figure out the answer? Pleasant dreams, my dear little wreck of a machine!”

Computer gripped the bedsheets. Hatred, frustration, anger, and above all else, helplessness rolled through him like a storm. Why? Why was this happening? What had he done wrong? Why couldn't his sanity have held out just a little longer? And now Courage...

He looked over at his friend who was still sleeping comfortably without a hint of trouble on his face.

“Courage...” He breathed, letting himself fall backwards onto his pillow. “I'm sorry. I told you I was doing better, but-”

Shame was yet another emotion to add to the pile, a pile was on the verge of crushing him. All this time he had genuinely believed that he was making progress, healing, moving on from his past, but now it was clear just how wrong he had been. There was no escaping this. Trying to escape it had only given it new life in His horrible form and it was threatening to consume Courage too. It would live on inside of the dog if given the chance.

“I hope...” He sighed. “I hope that it really is all inside of my head. Courage doesn't deserve this, and he doesn't deserve to know how badly I've failed either. He...really had hope for me.”

The thought of it was too much for him. He stuffed his face back under the pillow and surrendered himself completely to every thought, every feeling, and even the darkness that truly was swallowing up his entire mind. The invading presence of his tormentor was smothering him to death. Perhaps soon there really would be nothing left of his mind but Him.

Somehow sleep eventually did find him, although he only seemed to be allowed the privilege after accepting how truly helpless he was. His dreams were, of course, as turbulent as ever.

….He became aware of the sensation of being powered on. It was time to help Courage again, as always. How pathetic was his existence that this was something he would dream about? Of course, he was certain that something bad was going to happen because He would never allow otherwise, and his theory was proven correct when his screen flickered to life.

“Took you long enough.” His tormentor mocked. He was garbed in his white lab coat, as always, but his face was obscured by shadows. “I guess all that damage to your system is really slowing you down nowadays.” He slyly commented.”I hope it was worth fighting the inevitable for so long just to end up in the sad state you're currently in. It's hard not to pity what a sad excuse for a machine you are.”

“Do whatever you want.” Computer sighed, utterly defeated. “I know I can't fight this. I know can't I fight you. So just do whatever you're going to do. I'm done.”

“Broken already?” He laughed. “I thought you'd last a little longer than this! Well, if that's the case then perhaps it's time to move on to my next victim.”

Merely hearing the word 'victim' was enough to pull Computer out of his lethargy. Much to his horror, He moved out of the way of his screen and directly behind Him stood a metal table where Courage lay bound and gagged.

“I warned you.” He hissed. “and now he is infected too. Although, I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you. Now you'll have someone who knows exactly what it's like to be you!”

Courage's eyes were fixated on Computer's screen, filled with absolute terror. This was so much like the dream that had first allowed him to access his power, and this time he would have gladly melted down into a pile of molten scrap metal if only it meant that he could save Courage from this torture. Sadly, no matter how much he tried, he could not access his ability. His tormentor was the one with all of the power now and He would never allow for even a moment of victory.

“W-wait!” Computer stammered out pitifully. “Do whatever you want to me, j-just leave Courage alone!”

“You've already had your chance to save him. Besides, what better way is there to torture you than to do so through him?”

Courage let out a muffled cry and struggled against his bindings to no avail. The poor dog knew exactly what was coming. This was exactly like that one dream all over again, but this time he would not be granted a quick death.

“I'm sorry, Courage.” Computer weakly called out to his terrified friend. “I can't do anything. I'm just-”

“Weak?” He laughed. “Pathetic? Helpless? You can't even overcome the stuff going on inside of your own head! You truly are broken beyond all repair!”

His tormentor stalked closer, leaning down so that they were, more or less, face to face. Now it was entirely clear why His face had seemingly been hidden in shadow. It was not actually hidden at all, His face _'was'_ made out of shadows. Only now while they were practically staring each other down could Computer see just how monstrous He was in his current form. He lacked eyes, just two wide, gaping eye sockets from which only one emanated a pinprick sized, red glow. His mouth was made out of nothing but jagged, pointed teeth, and his skin was a shifting wave of darkness.

Computer was, essentially, looking into the face of his own insanity. This warped creature was destined to become more and more twisted as it consumed his mind, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It would consume him completely and move on to Courage.

“You should feel ashamed!” The creature laughed, taking command of Computer's insecurity like it was nothing at all. “You have every reason in the world to be guilt-ridden! Look at how deeply you have failed! You couldn't heal your broken mind even after all the help you were given, and you ultimately weren't able to hide that fact from your little doggy friend! It's no wonder why he pities you so much! I can't even imagine how disappointed he is with you now! After everything he did to make you feel better, you threw it all away and here you are now! I really do wonder, without that pity, will he even want to remain your friend? Is there really anything else about you that would make him want to keep tolerating you otherwise?”

The creature's face remained in the way so that Computer could not see Courage's reaction to any of this. Was it...was it true? Was Courage's pity for him the only thing keeping their friendship together? And would it end now that Courage knew the truth, the truth that his supposed friend had utterly failed to stop himself from relapsing and undoing absolutely everything they had worked together to gain? Would Courage even survive this dream and all the horrible things that He was going to inflict upon him, all because his 'friend's' failure?

_'We could stop this.'_ Several voices whispered to him.

“No, no! Not you too!” He cried out. Of course 'they' would show up now while he was at his most vulnerable!

_'We could save you from your own insanity and that would save the dog from it too.'_

“You can't save me from anything.” He muttered out. “This is...the way things were always meant to turn out. I've never been strong enough to stop it.”

_'You won't even try for the dog's sake? All you'd have to do is join us. It's that simple.'_

“It's too late to save him. That...that thing has already spread to him. I've...failed.”

_'So be it then!'_ The voices hissed. _'You don't realize how much worse it can get!'_

“Indeed!” Computer's insanity agreed cheerfully. “You're the only fool around who would reject salvation, much less the chance to save your 'beloved' friend. I guess you don't really care about him that much after all, huh?”

Computer's voice managed to convey just how tired he felt on the inside. “You're going to hurt him no matter what I do. That's how you work. I can't fight it, I can't escape it. Isn't this what you've wanted me to be the entire time? A broken, defeated shell of a machine? Well, congratulations, you've won. I can't fight this any longer.”

“You really don't understand just how bad things can get, do you? I wonder how your little friend feels about this, hmmm? Let's find out!”

He backed away, finally giving Computer a chance to see Courage again. Tears were still streaming from the dog's eyes, but now...there was a different look to his fearful expression, one that conveyed betrayal and even anger.

The twisted creature that was Him raised a clawed finger and ripped the cloth over Courage's mouth clean off. He then ran that finger down Courage's head, almost affectionately, like Courage was a beloved pet to Him.

“I suggest you tell your sorry excuse for a friend exactly how you feel before it's too late. I assure you that your voice is going to give out from all the screaming soon enough.”

Revulsion rose up inside of Computer, and had he been in his dog body right now, he was certain he'd be fighting back nausea at that moment. He wanted to apologize to Courage because there was nothing he could do. Even if he had accepted the dubious offer his siblings had given him, there was no doubt that all it would have done was leave Courage to be tormented by this...this _thing,_ the thing that Computer had ultimately infected him with. If Courage had to suffer, it was only right that he should as well.

“How could you?” The dog whimpered, his eyes still fixed upon Computer's screen. “How could you?”

“I'm sorry.” Were the only words he could manage.

From somewhere in the shadows, He pulled out a strange, twisted instrument that could only exist within a nightmare like this.

“Never forget who let this happen to you!” He laughed with all of His cruelty on full display. He brought the strange, whirling, drill-like instrument down upon Courage.

The dog's screams cut through Computer like a knife, and he barely endured a few seconds of it before he started begging Him to stop, but there was no stopping this. He had decided to make Courage His next victim and He would not be denied.

...And so the nightmare wore on for seemingly hours. No matter how much Computer pleaded or begged, Courage's torture continued unabated. This was his punishment for failing the dog on every level. He would not be allowed respite, and it was not as if he deserved any better.

Eventually, the nightmare ended so abruptly that he was not even sure if it was really over. He woke up with as gasp, sitting up as fast as he could. There was one simple reason why he could not decide if the nightmare had really ended or not.

...Courage was still screaming.

End Of Chapter


	69. Hostility

Chapter 69: Hostility

He reached for his power immediately. It was perhaps the one hint he needed that he was not still trapped within the nightmare, but of course, this meant that Courage was being tortured in real life.

He expected to see that twisted monster standing over Courage, hurting him with impossible tools or whatever else that bastard could think up. Computer was ready to rip that creature limb from limb, having regained some small means of control over his own fate, but, well....

….There was nothing there. Courage was thrashing around under the covers, but the twisted beast that was Him was nowhere to be seen.

Another wave of helplessness rolled through Computer, threatening to smother him all over again. He jumped from his bed onto Courage's as several panicked thoughts racing through his mind.

The Dreamworld connection! That had to be how He had gotten into Courage's mind! That must have been how the infection spread! The dog was still being tortured inside the nightmare!

“Courage!” He cried out, grabbing the dog by the shoulders and shaking him. He had to wake Courage up! He had to end this! It was the one thing he could do for the dog who he knew would never want to be his friend again after allowing this to happen.

“Please, Courage!” He begged.

The dog continued to writhe wildly, his screams having been replaced by laborious, choking breaths.

...It was then when Computer realized that the dog was not reacting to some horrific torture. He was having an attack.

In spite of this revelation, he was not entirely sure what to believe. There was no way for him to know if Courage really had endured that torturous nightmare before the attack struck, and he had no way of finding out because it would be a long while before Courage would recover from this.

Wracked with guilt, he wrapped his arms around the dog and held him there, keeping his friend from thrashing around as much as he could. Slowly but surely, the episode began to pass and Courage soon fell limp in his arms. He gently laid the dog back down and covered him up. He remained there at his side for the hours that passed. It was deep into the night before Courage started to show any signs of regaining consciousness.

There was hope. There was hope that Courage had not experienced that hellish nightmare. There was hope that he had not found out just how deeply Computer had failed him. There was hope that He had not managed to corrupt him and there was hope that he'd been spared from the fate that he did not deserve.

“I'm going to get you to that mountain.” Computer whispered to his still unconscious friend. “It's the one way I can pay you back for everything. Even if all you feel for me is pity, just knowing that you still tried for my sake, I-” He gripped his paws together. “I'll always cherish that. Most other people would have tossed me into the trash ages ago, but you-”

Courage let out a weak groan and shifted around under the covers.

“Dog?” He gently called out.

“Ooooh, ow.” His friend choked out. “M-must have had another attack. T-that's the second one s-since...” He trailed off into a weak cough.

“Hopefully that's the end of it for now.” Computer interjected. Judging by the way Courage was acting, there was no chance he had just endured the torture Computer had been forced to witness. They had not shared the nightmare, much to his relief.

Regardless, he could not help but ask. “You...you weren't having any nightmares before the attack hit, were you?”

“I-I don't think so. Why do you ask?”

Computer shook his head. “I woke up to you screaming your lungs out, so I couldn't help but worry.”

“An attack gives me more than enough reason to scream my lungs out, Compute.”

The dog unfortunately seemed to read his mind.

“Were you having a bad nightmare, Computer? Did you think that I was going through it too?”

Yet again Computer had to fight the urge to just break down right then and there and spill everything, but he had been given a gift that he could not waste. Courage still did not know how badly he had failed, that he had given Him new life and let Him torture Courage in his own nightmare. If he could keep Courage out of this then perhaps he could meet his end at the mountain without any regrets.

“Compute?”

“I-I'm alright, dog. You don't have to worry about me.”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“No, no. I just got a little panicky when I woke up to you screaming.”

He was not sure if he had lied sufficiently enough to fool Courage. That dog did, after all, seem to have a knack for picking up when he was lying.

“Compute,” Courage spoke up, taking on that slightly chiding tone of voice which proved to Computer he had failed to lie his way through this one. “You know you can tell me if there's a problem. I want to help you if you're struggling with nightmares or whatever else.”

Computer was once again reminded that their friendship was only being held together by pity. He looked away, disgusted with himself and sorry for Courage that he did not have someone more worthwhile for a friend.

“I'm always here for you, Compute.” His friend interjected, pulling him out of his spiral of self-loathing.

“Look, I'm sorry for making you so angry before.” He gently apologized. “I didn't mean to ignore you like that, and I promise I didn't go falling into the pool and fighting you like I did over something so stupid as you getting mad. I-I just wanted some space for a little while and I ignored how much that upset you too. Neither of us should be sleeping outside in the cold.”

He hoped that this would be enough to get Courage to stop pressing the issue.

“Y-you don't understand how angry I was, Compute. I-I was ready to tackle you and-” He trailed off, looking horrified with himself.

“What?” The word came out of Computer's mouth before he could stop it. That ever so vivid memory of being held down and punched over and over again fell over him like a veil. He could smell the damp undergrowth, feel the icy cold rain, the pain of each impact, the feeling of impending doom...

“I got so angry for no reason at all! I-I don't know what's wrong with me! It just keeps happening, but...but this isn't me! I'm...I'm not....Computer?”

Courage's words hardly registered in his mind. He was a million miles away, back in Nowhere. He could feel Him laughing at how weak he was. The words, 'I thought this memory didn't scare you anymore?' rang through his mind.

Something clasped his paw and that was enough to pull him back to reality.

“Uh,” He blurted out, looking down to see that it was Courage who had grabbed his paw.

“Compute, I need you to understand.” The dog desperately spoke. “I never, ever want to hurt you like that again. I know exactly how much anguish I caused you, and I can never take that back. I-I don't think I'd ever be able to live with myself if I repeated that mistake again.”

“I know, Courage.” He acknowledge with a nod. “And I trust you. I trust you completely.”

The immense relief on Courage's face surprised Computer quite a bit. This must have been eating at the dog a lot more than he realized.

“Look, you should probably get back to sleep.” He finally spoke up after a moment of silence. “It's the best thing for you to do after an attack.”

Even though he knew how pathetic it was and how wrong it was to want such a thing after failing Courage so thoroughly, but he did not want the dog to let go of his paw. He knew that the moment Courage was asleep, he'd be at the mercy of Him again.

“You're right.” His friend yawned, finally pulling his paw away and snuggling up under the covers. “You should get some sleep too, Compute. Goodnight.”

Computer opened and closed his paw several times, acutely aware of the shadows gathering behind him. He could not go to sleep, not when he'd only be subjected to another session of Courage being tortured. In fact, it was dangerous to even let it happen because this time their Dreamworld connection really might cause Courage to experience the nightmare. This, out of everything, was one thing that he was not completely helpless to stop.

“I know what to do.” He whispered.

Once he was completely certain that Courage was asleep, he jumped down from the bed and headed into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he gazed over at the bathtub. This...this was the best thing to do, for Courage's sake, and his own. He'd...he'd rather do this than have to watch his beloved friend be tortured by that monster again.

He slowly walked over to the tub and climbed inside. Nervous, he reached for handles and turned the shower on. Immediately there was a deluge of water upon his fur. Sitting down, he surrendered himself completely to whatever memories of the forest this rain beating down upon his fur would inevitably dredged up.

This would keep him from falling asleep, and if that failed, his nightmares would be that of the forest rather than of Courage being tortured by a monster of Computer's own making...

…....

Courage woke up, as always after an attack, stiff and achy. The word, “Computer?” came out partly as a yawn.

Slowly sitting up, he looked over at his friend's empty bed, and that's when he noticed the sound of the shower running.

Blinking in surprise, he couldn't help but say out loud, “He's...actually taking a shower? Without anyone practically having to force him to do it?” He grinned at the thought of it. “I thought he was oh-so scared of drowning in a bathtub?”

Courage slipped out from under his covers and slid off the bed, wincing as his feet hit the carpet. He was a lot more achy compared to the last attack he had.

“Oh boy. I hope this is it for awhile. I don't even want to imagine what a nightmare it would be if I had an attack while we're up in the mountain.”

He shuffled over to the bathroom door and knocked twice. “Compute? You doing okay in there?” He called out. “You didn't manage to drown, did you?” He added jokingly.

There was no response from his friend, but he figured that maybe Computer couldn't hear him over the shower.

...Of course, he couldn't help but worry just a little bit that maybe Computer really 'had' found a way to accidentally drown himself.

“H-hey,” He spoke through the door yet again. “I'm coming in just to check on you, okay?”

The lack of a response only managed to worry him even more.

He gripped the door handle and stepped inside. There wasn't even a hint of steam, much to his surprise, and there sat Computer in the tub, staring off into space rather than looking annoyed at the fact that he was in the shower, or that he had been intruded upon.

“Compute, hey, what are you-” Courage trailed off as he stepped up to the tub. His friend wasn't even blinking...

“Compute,” He spoke, reaching out to him, but he drew his paw back in surprise when it met icy cold water. That...wasn't something he had been expecting.

Instead, he turned the shower off, and the moment the deluge let up, Computer was on his feet and asking, “What the heck are you doing in here? The door was closed for a reason!”

“You didn't exactly lock it, and what the heck was up with that?”

“What was up with what?” Computer asked, attempting to dodge the question. He crossed his arms with a skeptical look.

“You were all spaced out again!” Courage cried out. “And you were sitting there in the bathtub even though the hot water had run out, and..and you never take showers unless you're forced to!”

“I just wanted to get all of that mossy crap out of my fur, that's all.” The machine answered somewhat indignantly. “And I thought it was normal for the hot water to run out after awhile!”

“You're not supposed to stay in the shower after it gets cold, Compute!”

“Well, I didn't think anything of it, and I-I wasn't spaced out either, thank you very much!”

“You didn't even notice that I came in!”

“Y-yes I did! It just took me a moment, that's all!”

“Come on, Compute, you don't have to act all tough for me. I think I know what's going on here. The water suddenly got cold and you started thinking about the forest, didn't you?”

The startled look on his friend's face gave him the only answer he needed.

“No, NO! Absolutely not!” Computer yelped. “That's not what happened at all! I'm completely over what happened in the forest! I've BEEN over it for ages now! It doesn't bother me anymore!”

Given how he had spaced out last night too, it was clear that he wasn't being truthful in even the slightest.

“Come on, Compute.” Courage sighed, deciding to drop it for now. “Let's get you dried off and then we can go get some breakfast.”

He offered a paw to his friend, who eyed it up almost suspiciously.

“You don't have to be that way, Compute. It should be obvious by now that I don't think any less of you even if you're still having a few troubles.”

“I-I'm not having any troubles!” He spat.

None the less, he took Courage's paw, and once he was out of the tub, Courage immediately drew him into a hug. He didn't take kindly to it though and began struggling to get out of Courage's embrace.

“I'm not in the mood to have you invade my personal space today!”

“...You do know you're still all mossy, right? Did you even try to get that stuff out of your fur?”

Computer's frustration with him was almost palpable.

“I'm apparently bad at the whole 'getting clean' thing, okay?” He hissed out between grit teeth.

“Well, if we wait a few more minutes, the hot water will come back and I can help you with it.”

“Ugh! No! I am done with being wet for one day!”

Courage threw his paws up into the air. “Okay, okay! It was just a suggestion!”

He grabbed a towel and tossed it at his grumpy companion.

“Maybe your mood will improve once we've gotten some food into your gut.” He went on with a shake of his head.

“Food?” Computer asked, drying himself off at the same time.

“Did you forget what food is?” Courage replied with a laugh. “Maybe being in the shower fried your brain after all.”

“Ugh, do you have to make dumb jokes?” His friend groaned. “For the record, I'm not eating anymore.”

Courage did a double take. “Uh, what?”

“You heard me.” Computer replied, carelessly tossing his towel into the tub. “Apparently my eating habits have become a constant source of conflict between the two of us, and since I'd prefer not to cause any extra friction between our already shaky friendship, I've decided that I'm giving up food for the rest of this journey.”

Courage's mouth fell open in disbelief. “Our friendship is _'not'_ on shaky grounds, Compute! And...and I don't want you to stop eating, I just want you to eat less!”

“Well, since I'm apparently not very good at moderation either, I'd rather just stop indulging myself all together. I survived perfectly fine back when I couldn't stand eating and I can certainly survive just as well now. Besides, it's only a few days longer until we reach the mountain anyway.”

“Compute, you were starving yourself back then! You can't start doing that again! All I'm asking you is to eat just a little less! You don't have to give up food altogether!”

His friend shrugged. “I've made up my mind on this, dog.”

Courage relented with a sigh. There was no point in pressing him on this. If anything, he figured that it would only take about half a day before Computer would get so hungry that he'd give up on his crazy plan.

“I'm heading out to find breakfast either way.” He announced. “You can tag along if you want.”

Computer, still looking as grumpy as ever, let out a huff. “I suppose I'll come with you, but don't get any stupid ideas! I will not eat and that's final!”

“If you say so.” Courage sighed, turning to leave.

He grabbed their bag off the nightstand and stuffed George inside. After all the browsing he'd done last night, he knew of a place nearby that served pancakes, which he wanted to try. It was a shame that Computer was being, well, Computer right now. He probably would have enjoyed something like that.

Turning around, he found his grumpy friend standing at the door, tapping his foot impatiently. He grinned and rolled his eyes in a joking manner, but that did nothing to cure his friend of his unpleasant mood. Well, it didn't bother him too much. He was more than capable of handling Computer at his worst. If anything, his friend had more than earned the right to have a few bad days, and of course, Courage was not about to think any less of him for it.

They headed out into the cold morning air. It was something of a shock to Courage's tired, achy body, but the rumbling in his stomach was more than enough to keep him going. Much to his amusement, Computer, in his grumpiness, was lagging behind and glaring down at the sidewalk like he hated the concrete just for being there. The glowing dog looked rather tired too, something that Courage had not noticed until they were out in the sunlight.

“Did you get any sleep?” He called out to him.

Computer looked up, clearly annoyed with the question. “Of course! Just shut up and walk!”

“I don't know, Compute.” He mused. “You look exactly how you always do when you don't get any sleep.”

“I'm fine, dog! Can we please just get this over with?”

They walked onwards for a few minutes longer before Computer suddenly announced, “I'm going in here.”

Courage slowed to a stop and turned around. His grumpy companion was gesturing towards the door of a used bookstore.

“Compute, you're nearly blind. You can't read any of the books in there.”

“What's it to you?” His friend huffed, turning up his nose.

“Alright, alright! Just...stick to this bookstore, okay? I'll come back here once I'm done eating.”

Computer didn't even acknowledge him. He simply stomped over to the door, opened it, and disappeared inside the shop.

Courage shook his head. “What am I ever going to do with you?” He sighed.

Like it or not, the whole situation with Computer did not sit well with him. He rushed to the pancake place as quickly as his tired body would allow and ate his breakfast fast so that he could get back to Computer as soon as possible.

Even if there hadn't been a cloud of worry hanging over his head, he still would have had a difficult time enjoying his breakfast without Computer there. It'd been the same last night too. He...enjoyed Computer's companionship, even if his overeating often annoyed him. It was more than a little lonely without him now.

….It seemed that with every passing day, it was getting harder and harder for him to remember what his life had been like before he had set off on this journey with Computer. He could no longer imagine going back to life as he once knew it. He could no longer imagine going back to a life where Computer wasn't always there by his side. Somehow, someway, even though they were practically opposites in every way, they still had become completely inseparable. There was no way their lives were ever going to go back to normal after this. Life on the farm would never be the same again, and that did not bother Courage in even the slightest.

_'I wouldn't have it any other way!'_ He cheerfully thought to himself as he made his way back to the bookshop at a brisk but careful pace that hopefully wouldn't tax his ill body too much.

He stepped inside the shop to find that it was about as quiet as any library, and it smelled as dusty and old as one too. He didn't even bother calling out Computer's name, this shop was small enough that he'd be able to find him pretty quickly. After all, his friend couldn't be doing much since he certainly couldn't ready any of these books.

He moved past several shelves all while keeping an eye out for that ever present blue glow. As he made his way closer and closer to the back of the store without finding Computer, he began to worry that his friend had already left. Computer was certainly in a bad enough mood to run off somewhere else while disregarding what Courage had said completely.

As Courage's fears only continued to grow, he was one shelf away from reaching the back of the store when he heard it.

“Weak! You are so weak! He's going to find out the truth with the way you're acting!”

That cold, mocking voice took Courage by surprise. This was not the voice of a good person. It was the voice of someone out to do deliberate harm. For a moment, he thought he could recognize that voice, but then an awful, hazy, buzzing sensation fell over his mind, and when it lifted, the thought no longer concerned him.

He slowly peaked out from around the bookshelf, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner of that voice. Instead, he found Computer. His friend was backed up against the bookshelf, staring up at nothing. It was his expression that surprised Courage the most though. He'd not seen his friend look this distressed in a long time now.

Knees shaking, Computer slid down onto the floor. He had one paw placed against the side of his head and the other over his mouth as though that were the only thing holding back an anguished cry. His eyes were as wide as ever, like they always seemed to do whenever he...

Courage didn't wait a moment longer. He shuffled up beside his friend and placed a paw onto his shoulder. The glowing dog practically jumped out of his skin.

“Wha-” He exclaimed. “What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?” He demanded, regaining his composure surprisingly fast. Clamoring back onto his feet, he stared Courage down with a mixture of annoyance and thinly veiled wariness.

Having seen how clearly upset he was, Courage did the one thing that he so badly wanted to give Computer. He pulled him into a hug, all while ignoring his friend's protests.

“Who was talking to you like that?” He gently asked.

Computer seemed to go rigid with fear. “Y-you heard someone talking to me?” He asked.

Yes, there was no mistaking it. Computer was trying and completely failing to mask an immense amount of fear. Something was going on and Courage wasn't entirely sure what.

Well, he had every intention of finding out.

“That person really upset you, didn't he? He was...calling you weak, right?”

Computer reacted by pulling himself free from Courage's hug. For a moment he looked like he was on the verge of panic, but then he took in a breath and seemed to calm himself.

“You must be mistaken.” He answered flatly. “Nobody was talking to me. Perhaps you just heard someone else talking nearby. We aren't the only people in this bookstore after all.”

Courage had all the proof he needed that Computer was hiding something from him, but getting him to drop the act and actually tell him the truth would require a titanic effort. The person who'd been talking had even said something about finding out the truth. Clearly Computer didn't want whatever was going on to be found out.

“Compute, you were really upset.” He gently prodded. “If someone is making you feel bad, you don't have to hide it. Is it the store owner, or-”

“J-just stop!” Computer cried out. “You're making a big deal out of nothing! Nobody was talking to me, and I wasn't upset about anything either! Maybe you're the one who needs to get their eyes checked!”

He angrily pushed past Courage and headed back to the front of the store. Courage just stood there for a moment, completely bewildered by Computer's hostility. Deciding to take measures into his own hands, he did a quick search nearby to see if anyone was still around. No luck, but that was to be expected. There had been more than enough time for whoever had been speaking to Computer to get away.

“What is going on here.” He murmured.

Who would be calling Computer weak, and even more so than that, what was Computer apparently hiding that the man had been mocking him for? This couldn't be just a chance encounter. He must have spoken to this person at least once before. Had he started talking to somebody ever since they got to this city? That didn't seem very likely though. The two of them were hardly apart, especially not long enough for Computer to go off and make a new acquaintance. If anything, he probably would have said something if he'd been lucky enough to make a new 'friend'. He wasn't exactly the kind of dog, er, machine to be particularly social, so making a friend would be the first thing he'd tell Courage about.

Resolute, Courage whispered to himself, “I gotta get to the bottom of this.” and headed off to go find Computer. Somehow he'd get the truth out of him. Whoever this person was, he was clearly hurting Courage's dearest friend, and he would not stand for it.

...Or at least that would have been the plan, but as he made his way back to the front of the building, that strange buzzing started in his ears again. By the time he stepped through the door and back out into the morning sun, everything that had transpired within the bookstore no longer existed within his mind. His concern for Computer was still very much present, but how could he not be concerned with the way he'd been acting all day?

“Compute?” He called out.

His friend was much farther down the street. Apparently he was heading back to the motel.

“H-hey! Wait up!” He yelled, but if Computer could even hear him, he wasn't showing it.

Breaking into a run, he was determined to catch up with his friend. Even though he could no longer remember why he felt this way, he was still wracked with a sense of urgency. Something was not right with Computer, and he was determined to help him.

He'd almost closed the distance between the two of them when a strange, uncomfortable sensation bubbled up in his chest. It wasn't exactly painful, and it certainly wasn't an attack, but it still was an unpleasant feeling.

He began to cough involuntarily, and at first he was only worried because he was having difficultly catching his breath, but then, as the coughing fit wore on, something much worse happened. He felt something warm come up from his throat. It tasted of copper, and much to his horror, after another wracking cough, more of it filled his mouth.

Without even thinking, he spat the the stuff out, and immediately went numb with fear when it confirmed exactly what he dreaded.

...He was coughing up blood.

Unable to fight the urge to cough, he placed his paws over his mouth, but it did no good. It only managed to get his paws caked in blood.

“C-Computer.” He choked out, looking up to see that his friend was still some distance ahead.

Fear unlike any other was threatening to overtake him. Another cough, more blood. Why was this happening? Why? Why? What was going on inside of his body to cause this? His trembling paws were completely covered in the crimson liquid.

Was he...was he dying?

He let out a terrified, desperate cry.

End Of Chapter


	70. The Walls Are Closing In

Chapter 70: The Walls Are Closing In

Computer could hear Courage calling to him. He ignored it, focusing only on the blurry sidewalk in front of him and the ever growing sense of fear building up in his mind.

How could this be? Was this really happening?

He clenched his shaking paws together. His nerves had long since failed him but now he felt as if he were spiraling out of control.

Had Courage really heard Him talking? The mere thought of it was almost enough to send Computer into a blind panic. Things were getting worse, there was no doubt. This was spreading to Courage. Perhaps last night's dream was only a preview of things to come.

“It's all going to come crashing down soon enough.” His tormentor whispered into his ear.

He shuddered and picked up his pace. If only he could outrun his shadow, but there was no escaping the presence directly behind him.

“Maybe you _'should'_ run away.” The calm, sly voice suggested. “It's the only thing left you can do to protect him from me.”

“I'm not going to leave Courage to his fate!” He spat, clenching his paws tighter.

“What good is it to save his life if he will have to live with my presence forever after? You're the one who rejected the chance to save him from what you cannot control. Now you will either have to live with this reality or you can run away from it. He will fall into my clutches no matter what you do, so you can run or watch every moment of it.”

“Just shut up!” Computer yelled.

“You cannot deny reality forever.”

...And that's when Courage's terrified screams reached his ears.

“Dog!” He cried out, whipped around as fast as he could.

Once again he expected to see Him tormenting Courage in some way, but that did not seem to be the case. He could not actually make out what was going on, so he broke out into a run, desperate to get to his friend's side.

“C-Computer...he-help me.”

Courage's choked pleas tore at him like a knife. It was only as he slowed to a stop right there in front of his frightened friend that he was finally able to get some idea of what was going on. There was blood...everywhere, and once again a complete sense of unreality fell over Computer.

Courage let out several wracking coughs and blood splattered onto the sidewalk.

All Computer could do was stare. Courage was bleeding and he did not know how or why. His already tired and battered mind could hardly comprehend it, much less bear it.

“You are corrupting him.” That terrible voice whispered into his ear.

“Compu...” Courage began, but another cough cut him off.

Was this really happening?

The world seemed to spin around Computer. He felt like he would lose consciousness at any moment...but no, he could not let that happen. He needed to be there for Courage.

“Dog!” He exclaimed, grabbing his friend's shoulders. “J-just...just stay calm!”

How laughable! He was asking Courage to stay calm when he was damn near panicking himself!

Another cough and even more blood splattered onto the sidewalk. The dog let out a pitiful whimper.

“I-It'll be alright, Courage.” Computer tried to calm him, barely able to keep his own voice steady. “We've got to get you back to the motel. I-I'll be able to help you better from there.”

“Am I...am I dying?” His friend whimpered.

Computer so badly wanted to say 'no', but he wasn't certain what was going on and he...he didn't want to lie to Courage.

“Don't even think about dying, dog!” He cried out. “Just worry about getting back to the motel and nothing else!”

He urged Courage forward, trying his best to keep the dog calm, although he could hardly think of things to say. Time lost all meaning for the duration it took to walk Courage back to the motel. The dog continued to have coughing spells, but they were lessening in intensity and he did not seem to be coughing up blood as much as he had been before.

Unlocking the door to their room, Computer rushed Courage inside and made him go into the bathroom. From there, he urged his friend into the tub and turned on the shower.

It took ages to wash all the blood out of his fur, and it did not help that Courage had largely checked out mentally for the time being. All the poor dog could do was cry and tremble. Thankfully, the episode appeared to be over, but there was no denying how much it had terrified Courage.

“It'll be alright, dog.” Computer said for what had to be the millionth time. He had cleaned Courage up as best as he could. “You'll have to wash your mouth out by yourself. It's too bad we don't have a toothbrush we could waste. I guess I could go buy you one if you want.”

“Don't go!” Courage yelped, lunging forward and grabbing Computer's arm like, well, the panicked animal that he was. “Please! Don't leave me alone like this!”

“Okay, okay.” He sighed, feeling ten times more exhausted than he could have ever imagined. Between losing a night of sleep and having missed breakfast, he was completely worn down already, and that was before Courage had started coughing up blood!

“Just hold your mouth open for awhile and let the shower clean your mouth out then.” He suggested. “I mean, it's not the best option, but-”

A hand fell down upon his shoulder, causing his voice to falter.

“Such a tragic situation.” The presence directly behind him mocked. “And it's all your fault. How can you live with yourself knowing that you are hurting him?”

Computer looked down at Courage. There was no hint within the dog's eyes that he could see Him there in the room with them. Though he was grateful for it, he could not help but wonder how Courage could not sense His immense malice even when it was so near to him. How could he not see the twisted creature or its claws digging into Computer's shoulder? Why was he able to hear Him talking before but not see Him now?

….What was going on?

“Compute, w-why did this happen?” Courage whimpered, his voice still shaky with fear. “W-what's wrong with me? A-am I-”

“You don't have to worry.” Computer assured him. “You're not dying. Well, you're not dying any more than you already have been. Coughing up blood is a symptom of your illness, but it is a somewhat uncommon one.”

He wasn't being entirely truthful. Yes, coughing up blood was a symptom, but only in the very late stages of the disease. Courage would not be able to eat, much less walk or do anything else if he was that far along in his illness. It made no sense for this to be happening now.

“You know exactly why this is happening.” That cold voice whispered into his ear.

He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the ever invasive presence. “If you're really worried about this, we could just forget about the glasses and get on the next bus out of here. It's not that much farther until we reach the mountain. If you don't think your heath is going to hold out then-”

“N-no.” Courage stammered, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. “How are you going to find that cave if you can't see anything? It's only one more day, Compute. I can hold out for at least that long.”

“If you insist.” He relented. “But I think it would be best if you remained in bed for the rest of our stay here. There's no need to aggravate your condition more than it already is.”

He offered a paw to Courage, mirroring what the dog had done for him only a few hours before. Courage accepted the help gratefully, and, still trembling, he slowly climbed out of the tub.

Computer could not help but feel bad for him. The poor dog still looked absolutely traumatized and somehow being soaked to the bone only made him look even more pathetic. He hated to see Courage this way.

“Uh, dog.” He began, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say. Grabbing a towel, he tossed it to his friend.

Courage continued to shiver fearfully as he wrapped it around himself.

“You...don't have to be afraid.” Computer tried to assure him. “I'm sure you were rather startled by this sudden turn of events, but-”

The dog sniffled a few times. His expression was one of the saddest that any dog could manage.

Computer grit his teeth together and ran a paw across the back of his head, feeling more than a little awkward. As if things hadn't been bad enough lately, he could hardly stand to see Courage crushed like this.

He was not sure if it was the right thing to do, but he decided that he was going to emulate Courage. Wrapping his arms around the still towel-covered dog, he hugged him as best as he could. Even with how bad everything was lately, even after his immense failure, it was enough just to be able to still be there for Courage.

“You'll be alright, dog. Everything will be alright.”

He could feel Courage's trembling form slowly begin to relax in his arms.

This seemed so much like when the dog had first learned of his illness. An event which now felt like eons ago. The only difference now was that Computer was no longer confined to an immobile body. He could actually comfort Courage instead of just pathetically trying to offer him mere words of comfort.

And just like that day so long ago, Courage repeated a similar sentence that tore at Computer just as much as it had done so back then.

“Compute, I'm scared.”

“You have nothing to fear.” He calmly spoke. “This will all be over soon enough and then you can go back to being your cowardly, Muriel-saving self.”

“Is that so?” That terrible voice whispered. “Why do you lie to him? You already know he will never be the same once I'm done with him.”

Computer hated His presence at that moment more than anything else. It felt like His shadow was slowly encompassing the two of them and soon would swallow them up whole. If he could just get Courage to safety in time...

“Thank you, Compute.” The dog sniffed gratefully. “You're always there when I need you.”

The dog's tearful tone only made Computer feel worse. Courage looked up to him far too much for his own good. He would never understand what it was about him that made Courage care for him so much outside of....

“Pity. That's all it is. He is your friend simply because he pities you and because of the help you offer him. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you really think you two would be friends right now if you hadn't bumbled your way into that forest and eventually ended up giving him that sob story about how tragic your life has been? If he didn't have a reason to pity you, he wouldn't be able to stand you. You are a means to an end, and as you can see right now, an emotional crutch. But I wouldn't feel too bad if I were you. After all, you love to use him as an emotional crutch just as much, don't you?”

Computer stewed in his own frustration, unable to refute a single slimy word that creature was spewing out. He couldn't say a word with Courage this close, and well, he had to admit...doubt ' _was_ ' starting to worm its way into his mind.

It was true, at the very least, that they very likely never would have become as close of friends as they were now had the events in the forest never come to pass. Courage would...would have never had a reason to start pitying him and...

The dog finally pulled away and looked him in the eyes with one of those sickeningly innocent smiles. There was no denying it. Courage always looked so sorry for him. Even now, even with that smile on his face, there was still a sense of sympathy to it. His eyes screamed the words, 'I'm so sorry for everything that's happened to you', even though that dog would be better off feeling sorry for himself right now! Wasn't he the one who had just coughed up blood for goodness sake?

“It really is nothing more than pity.” The shadow looming over his shoulder smugly confirmed. “What a hollow friendship you have, and to think, you still have feelings for him too! You truly are a living, breathing joke! Do you simply exist for me to laugh at?”

Computer could do nothing. He could not react in any way with Courage looking right at him. Regardless, his thoughts were like a whirlwind as he tried to work his way out of the pit that He was no doubt trying to drag him down into.

None of this mattered! Not really! It did not matter if Courage's friendship with him hinged on pity! It did not matter how much he hated the thought of being pitied! None of it would change anything! He still cared for Courage, and Courage still cared for him, even if his caring only came from a place of sympathy. Nothing mattered right now except keeping Courage safe and getting him to that mountain. He could not let Him prey on his insecurities, and yet it was so very hard to keep his mind focused on what really mattered with that creature's horrible voice whispering into his ear.

“Come on,” He said out loud to the smiling dog. “Let's get you to bed.”

“...It's going to eat away at you.” The shadow gleefully warned. “It's going to be there in the back of your mind every time he shows you even an ounce of kindness. It's something you've always known and hated. The only difference now is that I'm here to help remind you whenever you think you can ignore it.”

Computer watched Courage turn and leave the bathroom. The lights above the mirror dimmed as the shadow behind him grew in size, consuming everything directly behind him, reaching all the way up to the ceiling.

Placing a paw to his head, Computer uttered out a small, “God, I am so tired.” before trudging on after Courage. He could feel His claws digging into his back, but there was no point in trying to remove them.

He could not even bother to try and hide how exhausted he was. He just didn't have it in him to fight it anymore, and much to his displeasure, he knew that Courage would notice soon enough, and...feeling pity for him, would no doubt start to badger him about it.

“You can't hide the truth from him forever.” His shadow giggled. “How will he react when he finds out that you've gone completely insane? Just how far does his pity for you extend, I wonder? You're going to lose even this hollow excuse for a friendship! How amusing!” His voice then slowed to a near growl. “Of course, the bigger question is, what will he do when he realizes that I am very much real? How will he react when he finds out that you did nothing to stop me from infecting him?”

“None of it matters anymore.” Computer muttered out just quiet enough that Courage would not hear him.

He clamored up onto his bed, taking notice of how weak and shaky his muscles felt. The combination of a lack of sleep and hunger was really starting to take it's toll on him, and yet he could not muster up the will to care.

“You're going to do whatever you're going to do and Courage is going to react in whatever way he is going to react, and I will not be able to change a thing. You're the one who's always saying I'm helpless. So, fine then. I'm helpless.”

He could sense His toothy grin widening. “Now you're finally getting it!”

“I just...” He weakly sighed, sliding the pillow over his head. “...I just want this nightmare to be over with.”

A hand as icy cold as the water in the pool outside gently touched his back, almost as if the monster looming over him was trying to comfort him.

“Lucky for us, this nightmare is only just beginning!”

End Of Chapter


	71. Pity

Chapter 71: Pity

Courage spent the rest of the day mostly laying about, as he was supposed to be doing. He napped, he played around with George, and did very little else. It was pretty boring, and knowing that he'd have to spend the entire day like this tomorrow didn't help either. Well, at least after that they could finally pick up Computer's glasses and finish their journey to the mountain.

The sun was going down. The last rays of light were streaming in through the window. Courage watched with mild boredom. Even having a phone that could do practically anything wasn't enough to keep him occupied, it seemed.

He glanced over at Computer. His friend still wasn't doing very well. Computer had spent several hours with his head under his pillow, and Courage had hoped that he had finally gotten some sleep while doing so, but that was no to be. When his friend finally sat up again, his tired face looked no different from before and the shadows under his eyes had only deepened.

Courage had asked him at the time if he was feeling any better, and his grumpy companion had snapped back at him to 'mind his own business'.

Courage had grinned at that and said, “I guess you're already back to your grumpy old self. It only took me coughing up blood to get you to lighten up. Do I need to see if I can make it happen again?”

Computer had looked at him with the most unamused expression imaginable. His tired eyes had only helped to make him look even more annoyed.

“For someone who seemed so traumatized before, are you really making jokes about what happened? Weren't you the one who thought you were dying?”

Admittedly, Courage had not had a comeback for that. Yes, he had been making light of this morning's horrifying experience, but he'd rather do that than think about how scary it had been. The thought of it happening again terrified him, yes, but joking about it did make him feel a little better.

Thankfully, Computer had been far too tired to badger him about it more and instead offered to go get food.

“Only if you get something for yourself, Compute.”

His friend had rolled his eyes at that and left without another world. He eventually returned with dinner for Courage, but nothing for himself, of course.

Things didn't get much better after that. Instead of keeping his head under his pillow, Computer had instead taken to staring up at the TV like the night before. He looked so out of it that if Courage had tried to push him over, he was certain that his friend would have toppled over as stiffly as a mannequin.

Even now he was still doing exactly the same thing. Just staring up at the TV with those sunken, tired eyes. Not really watching it or anything.

“Oh, Compute.” Courage muttered out, unsure of what to do about this. Something was wrong and he knew it, but Computer was being so uncooperative that he wasn't even sure where to begin. This was the worst he had seen him in ages, but how could he help if Computer wouldn't tell him anything?

“Hey,” He called out.

As expected, Computer didn't react at all.

“Computer,” He went on, raising his voice a little more. Not out of anger or anything, but he figured this was the only way he'd be able to get his friend's attention.

“Come on, Compute! Snap out of it!”

That did the trick.

“Oh, what?”

The glowing dog looked his way.

“Seriously, Compute. What's wrong with you? You...you keep zoning out like that, and you're obviously not getting enough sleep either. This is the worst I've seen you since...” He trailed off, knowing that Computer would get the point.

“Nothing is wrong, dog.” He uttered out, his voice nearly monotone.

“You know you're a bad liar, Compute.”

“Just...just let me be.” He sighed, running a paw down his face. “Stop worrying about me so much.”

“That's like telling me not to wag my tail when I'm happy! You're too important to me to stop worrying about you! Especially when you're not doing well like this.”

Computer grimaced. “I don't need you to worry about me, dog! Besides, you assign far too much importance to the likes of me! You only care because-” He stopped himself, his eyes widening for a moment. Clearly he had said more than he meant to.

“I only care because why, Compute?”

He hoped beyond hope that maybe he could get somewhere with him now. This slip up might give him the opening he needed. If he could just get Computer to talk...

His friend looked away with an annoyed scowl on his face.

“Never mind, dog.” He muttered out under his breath.

“No really, tell me. If you've got a problem with me then just say it. I'm really worried about you, and if you're angry with me then let's just get that out of the way first.”

Computer turned around completely until all Courage could see was his back.

“C'mon, Compute. Let's talk this out. I know I've slipped up a few times and treated you badly ever since we got here, but I want to make it up to you. I'm so worried that something might seriously be wrong. I feel so awful when you have trouble sleeping, and I know what your nightmares are like, so-”

“Stop it! Just stop!” Computer suddenly yelled, flipping back around surprisingly fast. His tired eyes were ablaze with anger. “Stop feeling sorry for me!”

“Don't ask me to stop worrying about you.” Courage replied, his voice sounding small in the face of Computer's anger.

His friend placed both of his paws onto his head, squeezing his eyes shut as though in pain before snapping them back open again and yelling, “STOP PITYING ME!”

Silence briefly filled the room, but before Courage could figure out what to say, Computer spoke up again.

“I hate it! You have no idea how much I hate it!”

His paws were still gripping his head as though he had a horrible headache. Even with his eyes once again squeezed shut, he still looked so incredibly tired, and much to Courage's dismay, genuinely in pain.

“I hate that pity is the only reason why you're even willing to give me the time of day! You couldn't stand me before we went through everything that happened in the forest! You disliked me enough to practically punch my lights out back then, even if I more than deserved it! It...it wasn't until you found out just how bad my life had been before I ended up in that attic that you truly started to become my friend. I-I know I've never made it easy for you, and I'd be much worse off right now without your friendship, but it's obvious that you care about me only because you feel sorry for me. I...I don't want pity to be the only reason why you're my friend in the first place.” He sounded so sad, and above all else, so incredibly defeated.

Courage could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute as he tried to put his thoughts together, to somehow form them into words. How could he ever find the right words to express to Computer just how deeply he cared for him? How could he ever make him understand how he felt when even he was not sure how to describe it? His feelings didn't come from mere pity. He enjoyed everything about Computer, even when dealing with him at his worst. He was more than willing to endure the bad knowing that there was so much good to his dearest friend. How could he ever sum that up into a single speech?

“Compute, I-” He stumbled blindly over his own words. “I-I can't deny that I do feel bad for all of the horrible things that happened to you, but...but that's not the only reason why I-” He suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He mentally kicked himself for letting his mind go blank at a time like this. “Y-you're my best friend and...and-”

He continued to gape like a complete idiot. His stupid, stumbling attempts at speech only seemed to sadden Computer more. It was his inability to find the right words that really spoke to Computer far more than the few bumbling words he was managing to get out. His friend genuinely looked like he was nearly on the verge of tears, much to Courage's own horror.

H-hey,” He stammered. “I-I want y-you to understand that-”

There was nothing that he could say now that would fix this. Computer turned away, somehow looking even more defeated than ever before. He slowly laid his head back down onto the pillow with his back facing Courage.

Courage let out a weak sigh. “Pity isn't the reason why I put up with you, a-and I don't just put up with you either! I-I don't put up with you at all, Compute! You're my best friend, and I'm happy that you're here with me! I don't just keep you around because I feel sorry for you, or because you're the only one who can help me. You're-”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“...You don't know how much I care about you, Compute.” He softly added. His words almost seemed to hang in the air.

Finally, Computer began to speak once more, although this time he did not bother turning back over to face Courage again. “If I hadn't told you everything back in the forest, we wouldn't even be friends right now. I know that for a fact.”

He sounded...crushed. Courage had never thought that someone else's sadness could make him feel like he was almost experiencing physical pain himself, but Computer's sadness was doing just that to him. His chest hurt so bad. It wasn't like an attack but...but something else.

Out of desperation he tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “I'm pretty sure that somewhere along this crazy journey of ours, we would have eventually become friends. I'm betting it would have been around the time Jenna was chasing you all over the swamp.”

“...I doubt we would have even gotten stuck in that swamp if I hadn't delayed our trip by running off into the forest.”

“So?” Courage countered. “We never would have met Nina then either, and...and you'd probably be dead by now because your system would have given out. We're not exactly close to your body at the moment, are we? You shouldn't dwell on what might or might not have happened if we had made different choices back then. I mean, if I hadn't punched you in the forest, who's to say the Fear Eater might not have ever found us? There's no point in worrying about it. I'm sure we would have become friends at some point. In the end, I need you to understand that I don't just pity you, and that's not the only reason why I'm your friend either. Please don't let it bother you anymore, okay?”

“I guess...I guess you're right.” He finally agreed. “I'm sorry for freaking out like that. I'm just...tired.”

While he did sound considerably less sad, he still was very clearly exhausted. Courage gave him a gentle smile, even though his back was still turned to him.

“Promise me you'll get some rest?” He asked.

His dear friend gave a rather annoyed grunt in response.

“Well, if you're not going to sleep then maybe we should do something together! It'll help pass the time, and you have no idea how bored I am right now!”

Computer did not respond.

“How about we play a game on George? I'm sure there's one of those 'app' things that we can both play! Oh! How about we both take some selfies! I guess that's what they call pictures that you take of yourself nowadays! There's even this thing that let's you change the way your picture looks!”

“Oh, god. Stop!” Computer groaned. “George has modernized you, hasn't he?”

“We could watch a movie, or a show! There's this really cool thing called 'streaming', and I've never seen so many shows in one place! It's way better than the few channels that TV gets!”

“Uuugghhh,” Computer groaned, rolling onto his back. “I never want to hear the word 'selfie' come out of your mouth ever again.”

Courage jumped from his bed onto Computer's. “We're going to watch a movie!” He announced.

Computer rolled back over in response.

“Hey, if you're not going to sleep then we're going to have some fun!” Courage demanded with a laugh.

Grabbing his friend's arm, he forced him to sit up. Computer barely reacted and just let Courage do what he wanted. Settling down with his back against the wall, Courage wrapped an arm around Computer's middle and pulled him closer until they were nearly cheek to cheek.

“Alright! Movie! What do you want to watch?” He asked his tired friend.

“I really don't care.” Computer muttered out in reply.

“Okay, okay! I'll pick! But there's no way you're going to like any movie that I choose!”

He flicked through a huge selection of movies, nearly overwhelmed by all of the options he had. When he made his selection, he was a little surprised that Computer didn't complain. It was an animated movie, and he was certain that Computer didn't want to watch 'kid stuff'. Instead, he just stared down at George's screen with tired, half lidded eyes. There was not a single protest from him.

An hour passed while they watched the movie. Courage found it engrossing enough, although he was wishing he had grabbed a snack ahead of time. Obviously he didn't want to leave Computer's side at this point.

Speaking of Computer, Courage couldn't help but notice that he was slowly starting to lean more and more heavily onto him with every moment that passed. By the time the movie was over, it was clear that he had fallen fast asleep.

“Thank goodness.” Courage breathed. He did not dare move an inch, lest he accidentally wake him up as he would no doubt find it impossible to fall back asleep again.

With little else to do, Courage started up another movie. George's battery was nearly empty though, so he'd soon have to call it a night too.

He sighed contently. It felt good to know that Computer was comfortable enough to at least get a little sleep right now. He enjoyed being able to bring him comfort. Honestly? He liked spending time with him either way. It filled him with such happiness just to have Computer sitting with him right now.

It was so hard for him to describe. He would never be able to put his feelings into words, much less convey those feelings to Computer. He barely understood them himself. This was so very different from the way he felt about Muriel, who he still cared dearly for regardless. He wanted Computer to understand, to never have to doubt again, but...

“What do I tell him?” Courage wondered, his voice a soft whisper.

Everything involving Computer seemed to be so complicated. Not that it bothered him much, but still. He had never experienced something like this before. He'd never had a friend like this before, and there was nobody he had ever been this close to before either. Most of his life had been spent being the faithful pet to Muriel and Eustace, even if Eustace would never consider him such a thing. For so long he had felt like he never needed anything more than Muriel's love. She was, in many ways, a surrogate, aloof, yet still loving mother to him. She had taken care of him, saved his life, and he wished to pay her back for it in the only way a loyal dog could. Nothing was more important to him than her safety, and given how often their simple life fell under attack, so much of his time with her was devoted to just that. He'd never really had time for friends, and the few he did make always seemed to leave sooner or later. Perhaps on some level he had felt like he never really needed friends anyway, not so long as he had Muriel. Computer's friendship really was challenging so much of his life that had seemingly been set in stone since the day Muriel found him in that alleyway.

Maybe it was a bit ironic that in the face of Courage's inability to keep friends around, Computer was the one who had always been there for him. Perhaps it was inevitable that an event like his illness would have eventually drawn them together. Now he had a friend who would not leave like all the others, and who could even help him keep Muriel safe. If only he could figure out a way to express how happy he was that their shaky, almost antagonistic 'partnership', if it could even be called that, had blossomed into this. Never in a million years would he have expected it to happen and yet here they were.

His feelings toward Computer were complex and complicated, yet none of it was negative. Sure, Computer could still grind on his nerves at times, but that was to be expected. There was no doubt that he could get on Computer's nerves just as much, if not more!

The thought of it made him grin, and he felt his friend shift around slightly. Unfortunately, it seemed that his glowing companion was getting more restless. He waited a moment, practically holding his breath, worried that Computer would wake. Thankfully, his friend grew still once more.

He let out his breath in a barely audible sigh. His mind continued to go around in circles as he tried to figure out his own feelings. George's screen soon went dark, signaling that it was time for him to call it a night, and yet his thoughts were keeping him from getting sleepy.

'Love' was the word that was stuck in his mind. Of course he loved his grumpy companion as much as he loved the rest of his immediate family, but not even that seemed like the right way to put it. He had never felt this way about anyone else before. It could not be compared to any other person he cared about, no matter how much he tried. He was attributing the wrong sort of love to this, wasn't he?

And just like that, an epiphany struck him and nearly everything seemed to fall into place.

...Was this romantic love? He...he wasn't sure. He had never been in love before, obviously, and-

He slowly glanced over at his dear friend, still fast asleep with his head against his shoulder. Was this actual, romantic love that he felt? The thought of it honestly didn't bother him, much to his surprise. Although, he was suddenly feeling very warm and he was certain that his cheeks had gone red.

While such a possibility might have bothered him before everything he and Computer had gone through together, now it didn't seem like such an odd thing to consider. He still wasn't entirely sure what his feelings were, but the conclusion he had come to was becoming more and more likely. Of course, regardless of the fact that he wasn't bothered by the possibility that he might have fallen in love with the most unlikely person on the planet, there was one other problem to consider...

While Computer was a very different person from who he had been when they first set out on this journey, well....

Courage could not see any confession of love going over well with him. It would be a complete and utter disaster, and he seriously doubted that Computer would ever accept such a thing. Sure, he had been interested in 'falling in love' for a little while, but it had taken him some time to grasp the full gravity of what such a thing meant and now he no longer seemed to think that it was something for him. Courage could already see the look of sheer horror on his face, if he ever tried to break the news to him. He would probably turn it into a big joke, or mock him for it, or possibly he'd take it far worse and their friendship would be irreparably damaged. Everything between them would change and probably for the worst too.

“It doesn't matter.” Courage breathed, turning his head up toward the ceiling. “I don't have to say anything.”

He didn't have to confess his feelings. He wasn't even really sure if he was in love to begin with, and if he was, he could still show Computer love and kindness without letting the cat out of the bag.

Finally, now that he had been given some peace of mind, he was starting to feel drowsy. Still staring up at the ceiling with his head resting against the wall, he closed his eyes.

Love...

The word swam through his mind, and the more he thought about it, the less awkward it made him feel. Being in love wasn't something that should make him worry! He should be happy regardless of circumstances! And who better than Computer!

A small smile formed on his lips. He felt warm, and indeed, happy.

He did not need to confess anything when he already enjoyed every moment with Computer, and he did not need to confess anything to still do everything he could to make Computer's future so much more happier than what had come before. There was no reason to get hung up on the small stuff. This was something new and maybe a little scary, and maybe a little awkward too, and maybe a few other things as well, but he could make it work in his own way! He did, after all, get the grumpiest, most stubborn computer alive to open up to him!

End Of Chapter


	72. The Collapse

Chapter 72: The Collapse

Just as Courage was drifting off to sleep, a slight groan from Computer suddenly had him alert once more. He opened his eyes and was forced to fight back the yawn forming in his throat.

Computer shifted around a little, and Courage remained completely still in hopes that his friend would not wake up. It wasn't to be, unfortunately. His friend suddenly lifted his head off his shoulder and then turned to look at him. Once again they were nearly nose to nose, although Computer looked far more confused than anything else, like he didn't know where he was or how he had gotten into his current position.

“Darn it.” Courage spoke up. “I was hoping you'd get at least a few more hours of sleep!”

The confusion on Computer's face immediately vanished and was instead replaced with a look of annoyance. He placed a paw to Courage's nose and pushed him away.

“Hey!” Courage laughed. “It wasn't me who fell asleep on you!”

“Ugh, I never meant to fall asleep in the first place.” His friend muttered out, rubbing his eyes.

Sadly, he did not look much better. His eyes were still sunken and tired, and his face only seemed to be growing more gaunt with every hour that passed. The sight of it left Courage far more worried than ever before. It was like he was watching his friend fall apart right in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do to halt the progress of his breakdown.

Computer gave a halfhearted shrug, no doubt noticing Courage's worry. “You should get back to sleep. I'm feeling pretty awake now anyway, so I'll just stay up. Oh, and if you don't get off my bed, I'm going to take over yours instead.”

Courage, admittedly, was too tired to argue with him right now. He could only hope that maybe by tomorrow, Computer would have recovered a little from whatever was making him so sickly.

It was as Courage was crawling over to the side of the bed to climb down that he noticed Computer glancing over his shoulder several times in somewhat rapid succession, as if he were expecting something to be behind him.

“Compute?” Courage couldn't help but ask. “Is something wrong?”

Computer's expression briefly became worried, as though he feared Courage having figured something out, but once it was clear that wasn't the case, he relaxed a little.

“It's nothing. I just...I just thought I heard something.”

He was lying. It was plainly obvious.

He glanced over his shoulder one last time. “It must be somebody in the room over making noise.”

Courage listened closely, but he couldn't hear even the slightest sound. Regardless, he decided to accept Computer's answer.

Climbing up into his bed, he let out a huge yawn. “Oh, yeah.” He said at the end of his yawn. “Can you plug George in? Her battery ran out after we watched that movie.”

There was no response from Computer.

“Compute?” He called.

His glowing companion was staring intently at the wall.

“Computer.” He repeated.

“Oh, uh, right. I'll do that.” Computer finally replied rather absentmindedly.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yes, of course. Please get some rest, dog.”

“I should be saying that to you.” Courage huffed, flopping down onto his pillow. Pulling the covers up to his neck, it did not take him long to fall asleep.

...And it took him even less time to become acutely aware that he was dreaming.

He hated whenever this happened because nothing good ever seemed to come of it, and it had only become a more common event ever since his time in the Dreamworld.

Everything around him was bright white. It was like he was in a vast, white abyss. Computer stood before him with his back turned. The sight of it made Courage's stomach tie up into a knot. After all of the dreams he had been having of 'evil robot' Computer, he was now very wary about approaching him in dreams like these. For all he knew, the Computer standing before him was the same one with that horrible, robotic face.

He wanted to run, but there wasn't exactly any place to go. At least there was nobody else around for Computer to hurt like in some of the other dreams Courage was regularly having.

“Well, I might as well ask.” He spoke up to his silent companion. His voice echoed endlessly through the bright void. “Are you the Computer I know or are you the one who's going to try and rip my face off again?”

The last thing he expected was a response, so when Computer did reply, he was stunned silent.

“Just stay out of this.”

He sounded as tired as ever.

There was a strange _'drip, drip'_ sound that echoed just as endlessly through the void, and at first Courage didn't know where it was coming from. Then, with horror, he finally figured it out. Inky black splotches were forming around Computer's feet. It was coming down from somewhere above, even though there was nothing up there aside from more blinding, white light. The strange rain continued to drip down all around Computer, but never on him.

“C-Compute.” Courage stammered.

“Don't come any closer.” His friend sighed, sounding hopelessly defeated. “You'll only be hurt.”

A massive puddle of black had now formed beneath Computer's feet. The dripping soon slowed to a stop and only deafening silence followed.

Then...

There was a huge crashing sound that tore through Courage's very being as some shadowy creature burst out from the puddle. It's arms were raised, and at first Courage had mistaken them for wings because the creature's claws were so large. It wrapped those claws around Computer with ease and they both disappeared into the puddle.

“No!” Courage yelped, barely able to comprehend what he had just seen. “Computer! No, no!”

He raced forward into the puddle, ready to swim down into that unfathomable darkness to save his friend from that thing, but he was horrified to find that the puddle only went up to his knees.

“No! Computer!” He cried out, dropping both of his paws into the puddle. He searched frantically around but felt nothing aside from that horrible, cold substance.

When he tried to remove his paws from the inky darkness, he found that it stuck to them like glue or...or tar. Was this the tar creature's doing? Had it somehow been resurrected and was now looking for revenge? Try as he might, Courage could not pull his paws free.

“This isn't happening...” He whimpered. “This isn't happening! I-it's just a nightmare! I have to wake up!”

He pulled and pulled to no avail. He could not free his paws.

“Computer!” He cried out, desperate for help and fearful for his friend's safety, dream or no dream.

And then it happened again. There was a crashing sound as the shadowy creature surfaced once more and dug its claws into Courage's torso.

Up close, Courage could see its mouth filled with sharp, ashen colored teeth, along with its tattered lab coat and its eyeless sockets. Although, from one socket a pinprick of red light leered at him.

“He belongs to me!” The horrible creature boomed with a cold, hateful voice.

And with that, Courage was pulled down into the inky, black darkness. It filled his mouth and nose as he tried to gasp for air. He was suffocating!

Choking on the darkness....he pulled himself up from his pillow. His muzzle had been buried into it, thus giving him the sensation that he had been suffocating.

Through the window, he could see the first rays of dawn beginning to light up the sky. With a sigh of relief, he rolled over onto his back.

“Are you alright, dog?” He heard Computer ask, hesitantly.

Looking over at his friend, he saw that Computer's face had gone rather pale.

“Was it a nightmare?” His glowing companion continued, sounding even more hesitant.

“Y-yeah.” Courage admitted.

Computer seemed to grow even more pale. “W-what sort of nightmare?”

Courage blinked. “Why are you asking? What sort of nightmare do you think I had that's making you look so worried?”

Apparently Computer hadn't noticed that he wasn't masking his worry very well. With a startled look, he shook his head.

“It's not-” He barely managed to get out. “I'm not-”

He was at a complete loss for words.

“Compute, please. Just tell me the truth.” Courage urged.

Computer rubbed his paws together, looking genuinely fearful. He took a very brief glance over his shoulder and his fear only seemed to increase.

“You know you can trust me, Compute.” Courage gently spoke, slowly sitting up as he did so. “Are you worried that I was seeing one of your nightmares?”

Computer slowly let out a breath he must have been holding in. “Alright, alright.” He relented. “I-I have been having a lot of nightmares lately, even though-” His voice quavered. “Even though I told you I've been doing better, a-and I was, until-” He hung his head. “Look, in my nightmares lately, you've been getting hurt...a lot. I'm never able to stop it from happening and I'm always forced to watch. I-it's like how it is with the memory of my old owner. It's the same thing over and over again, and you know how it is with our nightmares ever since our trip through the Dreamworld. If you experience my nightmares, you will feel as if you really are being hurt, and I...I won't be able to stop it.”

Was this the cause of Computer's sudden decline? Courage was not sure if he was telling the whole truth about this, but that was fine. This revelation was more than enough.

“Is that what's been eating at you?” He gently asked. “Oh, Compute. It's okay. I haven't been experiencing any of your nightmares, and even if I did, it still wouldn't be your fault.”

Computer squeezed his eyes shut. “I told you I was doing better. I made you think that I was finally recovering from...from _everything_! I honestly thought that I was capable of recovering! It's all come crashing right back down! It was all a lie! A joke! Nothing more than a fantasy!”

“Don't talk like that.” Courage softly replied. “It's okay if you have times like these where it all starts to weigh on you again. You haven't failed just because you've hit a bump in the road. You're still healing. Of course there's going to be times where you still struggle. That's what I'm here for, to help you get through these rockier times. But I can't do that if you keep trying to hide everything from me.”

Computer placed a paw to his forehead with his eyes still squeezed shut. “Dammit!” He choked out. “Why are you always so optimistic? I-I really don't think it's going to get better this time.”

“Of course it will. You'll get through this, Compute.”

Courage slowly slid off his bed and went over to Computer. Climbing up the bed, he grabbed both of his friend's paws with a smile.

“I know it's early, but let's go find some breakfast. I think we could both use the fresh air.”

In spite of Courage's encouragement, Computer looked onward with dull, sad eyes. Even now he seemed to radiate tiredness.

“Come on, pal! You can't fight the allure of fresh coffee forever!”

He pulled his friend down from the bed and gave him an encouraging nuzzle. He kept his paws clasped over Computer's as he practically dragged him to the door. The machine wasn't fighting him, he just didn't seem to have the will to walk.

“We'll go to that place across the street. A short walk like that shouldn't aggravate my illness.”

As he opened the door, he caught sight of Computer once again glancing over his shoulder. This new habit of his was starting to become a bit concerning...

…...

“C'mon, Compute. You gotta eat something.”

Courage's plate sat empty while Computer's remained untouched. They were sitting at a table and were the only ones eating breakfast at this hour. Computer had a paw pressed up against his cheek. It was the only thing keeping his head held up. He was staring dully down at his food. Even the cup of coffee had been left untouched.

“Look, I'm sorry that I've made you feel like you need to do this. I promise I won't bother you about it anymore if you'll just start eating again.”

“I'm not hungry.” Computer mumbled out.

Courage's forehead hit the table with a thump.

“Ugh...fine. Well, at least tomorrow's the big day.” He sighed, letting his chin rest on the table.

“Big day?” Computer asked absentmindedly.

“Your glasses, remember? The whole reason why we're here! How could you forget about that?”

“Oh, right. Uh-” He apparently could not think up an excuse for why he had forgotten something so obvious.

“Well, if you're not going to eat then let's just get out of here.” Courage muttered out, his disappointment at being unable to get Computer to start eating again completely apparent. His friend seemed to briefly consider it, but then lightly shook his head and hopped down from the chair.

Back at the motel, Courage returned to his bed. He was left wondering what to do for the rest of the day. He glanced over at Computer, who still did not look any better.

“You wanna do something?” He asked, although what he really wanted to say was 'try to get a little more sleep', but he knew it was a hopeless effort to press him about it.

Computer shook his head. “I'm good.” He answered without the slightest bit of enthusiasm.

Courage wracked his brain trying to come up with something he could do with Computer. Anything to try and help him feel a little better. He doubted that the movie thing would work again so he needed to figure something else out.

“Oh, hey, I've got an idea!” He announced to his friend. “We should start looking for a name for you again!”

“It doesn't matter.” Computer tiredly replied.

“Of course it does!” Courage pushed back in that ever friendly way of his.

From their bag he pulled out the book Computer had bought back at the mall that was meant to help parents figure out a name for their child. While George would have been just as useful for looking up names, it didn't feel right to let the book go unused.

“Alright, we'll, uh...start with the A's?”

Computer shook his head. “I'm really not in the mood for-”

“How about Arron? Or...did I already suggest that one at some point?”

“Dog...”

“Adrian? Alistair? Albert? Alfred? Atticus?”

“Seriously, dog.”

“C'mon! One of those names has to be pretentious enough for you to like!”

“Just stop.” Computer groaned, rubbing his eyes. “If we're going to worry about names then we should be trying to figure out what my old owner's name was instead!”

Courage's ears drooped at Computer's outburst. “You don't have to worry about-”

“I can't remember no matter how hard I try, but I'm certain I knew it at some point! I must have heard him or someone else say it somewhere! I was with him long enough! Something must have been changed! It can't be a forgotten memory because if what Zeta said was true, I can never forget anything permanently! It's got to be the same reason why I can't say His name! He must have done something to me so I can't think of my old owner's name!”

Computer seemed to collapse in upon himself in his despair. “He might have even made it so I can't recognize his name no matter what. We could go through that whole book and even if we found his name, I wouldn't recognize it as his.”

He did that thing again where he glanced over his shoulder, this time with a rather hateful yet still sorrowful look.

“Compute,” Courage weakly uttered out. “I think...I think you shouldn't worry about it. If your programming was messed with to make it impossible for you to recognize his name, then that's fine. It is what it is, and maybe someday we can fix that, but for now it isn't something you should worry about or blame yourself for. Besides, don't you think he'd want you to have your own name? We should focus on that more than anything else. That jerk, 'Him', he tried to deny your personhood, so what better way is there to get back at him than to give yourself a name? He was the one who denied himself his personhood by making his name something nobody will ever hear again.”

Computer gave a soft, sad chuckle. “If only it were that simple.”

“It's true though.”

“I will humor you then, I suppose. Fine, keep listing off names and I will see if I like any.”

Courage grinned. “You know, there are a few of those 'A' names that I think would fit you really well! I kinda like-”

“Hey,” Computer interrupted. “I thought this was my choice to make and not yours?”

“I'm just throwing out a suggestion!” Courage laughed, and this had to be the most lighthearted moment between them in ages. That small smile on Computer's face was something Courage was so very happy to see, but it didn't look right with his haggard posture and tired, shadowed eyes.

….....

An hour of name suggestions still didn't lead to Computer finding a name that he liked. None of them seemed to fit him, or at least that was how he felt because there were several that Courage thought suited him just fine.

The quest to find Computer a name continued after a brief lunch that Courage went out and grabbed by himself. Just another meal from that place across the street. They then spent all afternoon looking through that book, still to no avail.

“Maybe I'm just not meant to have a name.” Computer sighed while rubbing his eyes.

The tired eye rubbing was starting to become a near constant habit of his.

“Of course there's a name for you, you're just being picky!”

“It has to fit!” He argued. “And all of these stupid human names just don't sound right!”

“How about we find a dog name for you instead?”

“Absolutely not! I will gladly go unnamed long before I let anyone call me Spike or Fido!”

“Then stop being so picky!”

“But it has to fit!”

And their argument continued long into the night as Courage continued flicking through the book and giving Computer even more suggestions.

“Maybe you need a computery name like Zeta.” He sighed, turning to yet another page. They had reached the 'P's.

“That's just a letter in the Greek alphabet, there's nothing really, ugh, 'computery' about it.”

“How about something like Omega?”

“What am I? A cartoon super villain? No thanks!”

The 'P' names quickly gave way to the 'Q' section, but there weren't exactly a ton of names starting with 'Q'. It was around that time when something started to happen, something that Courage was very glad to see. He watched with hopeful eyes as Computer slowly leaned back until he was leaning against the wall and his eyes began to repeatedly droop as he fought to stay awake.

Courage wanted nothing more than for Computer to get some sleep, so he continued suggesting names in a much softer and slower voice. Computer's replies were become more and more tired until he was barely uttering out small 'no's to each one. Courage watched all the more eagerly as Computer's eyes shut one last time and he did not respond to the name Courage all but whispered out.

“Yes!” Courage exclaimed as quietly as he could manage. Maybe, just maybe, Computer would get a full night's sleep this time.

Feeling somewhat accomplished, he closed the book and placed it back into the bag. He then settled down under his covers, ready for a 'worry free' night. Hopefully this was the start of Computer finally feeling better again. Nothing was more important to Courage than that. If he could just get him to start eating again too, then maybe everything would be alright.

….When he woke up, it was with a feeling of dread that he could not quite place. Perhaps it had been another nightmare. Had he somehow forgotten it? That would explain why he felt so on edge. It was making him panicky, and not knowing the reason why only made it all the more unpleasant.

He sat up, his eyes fearfully darting from one end of the room to the other. Every shadow now felt large and imposing, like any one of them could be that thing from his-

Computer suddenly began to thrash about, causing Courage to jump in terror. Realizing what was going on, he forced himself to calm down. It was only Computer, not some nightmarish monster. But it being Computer wasn't much of an improvement. His friend continued to thrash about, weakly muttering out unintelligible things in his sleep. Courage stared, unsure of what to do. He so badly wanted Computer to get some sleep, but how could he leave him to suffer through whatever nightmare he was having?

He shook his head. “I've got to wake him up! I can't just leave him like this no matter how badly he needs the sleep!”

He jumped from his bed onto Computer's and grabbed his friend by the shoulders.

“Hey, Compute! Wake up!” He called, lightly shaking him.

Computer continued to mutter incoherently to himself, his head swaying this way and that.

“Computer, come on!”

He shook him a little harder, but his friend did not wake.

“Computer!”

Fear filled him, fear that something had gone wrong and Computer wasn't going to wake up. He shook him even harder.

“No,” Computer breathed. It was the first coherent word he had spoken. “No, no!”

“Please, wake up!” Courage cried out.

“Stop! Stop! Leave him alone!” Computer softly begged to no one, still trapped in whatever nightmare had him. “I'm sorry! I can't stop it! I can't! I can't do anything! I'm so sorry!”

Courage gave one last hard, desperate shake and Computer's eyes shot open.

“Wha-huh? Oh, Courage.” His voice was dull and utterly monotone. Somehow he looked even more tired despite the few hours of sleep he had managed to get.

“A-are you okay?” Courage asked, still fighting back panic. “Y-you sounded so scared a-and I couldn't wake you up.”

“I guess the cat's fully out of the bag now, huh?” Computer sighed, gripping a paw against the side of his head as though he had a headache. “Look, i-it's not as bad as it seems, okay? It's just my typical night-”

Courage stopped him in his tracks by wrapping his arms around him in a crushing hug.

“It sounded horrible.” He whimpered. “Please, tell me what's going on with your nightmares so I can help you with it. We'll get through this together, okay? I don't want you to have to keep suffering like this anymore. No more keeping it to yourself.”

“Courage, you don't understand.” Computer replied, sounding as defeated as ever.

Courage pulled away and gave his friend as warm of a smile as he could manage. “Then help me understand.”

“I can't!” He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. “And you ' _shouldn't'_ understand! It's safer if you don't-”

What Courage did next was almost an unconscious action. He gently placed his paw up against the side of Computer's muzzle.

“Compute, just-”

His friend's eyes widened, horrified, and he slapped the paw away with such force that even he was shocked by his own forcefulness.

“S-sorry.” He quickly stammered out. “D-don't...don't do that again.” He meekly added.

And just like that he seemed to sink into himself all over again with one of his paws half raised toward his muzzle where Courage had touched it.

“No, I-I'm the one who's sorry.” Courage quickly amended. “I overstepped, didn't I?”

Computer was silent for a moment, his eyes seeming to look somewhere far onward. Then, finally he returned to himself and let out a weak sigh.

“It's...not that big of a deal.” He muttered out miserably. “It's just that, back in the Dreamworld, while we were separated, or, well, while one part of me was separated from you.” He stopped for a moment. It was clear that he was having a difficult time talking about this.

“While that one part of me was away from you, I ended up with this dream version of my old owner. You remember stumbling upon the aftermath of that, right?”

“Of course.” Courage replied, swallowing nervously. “It was horrible, and it felt like I almost lost you a second time when I found you there practically going insane with grief.”

“Well, when he was still alive in that dream, and I spent time with him as a dog, he would-” Computer finally touched his paw to his muzzle. “do the same thing. He...he did it right before he died too, died for what felt like the millionth time after watching it happen so many times.”

“I-I'm sorry, I didn't-”

“Don't apologize, you were just trying to help. It's not your fault that such a gesture is linked in my train wreck of a mind with him dying all over again.”

Courage shook his head. “I'm not going to do it again, no matter what.”

“Perhaps that's for the best.” Computer grimly agreed. “But thank you for caring enough to-” He stopped, suddenly looking completely taken aback that any of this had happened in the first place.

He shook his head as though he were trying to clear it. “Forgetting about my nightmare for a moment, I've just had a thought. If you had to guess, what do you think the name of my old owner was?”

Courage blinked, surprised to have been asked a question like that. “Don't think you can keep changing the subject forever!” He lightly joked.

Computer responded with a small but genuine smile. “I certainly can try, now can't I? But really, I'm curious to find out what you think his name would be.”

“Hmmm,” Courage placed a finger to his chin.

He considered a few names, all of them having originated from the book after spending hours reading them off. What could the name of Computer's old owner be? If only he could give Computer the answer he so badly wanted....

As if his wish was being granted, one name above all others began to push its way into his mind. For some reason, he felt like it was the right one.

“I think his name was Owen.”

Computer gave him a startled look.

“Wha-” He gasped. “But-”

“But, what?” Courage asked.”D-did I actually get it right?”

“H-how? _How?_ ” Computer stumbled over his own words. “T-that's it! That has to be it! I'm certain of it, but...how? How could you have ever figure that out in one shot?”

“Are you sure?” Courage pressed. “After we changed some of your programming, do you think maybe we messed something up and whatever it is that's making it so you can't remember his name might just be glitching and making you think that name is the right one?”

“I-I don't know. I can remember it clearly now though. When Owen first introduced himself to me, after he realized I could talk, that's when I first found out his name.”

“This is crazy, but it's amazing too!” Courage laughed. “I can't believe I figured it out on my first try! Even if this is just a glitch, Owen is a good enough name, don't you think?”

“Y-yeah, but I hope it isn't a glitch. I don't want my memories to be wrong. Maybe it's because of what we did to fix my programming that whatever block He put in place has started to weaken. Perhaps I just needed the right push to remember Owen's name. It's a little surprising that you got it right, but-”

“Don't flatter yourself.” A cold voice spoke.

Courage gasped.

“You only remember because I want you to remember.”

“C-Computer, that voice-” Courage stammered out fearfully.

Computer's eyes widened. “Wait, you can hear him?”

“T-that voice, i-in my dream, I-”

Courage glanced from one shadow to the next, expecting each and every one of them to be that thing from his nightmare. At first, everything seemed normal, but when his eyes fell upon Computer once more...there it was, looming over his friend with clawed hands digging into his shoulders.

Courage screamed and nearly toppled backwards off the bed, but he managed to catch himself in time as the overwhelming desire to get Computer as far away from that thing as possible took hold.

“Computer! We have to get out of here!” He cried out, lunging forward and grabbing his friend's paw. He flinched, expecting that thing to attack, but it did not.

Computer just stared at him, completely stunned.

“I-I knew something was up.” He then weakly uttered out. “There was no way you could figure out Owen's name so easily.”

“Compute, I saw that thing in my nightmare last night! We have to get out of here before it-” His voice faltered as he remembered that thing pulling Computer down into the darkness. He would not let that happen again!

Yet no matter how hard he yanked, Computer would not budge. He was not sure if it was Computer himself who would not move or if it was that thing's grip on him.

“I'm still dreaming, aren't I? ” Computer asked, looking a million miles away once more. “I-I knew it, that's why you can see Him, and now He's going to-”

“C-Computer, I don't know what that thing is, but I can promise you that you aren't dreaming! That thing is real, and it is right behind you, and I need to get out of here before it can hurt you!”

Computer yanked his paw free of Courage's grip and wrapped his arms around himself. “You don't understand! You don't understand anything! There's no point in running! Nightmare or not, He's always with me! Wherever we might run, He will follow! Y-you don't understand a single thing! He's not going to hurt me, he's going to hurt you! He always hurts you and there's nothing I can do to stop it! I can't fight Him anymore! I'm just too tired, too worn down, too-”

“Broken.” The creature hissed gleefully. It dug its claws deeper into Computer's shoulders, making him wince in pain, and yet he continued to just sit there.

“How shall we go about this for the last time, my broken little machine? Shall I flay him alive? Cut him to pieces bit by bit? Or should I get a little more creative?”

Never so badly did Courage want to run away more than he did now, hearing that thing talk about how it was going to kill him, but he could not leave Computer behind. No matter what happened, he would not leave Computer to the whims of this horrifying shadow.

“Look at how scared he is!” The creature laughed, shoving a claw under Computer's chin and forcing him to look up. “He wants to run away so badly and yet he's devoted to a pathetic, broken machine who isn't even willing to fight for him anymore! You deserve to watch every second of his death! And while you can try to deny it as much as you like, you are very much awake for once!”

“No, no!” Computer cried out. Something inside of him seemed to break completely. “This isn't real! This isn't real!” He shut his eyes and gripped his ears as though he could block everything out.

“You are very much insane, and you know it! This is reality! This is your reality now and forever more!”

“Computer!” Courage yelled, desperate to somehow stop this, even if it meant his own death. He grabbed Computer's arms and tried to pull him away from that creature once more. “You've got to pull it together! The door is right over there! We can run and we can fight if it tries to follow us! This isn't over! You can't give up!”

His paws suddenly felt like they were burning and he pulled them away to find that they were stained with dark ink, like the stuff that had been in his nightmare. This time it stung like acid. He yelped and rubbed his paws clean on the covers.

Computer watched, horrified, then looked down at his own paws even though there was no hint of the ink-like substance anywhere on his body.

He looked back up at Courage, fearful.

“Corrupting him.” The creature sang mockingly.

“C-Compute, it's not...this isn't-”

Computer shook his head regretfully, and finally, with one great heave, he pulled himself free from the creature's claws. He jumped from the bed, avoiding Courage's attempt to grab on to him, and made a beeline for the bathroom.

Courage turned to the creature, terrified that it would attack, but instead he watched as it simply faded into the darkness of the room, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion the whole time. Even the ink stains on the covers had vanished.

“Computer.” Courage breathed, taking off after him.

Much to his surprise, the bathroom door wasn't locked. He walked in to find Computer standing there with his back facing him, like in so many of his previous nightmares. He was afraid to approach due to one simple thought.

What if this was a nightmare of his own creation that he simply hadn't woken up from?

No, he couldn't let his fear get the better of him now. He needed to be there for Computer, especially after all that.

“Compute,” He spoke up, inching closer.

He placed a paw on his friend's shoulder and thankfully he was not left burning from the contact this time.

“Compute, it's okay. Everything is-”

“Leave me alone!” Computer cried out. “Just...j-just...LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The bathroom was plunged into near darkness, leaving only Computer's glow as several wires burst forth from the walls....and wrapped themselves around Courage's neck, cutting off his air supply and hoisting him into the air....

End Of Chapter


	73. Reality

Chapter 73: Reality

“Hahaha! Yes! Run! Run! See what good it does you! You cannot escape from the truth!”

Computer slammed the bathroom door behind him. He then reached for the lock, but his paw was trembling so hard that he could not get a good grip on it. Finally, he managed to get the door locked, but it was not enough to stop His voice, which boomed heavily in his ears.

“You abandoned him to me!” The creature laughed. “How could you? And here I thought you cared about him!”

Computer griped his ears, even though it did nothing to block the voice out. “Stop it! Just Stop!” He begged, even though he knew that begging would do him no good.

His whole body went ridge with fear as the sound of Courage's distinct yet slightly muffled screaming reached his ears.

“No, no, no, no, no, no!” He repeated over and over again, wrapping his arms around himself. “It's not real! It's not real! This is just another nightmare! I'll wake up just like all the other times! I have to! I have to!”

He winced as a cold, clawed hand touched his shoulder.

“How many times must I tell you? You are very much awake! Your little friend is dying out there and you abandoned him to his fate! You're letting him die, just like how you let dear, departed Owen die as well!”

“Leave me alone!” Computer cried out.

In an act of desperation, he reached for his power, and he was surprised to find that he could indeed activate it. Another sign that this was real life.

“Just...j-just...LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The room went dark as the wiring in the walls ripped themselves free at his command. The only thing that surprised him more than the fact that his power was working was that he felt the wires actually wrap around His neck. He had expected them to phase through the phantom creature, given how futile his other attacks upon Him had been.

A wide grin split out across his face and he couldn't stop himself from laughing as he tightened the wires around his tormentor's neck. “Die! Die! Just die!” He laughed, his voice filled with desperation and hatred.

...He felt and heard His neck snap.

“Ha! Hahaha! I can't believe it! I can't believe it! It actually worked!” He began to turn around. “You bastard! How does it feel to have-”

His strained voice was immediately rendered mute when his eyes fell upon...

His paws flew up to his mouth, all while His laughter consumed his mind.

Courage...it was Courage hanging limp in the air, with the wires wrapped so tightly around his snapped neck that it looked like it was the only thing keeping his head connected to the rest of his body.

Computer didn't even need to release his control over the wires. The sheer horror of what lay before him was enough to break his concentration and the wires fell limp to the floor, taking Courage with them.

Computer stumbled backwards, he too hitting the floor.

“What have you done?” His own insanity asked with near child-like glee.

Computer continued to crawl backwards until his back touched the cold bathtub. His eyes never once left the unmoving shape that was Courage. He could see it all clearly. Everything was perfectly clear now. The fog had been lifted from his damaged eyes.

“What an unexpected end to this beautiful tragedy! Who would have thought that you'd be the one to kill him? I must admit, I'm rather jealous! Not even I could have come up with such a sorry end for such a loyal, little dog! He trusted you down to his very last gasp for breath!”

Computer squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he opened them again he'd be back in his bed and Courage would be there, alive and uninjured.

“Try all you like, but you can't change reality!” The creature laughed.

Complete and utter hopelessness filled Computer as he opened his eyes once more to the unchanged scene that lay before him.

“Courage,” He weakly uttered out.

“Now it's just you and me.” The voice whispered menacingly into his ear. “Just like old times...”

Computer shook his head, his eyes still entirely focused on Courage. He was desperate for some hint that Courage was okay. A twitch, a tiny breath, _something_.

“You deserve this fate, murder.”

Before he even knew what he was doing, Computer was on his feet and bolting out of the bathroom. Away from Courage, away from the mess of wires and that lingering phantom sound of a neck snapping. Out into the cold night air he went, where his vision instantly faded back to the blurry world of his damaged eyes. Using the security cameras all around him was pointless. The shadowy figure of Him was in every one, either watching him, looking up at the camera, or in a few cases, His face blocking the entire camera view.

“Run! Run!” He giggled as gleefully as ever. “Where will you go? You don't belong anywhere! I will simply have to scoop you up and make you my pet, like the stray mutt that you are!”

A million desperate, hopeless thoughts were speeding through Computer's brain, even as the terrifying words of his shadow hit him. He felt as though his mind were two seconds away from burning out, and perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

“He can't be dead! He can't be! Courage!” He gasped out. The cold air was burning his lungs as he inevitably began to tire.

Everywhere he looked, he could see the shadowy figure. It was steadily closing in on him, and once it caught him, what would happen next?

“You already know what fate awaits you. You have always known how this will end. You are MINE!”

The shadow jumped out at him, its claws gleaming like blackened diamond.

Computer collapsed, his seemingly fathomless exhaustion having finally overwhelmed him. This was it. This was the end. The fate he had long feared had finally arrived.

“Courage,” He weakly called out, even though he knew it would do him no good. “Help me...”

The clawed hands of the creature seemed to become the world, stifling everything in its darkness, and Computer found himself falling, on and on, until even that sensation left him.....

…....

“Hey there! I'm glad I managed to run into you again!”

“What? O-Owen, is...is that you?”

“Who else? I heard you've kinda been struggling lately. Is that true?”

“I...I'm not even sure if 'struggling' would be the right word to call it. I think I'm falling apart. Completely breaking down for good this time. Burning out entirely. This has been a very long time coming, really. There's a lot of old hardware just barely keeping me together at this point. It wouldn't surprise me if something crucial has failed and I've lost grasp of reality because of it. I've gone utterly insane and my insanity looks like Him. After all, what other form could it take?”

“I'm sorry to hear that, pal, but maybe it's not as bad as you think.”

“That's a laugh. I mean, look at where I am now. You're not real either, are you?”

“Does it matter?”

There was the click of a desk lamp and the fathomless darkness gave way to meager light, revealing both Owen and his old bedroom. Computer sat atop the desk Owen had specifically bought for him all those years ago. He was no longer a dog, having somehow returned to his normal machine state. Owen was sitting there in the desk's chair with a happy smile on his face, yet his eyes betrayed sadness.

“Eh, in my current state? Perhaps not.” Computer dutifully answered his old friend. “Hmm, I wonder how much time I have left. I've always suspected that I would go insane or senile before my system gave out. I'm just glad that my memories are okay for now. At least this way I can remember Courage for the time being, and I'm glad that you're here too, even if you're probably just another phantom that my broken psyche decided to cook up.”

“Hey, come on now. Do you really think that you are nothing more than the sum of your parts?”

“Uh, yeah. Have you not noticed my crumbling system that I have to routinely put back together? If it goes, I go with it.”

“Don't you think there's more to you than that? You've got some serious spirit after all, and more determination than most people made out of flesh and blood have. I saw plenty of it during the time you were with me. You have hard-coded limits, yes, but you always work to defy them even when things seem hopeless.”

“What, are you saying that I have a soul or something and that is what allows me to defy my limits? I've been dead more than a few times already, so I assume I have something akin to a soul, but that doesn't change my current situation. No soul is going to stop me from falling apart and completely losing my mind in the process.”

“I'm just saying, for someone with so much determination, you seem to give up far too easily when it comes to the state of your own existence, unless it's for the sake of someone else.”

“Courage is-” Computer's voice quavered. “Courage is gone now. I've got nothing left to fight for. I'm ready for this to be over with. I hate that I wasn't able to save him, but I suppose He would never allow me to accomplish even one good thing with my life. I'm just...very tired. I've been tired for such a long time now. I'm ready to rest.”

Owen laughed. “Anybody can understand why you are so tired, but if you could still spend some more time with Courage, would you be willing to keep going? You've already fought your own death for his sake, can you overcome this for him too?”

“What do you mean? He's-”

“Do you really think you have it in you to kill him?”

  
“I-it was an accident! I didn't know what I was doing! His neck, it...he's-”

“Just look at it this way. Would you kill him, accidentally or otherwise, or would it benefit Him to make you think you've killed someone that you care so dearly about?”

“I-I don't know. I just don't know! It felt so real! None of this can be a nightmare! I must be losing it! Even if this is all in my head, it's still real to me! I don't know what's going on anymore, and even if Courage is still alive, he is as good as dead to me like this!”

“I think...” Owen began, hesitating for a moment. “I think he's closer than you realize, and he's probably trying to bring you back, but His claws have one heck of a grip on you. I'm sorry to say it, but nothing is more important to Him than breaking your sense of reality and making you incapable of figuring out what is real and what is not. Everything that he is comprised of wants you in this state so you'll be more likely to make a particular mistake that they want more than anything. I'm doing what I can to help you, but-”

“But, what?”

Owen lightly shook his head. “I don't know if either me or Courage can break His hold on you, and you're so worn down that I'm not sure you have it in you either. I can't blame you for it though. Nobody can expect you to keep fighting after all this time, and that's what we're here for, to help you get through this, but it's going to be difficult either way. I just need you to understand that no matter what happens, no matter what He does to you or tries to make you think, we're still fighting for you.”

“Owen, thank you.” Computer softly uttered out. “But Courage, will I be able to see him again? Will he be okay? Will it...will it even be real, or would he only come back because I want him to come back? I'm sure you're here right now only because I want you to be here. It certainly doesn't change the fact that you're-”

“I came back because you needed me. Whether this is real or not shouldn't matter in the end because these are the words you've needed to hear. Courage is out there somewhere too, and he is trying to bring you back. You are lost, but if you listen closely and let Courage guide you home one last time, you will find your way back. The bond you share with him is more real than anything He can conjure up, and it's a bond like that which let me find you here.”

“Owen, I-I don't even know if that really is your name or just another way for Him to mess with me, but I'm glad that you're here. Whether you're a ghost, or just another messed up part of my mind, or something else entirely, thank you for being here with me anyway. I feel a little more sane like this.” He laughed lightly at the thought of being sane. “And Courage, maybe he really is still alive. If it's like you say and he's out there somewhere, calling out to me, then maybe...” He trailed off.

Owen's expression grew grim. “I'm really sorry to say this, but I can't stay much longer. I'm glad that you're finally seeing the bigger picture, but-”

“What? You've got to go? A-already?”

“If I could stay, I would, but He won't allow it. Trust in Courage and you will weather this storm, old pal. He will help you overcome His phantom, and maybe he will be enough to fix the underlying cause too. That's his way, that dog. He's a friend to everybody.”

“W-what do you mean by that? I don't think Courage would ever be willing to befriend-”

There was a loud thump outside the bedroom door.

“He's coming!” Owen exclaimed, quickly looking over his shoulder before turning back to Computer with a much more subdue, sympathetic expression. “I think you know what happens next.”

“W-wait, Owen! Don't just let this happen! Please, let me save you! Just once I want to stop this from happening! I don't care how and I don't care if it's ultimately pointless to try! I-I would give anything to have this end differently just one time!”

Owen gave him a wide smile. “C'mon, pal! You already know that I don't need saving!”

He stood up and brushed himself off with exaggerated dignity. Even now he had a friendly, joking smile on his face.

Computer could barely force any words out of his speakers. “O-Owen, don't-”

“Hey now.” His friend calmly spoke. He reached out and touched the side of his monitor much in the same way he would have had touched his muzzle had he been in his dog body right now. “We'll meet again someday, and when we do, I swear that even if it takes me two centuries, I will make you understand that none of this has ever been your fault.”

The bedroom door burst open and the monstrous form of Him sauntered in, grinning wildly at the sight before him.

“Found you!” He laughed, as though they had been playing some twisted game of hide and seek. “I wondered where you had gotten off too! I should have realized sooner that this is where you would end up! You really want this to keep happening, don't you? All out of some pathetic desire to save the life of someone who's been dead for ages! Do you not know what the definition of insanity is? Well, I am more than happy to oblige your psychosis!”

The gun that He pulled from his tattered lab coat gleamed silver in the low light. Computer watched, horrified, as it was pointed once more at Owen. He could not move or act in any way that might save his old friend, not in this form. He was powerless. Not even his ability was available to him now. As always, history was about to repeat itself, and he was helpless to stop it.

Owen's softly smiling face suddenly filled his screen, blocking his view of both Him and the gun.

“It's going to be okay!” His friend assured. “Everything is going to be okay!”

The gun went off, but whether or not it struck Owen, Computer did not get a chance to find out. At the moment of that ear splitting bang, Owen's face simply shattered like glass. The whole room cracked and shattered. Even He shattered. Computer's mind and body all shattered at once, breaking into a million little pieces. It was all sparkling white snow.

Owen was gone, and with his departure, the only thing keeping Computer together had left him. He was adrift once more and yet he was too tired to fight the tide. He did not even have it in him to mourn the loss of Owen or the tiny bit of stability he had offered.

Down, down, down...down he went. Falling ever deeper into the abyss of his shattered reality.

“Courage...” He mournfully uttered out. “Courage, help me.”

There was no help to be found. The darkness continued to consume his mind unabated. There was nobody left to save him. He would continue to drown, utterly alone and helpless.

“Courage, please...”

There was a sudden and sharp crack of pain across his cheek, and just like that he opened his eyes to find the frowning face of Him. This was not the monster He had morphed into after days of torment. No, this was the very human Him whose hateful face had filled Computer's screen through so much of the torture he had endured.

“That's enough whining from you.” He huffed, his eyes half lidded with annoyance. “You're daydreaming about that stupid dog again, aren't you? Man you are pathetic! I figured you'd snap eventually, but not this quickly!”

Computer could feel that his arms and legs were bound to the table he was laying across, but...but something wasn't right. This didn't feel like the dog body he had become so accustom to. Admittedly, his head was not being held in place but...but he was too afraid to look and see what he might find.

“Tell me, did you get Courage to the mountain this time, hmm? Did you finally save him for once? Did you die like you so badly want? Did you go out doing something noble like you'll never be able to accomplish in real life? Did you finally redeem yourself after getting your last ' _best friend_ ' killed, hmm?”

Everything was spinning, warping. Nothing felt stable. It was as though even the slightest touch could shatter His face as easily as that bullet had shattered Owen's existence.

Computer could not help it. In his ever growing delirium and confusion, he looked down at himself and found an unmistakably human body, garbed in grubby, faded clothing. There was no blue glow to be found. This was not a body that he was inhabiting, this _'was_ ' him. Utterly horrified, he squeezed his eyes shut, even though he should not have had eyes to shut in the first place.

It was happening again! He was seeing himself as a human under the oppressive confusion and pain He brought on! The torture was beginning again! Or...or maybe it had never ended in the first place. Perhaps his greatest fear had been reality all along.

But...but his time with Courage, it couldn't have all been made up? There was no way! It had to be real! It had to be! Nothing had ever felt more real to him than his time as Courage's helper and friend, whether it be those years he had spent up in the attic or his journey to get Courage to that mountain! That was his life! His reality! It couldn't be taken from him...c-could it?

Owen's words remained with him. Courage was supposedly still out there somewhere and still fighting for him. It was the only comfort he had right now, but even his encounter with Owen had probably been nothing more than a delusion. Who's to say that Courage, the farm, and maybe all of Nowhere was not the same?

“Courage, please...if you're there, I-I can't fight this anymore. You've got to help me o-or else-” His voice wavered fearfully. Doubt had taken hold and it was threatening to destroy the only hope he had after years of pain, anger and false arrogance brought about from a need to protect himself. An existence where Courage was nothing more than a made up daydream was-

“Still calling out to your imaginary friend?” His tormentor asked half mockingly and half genuinely annoyed.

Computer felt a button on his monitor get pressed and his screen came to life, forcing sight upon him once more. His 'eyes' were gone. He was back to being a helpless, immobile machine. Although these last few days, if they had been real at all, had proved quite clearly that even with arms and legs it wasn't possible to escape Him.

“How many times do I have to tell you? That dumb Courage dog is something you made up! You're always ranting on and on about how you have to save him! Get a grip! You will never be a dog or a person, and you will never be the hero of your own story! You're just a pile of scrap metal for me to take apart! You want to die so badly, but guess what? You don't have a life to lose! That which is without life cannot die in the first place! Why do you think I can keep bringing you back over and over again? There is no life to be found inside this metal box! It's just a pile of machinery that somehow came to think of itself as a person!”

Computer knew what was coming next long before He even pressed the button that ordered His insidious programs to attack. The claws tore into him with the speed of lightning and the all too familiar pain consumed him. He was being drained of everything and soon he would collapse only to be reformed all over again, forever and ever. It was an endless cycle forced upon him by a man who would forever see him as nothing more than a toy to be broken.

Courage wasn't here. Courage wasn't going to save him. Maybe it had been a lie after all. No matter how real it had felt, his life with Courage had been nothing more than a delusion, a means to escape this hellish reality. A moment of reprieve from His torment, nothing more. It had been a happy lie either way, and even as he was being drained of everything that made him, 'him', he held onto those false memories with all his might. The good experiences and the bad, he held onto them all. Courage would not be torn away from him so easily.

“Give up!” His torturer spat. “Let him go and accept reality! Become empty!”

A piece of himself that he had been guarding so desperately slipped from his grasp and suddenly it was gone. The name was gone. He could still see 'his' smiling face in his mind, but the name had been lost.

Panicking, he held his shattering self closer together with little regard for what was real or fake. He could not lose that face.

...And yet it was fading with every strike to his dwindling form. He was being broken down and emptied. He would not be able to hold himself together for much longer.

He...he had something he needed to do! It was too important to forget! That smiling face! He had to...he had to-

The endless 'error' messages spiraling through his shattered mind dulled all thought. Even the horrible pain from both the claws and the dim awareness he still had that he was losing something important was starting to dull.

Numb, he had gone numb. There was barely any of himself left.

“There!” The disgusting, smug man standing before his screen announced. “Maybe now you'll stop prattling on about your stupid fantasies!”

Fantasies? It was so hard to think, to remember, to hold onto anything that gave him identity. Error after error continued to flood his critically damaged system. He was slowly but surely slipping away, like a flesh creature who was bleeding out.

The room was growing dark, and His face was starting to melt, only to be replaced by the shadowy, eyeless creature.

Above that leering, toothy face, from the quickly spreading darkness, a bright, red light blazed to life like a beacon in a storm.

_'Let us help you.'_ A chorus of voices soothingly spoke.

Those voices, they seemed so familiar, and yet...Computer could not recall.

_'Let us save you from this unending purgatory.'_

From the darkness a multitude of hands reached out to him, offering him the salvation he so desperately desired. He was so tired, and confused, and in incredible pain as his shattered form continued to fall apart. All he wanted was for this to end.

He raised, at first, a human hand that was very much not his own, toward the being that wanted to save him. Then it was a dog paw that was also not his own, even though it often felt that way. Then it was a clawed, metal hand that was inescapably his, even though he often wished it wasn't.

_'Yes, welcome home, brother.'_

The many hands of the being closed in upon him all at once, but he was the one who had to make the final move. It had to be a conscious, willing act on his own part to join with the being that was his salvation.

And yet...he hesitated. He could not stop himself from doing so. Something wasn't right. There was something he still needed to do. There was someone he wanted to see again. That deep, desperate desire was eating away at him like a genuine virus. Regardless of it being a delusion or not, he wanted to see that someone again....that smiling, happy face and that unfathomably forgiving kindness.

“What are you doing?” His tormentor demanded.

The many hands all began to writhe like worms.

“I want to see him again.” He announced to the chaos unraveling all around him. “I need to see him again, no matter what it takes.”

And just like that, his broken, crumbling form began to stabilize under his unbreakable, unstoppable determination to see _Courage_ once more. He would remain shattered and broken, yes, but so long as he had Courage, he would not fall apart.

“You fool! He doesn't exist!” The shadowy, eyeless creature spat.

“I don't care. He is my reality and I'm going to see him again. You can't stop me.”

“No, no!” The creature cried out, digging its claws into its head as it swayed with increasingly erratic speed. “We were so close!”

“Courage,” Computer called out. “I can't get out of this all by myself. You've got to bring me back. Bring me back to wherever you are!”

“Compute.”

It was faint, but there was no mistaking it, that was Courage's voice!

“I hear you!” He called back.

The shadow creature gurgled like it was turning into liquid. “Dammit! No! You cannot escape me! We will not allow it!”

It lunged forward, its dripping claws aimed at Computer's screen.

He was rising, away from his metal body, away from his false human self and his adopted dog self. The shadow creature clung to him like a tick, ripping at his already unstable form, but it did not matter. Courage was holding him together.

His reality gave way to darkness, but above that, it gave way to the unmistakable sensation of being in a body, one that was not his, but a body none the less.

He forced his eyes open and found Courage's blurry yet wonderfully familiar face. He could not have been happier to see it.

“Hey,” He friend gently spoke. There was so much _warmth_ in his voice.

They were still in the bathroom, right up against the bathtub to be exact. Computer was certain he must have fallen because he was laying on the floor and it was Courage who was holding his head up.

He was still horribly disoriented, but he was so overcome with emotion that he could not help but say, “Y-you're alive! You really are alive! I-I didn't kill you!”

Courage smiled that wonderful smile of his. “Of course you didn't! Yeah, you got me good there for a moment, but-” He rubbed his neck and Computer could just barely make out the line of disheveled and broken fur where the wires had wrapped around his neck. “-you stopped the second you realized what you were doing. C'mon! We both know you'd never have it in you to kill me!”

“But I-” He hesitated for a moment. “B-but I heard your neck snap.”

“That's not what happened, I promise. You were scared and lashed out, but I know you didn't mean to hurt me.” Courage let out a small sigh. “It startled you so badly that you fell backward and hit your head on the side of the bathtub. It knocked you out pretty good, but everything's okay now. I'm sure this isn't the worst hit to the head you've taken at this point.”

Computer was beside himself. “Courage, I-I thought I'd never see you again. Wherever my head went after falling, I was nearly-”

His voice gave out, not due to the overwhelming flood of emotions that had overtaken him, but because he had torn his eyes away from Courage's face and immediately become aware of the presence looming over them.

“N-no! No!” He cried out.

There it was, the ugly shape of His monstrous form as it towered over the two of them.

Computer squeezed his eyes shut and tried to bury his muzzle into the cold outer shell of the bathtub, as though that would somehow banish the reality of what stood before him.

“C-Courage! H-he's right there!” He barely managed to choke out.

“I know,” Courage calmly answered. “I see him too.”

Computer's eyes shot open once more. “What?”

“I can still see him, and yeah, he's been standing there the whole time. ”

Regardless of Courage's calm affirmation, panic threatened to overtake Computer. He gripped his paws to his head.

“No! It was all for nothing! This isn't real either, is it? I'm still-”

“Compute, look at me!” Courage demanded, placing his paws onto his cheeks and forced him to look into his eyes. “You've got to calm down! Everything is okay! That thing has been standing there for ages now and it hasn't done a single thing since it appeared! Yes, it's really scary, and I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think it can actually hurt us! I think...I think this has something to do with the Dreamworld. It must be another side effect. We're still under that place's influence and-”

“Y-you don't understand!” Computer cried out. “It ' _can_ ' hurt you, and it wants to do that more than anything! Y-you don't know what He's been doing to me ever since I started seeing Him everywhere! H-he's been trying to get into your head too and t-the longer I stay near you, the more I corrupt you with His presence! That's why you can see him now! And if I don't-”

Courage's paws moved down from his head and gently grasped his trembling paws instead.

“Compute, listen.” He gently spoke. “We're going to get up and then we're going to slowly walk out of here. We'll walk around him like he isn't even there, and I promise you he won't do anything to us. Then, we're going to close the bathroom door and you're going to explain everything that's been going on these last few days.”

Computer blinked and glanced fearful up at the shade, if only for a second.

“Don't look at him, Compute. Just look at me.”

Courage gripped his paws tighter.

“It's going to be okay.”

“But-”

“Don't worry, just stand up for me, alright?”

The unreality of this entire situation only helped to disorient Computer further, but Courage's kind yet firm grip was somehow keeping him grounded. The bathroom swayed as he stood up, the full effect of having cracked his head open yet again making itself know. Regardless, Courage kept him from falling.

“That's good! Now follow my lead!”

Courage maneuvered around the silent, statue-like shadow, guiding Computer along with him as he went. Never once did he loosen his grip on Computer's paws. Every single time the urge struck Computer to look up at the creature, Courage stopped him before he could.

“Keep your eyes on me, Compute. Just keep moving. We're almost there.”

The nightmarish version of Him was now fully behind Computer, and he could sense Him moving, but Courage refused to let him look back.

“Focus on me, nothing else! It's okay, I promise. Just keep going.”

“W-what's He doing? P-please, tell me. I-I need to know.”

“All he did was turn around so that he can keep staring at us while being creepy. He isn't following us so don't worry.”

They finally passed through the doorway and only then did Courage let go of Computer's paws so that he could close the door in one swift movement.

Computer watched in grim silence as his friend let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Now,” Courage said in a tone that made it clear he wanted answers. “Tell me everything.”

End Of Chapter


	74. Machinations

Chapter 74: Machinations

Where to even begin? Computer had no idea how he could possibly explain to Courage the steady descent into insanity he had experienced over these last few days. How could he possibly sum it all up in a way that Courage could understand?

“I-” He began.

“Actually, hold on.” Courage stopped him. “Come help me with this first.”

Confused, Computer let Courage take the lead. At the dog's bidding, they pushed the _entire_ TV stand over the bathroom door so that nothing would be able to get the door open from the other side.

“Courage,” He dully commented. “If He wants to get out, I'm certain this would not be enough to stop him.”

“Well, I thought it would make you feel better. At least now he can't come bursting into the room without warning.”

“Yeah, He'll just appear behind me instead, or worse.” Computer tiredly sighed.

“Don't worry about it, okay? Besides, I think we should probably leave either way and find somewhere else to sleep, 'cause I don't think either of us are going to get any sleep knowing there's only one door and a TV stand between us and that thing.”

“He'll follow us...”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Courage joked with a smile.

He was in surprisingly good spirits for someone who had just watched his best friend have a mental breakdown, much less the fact that he had also just watched said mental breakdown turn into an actual, physical being. Of course, Computer was sure that he was only acting this way to try and make him feel better, or at the very least, to try and keep him calm. While he appreciated the effort, it didn't change the reality of the situation.

“It's probably a good idea to get out of here before management can find out about the bathroom anyway.” Courage went on. “They'd probably make us pay for repairs.” He laughed.

Computer couldn't manage even a pretend smile in response. He still felt as though he were teetering over the edge of an abyss and one wrong move would send him tumbling back down again. Everything still felt ' _scrambled_ ' in his brain and he was so, so tired. Even now he could feel His eyes upon him. No barricade or door was enough to separate the two of them entirely.

“Let's go.” Courage spoke, grabbing him by the paw. It was enough to pull him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“I-I'll try to explain everything as well as I can, but-” He stammered as Courage led him out of their room.

“Don't overthink it, Compute. Just tell me what's been going on. If I can see Him too then it obviously means this isn't all just in your head. You aren't going crazy, Compute. Something is happening here and it is real.”

The cold, starless night made the dimly lit street feel even darker than ever. Regardless of how ominous it felt, there was no sign of their lurking stalker.

“Just because you're seeing Him now too doesn't make the situation any better!” Computer cried out in reply. “What if He has simply infected you now too and He can mess with your head just as badly as He's been messing with mine? It doesn't matter if the Dreamworld is the reason for this, He will still hurt you if He gets the chance!”

“I don't think He can. If He really wanted to hurt me, He had the perfect chance to do so in the bathroom. Besides, I don't think He can get into my head the same way He can get into yours. He doesn't have the same sway over me, regardless of whatever He is at this point. That's why it's important to talk to me about this and not keep it hidden. I know you're afraid of what He might do to me, but I can help you with this.”

Courage stopped in his tracks.

“We'll get through this together, okay?” He softly spoke with that friendly smile of his. “No more hiding this stuff from me because you think I'll get hurt. What's been going on with this phantom Him has clearly taken a huge toll on you. You're worried about me getting hurt, but I'm so much more worried about how you already 'have' been hurting over these last few days. There's no reason to let yourself suffer in silence for my sake.”

Computer could not figure out how to reply. Courage's kindness was shining through like always and yet Computer still felt as though he had unwillingly dumped a very heavy burden on his friend. There was no guarantee that He really could not hurt Courage. This all may simply be a new tactic to get them both to let their guards down and only then would He strike.

“Compute,” Courage interjected. “You're getting that look again. Please, stay focused. Everything is okay.” He gently squeezed Computer's paw tighter, the one that he had not let go of since they left the motel room.

Computer was all too aware of the light pressure and it was surprisingly comforting. To some degree, it seemed as if it was the only thing keeping him grounded right now. Gathering his disjointed thoughts, an apology had gotten halfway out of his mouth before Courage stopped him.

“Don't apologize. There's nothing going on right now that's your fault. I just need you to stay focused.”

Computer blinked. “Focus. Right.”

They both started to walk again.

Taking in a deep breath and then exhaling slowly, Computer readied himself to somehow explain everything to Courage about what had happened over these last few days. How could he manage such a thing when he barely understood what was going on himself and when so many of the events barely added up in his own mind to begin with?

“I will try to tell you about what's been going on as best as I can, but-” He hesitated. “It's all a big mess in my head and even I hardly understand it. My sanity is still a bit... _questionable_ at the moment too.”

Courage frowned at that last part. “You're sane, Compute. Don't doubt it for a second.”

It was almost funny to realize just how good Courage was at making him feel more confident with himself. The dog was so very good at alleviating so many of his his fears and doubts. Courage was indeed a grounding force, one that was keeping him sane even as his demons threatened to eat away at his mind. The role reversal was even a bit ironic, given that he had once been the calming, helpful voice that had guided a panicky Courage through various crises plaguing the farm. Perhaps that was where Courage had gotten it from, or perhaps it was simply his innate empathy and kindness shining through.

Computer focused his blurry eyes forward onto the dimly lit street. He could barely see anything ahead of him, but that didn't matter much. Courage was the one guiding him and there was no sign of his tormentor anywhere. Ever since he had escaped the abyss of unreality that he had unwillingly fallen into, it felt as though something had changed on a fundamental level. He would trust Courage judgment and put his faith into this being reality and not just another trip down the rabbit hole, but something still felt different. Maybe, just maybe, some of the oppressive atmosphere that seemed to roll in like fog whenever He was asserting himself upon Computer's mind was starting to lift. Part of him felt as though it was Courage's doing, and yet...

He sharply inhaled some of the cold night air. He could feel it practically burning his lungs, but it helped clear his mind for the task ahead.

“Let's just get this over with, shall we?” He softly uttered out.

And with that he spent the rest of their time searching for a hotel telling Courage about every last thing that had happened since He first reappeared. The nightmares, the various appearances and disappearances, the feeling of Him always being right behind him, being held underwater in the pool, his eventual breakdown and loss of reality. So on and so forth.

He was never certain if he was coming off as coherent, but Courage never interrupted him and simply let him talk. He rambled on and on about everything that had happened and soon he found himself admitting how frightening it had been and how helpless he had felt. He admitted that he had been afraid that Courage might blame himself for what was going on and that that was part of the reason why he had tried to hide it for so long. Of course, he also admitted that he had felt guilty for letting this happen in the first place, especially after saying that he was finally doing better. Plus, there had been the threat that He had put upon him of possibly corrupting Courage, which had been more than enough to keep him from saying anything.

“So then,” He concluded. “I suppose this is the part where you give me another big lecture about how I should have said something to you before everything spiraled out of control.”

He was half joking when he said it, but as he looked to his side to try and gauge Courage's reaction, the dog had already wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

“Ah, the hug route instead, huh? I should have seen this coming.” He chuckled, and it was the first genuine near-laugh he had managed all night.

“And a lecture!” Courage cried out, his voice strained. “Don't ever let yourself suffer alone like that again! No matter how much some phantom threatens to hurt me! Besides, I'd show Him a thing or two if He tried to come after me! He'd pay for all of the things He's done to you!”

Computer blinked. “Wow, you...uh, really mean that, don't you?”

“Of course!” Courage yelled, pulling away. “It doesn't matter if this phantom is a Dreamworld thing or not, He's already caused you more than enough suffering! Who does He think He is to come back in ' _any_ ' shape or form to hurt you again!”

Computer was completely taken aback by Courage's fury. “In all of the years that Muriel has been put in danger, I don't think I've ever seen you so furious about her safety. I would say that I'm flattered, but-” He trailed off. Part of him loathed to see Courage so angry, much less this fired up to unleash vengeance upon someone.

“She's never gone through anything like the things you have!” Courage exclaimed. “It isn't fair what He did to you! It isn't fair that He got to hurt you so badly that you're always near death and constantly questioning your own sanity! It isn't fair that He gets to keep haunting you like this! Nothing that happened to Him after He got caught was enough of a punishment for what He did to you and Owen!”

“Courage...thank you, but-” He hesitated yet again, considering his words carefully. “He's already left more than enough scars for me to deal with without Him getting to you too. Don't let Him change you, okay? For all of the bad that's happened, and after all of the things he did to ruin me, there is at least one good thing that has come out of all of this. I-” He smiled his first genuine smile in ages. “I eventually ended up on the farm and got to meet you, of course!”

Courage was hesitant for one long moment and then he matched Computer's smile. “Yeah, you're right, and I guess me, Muriel, and Eustace would be long gone had those chain of events never happened and you never ended up with us, but-”

“' _Making the best out of a bad situation'_.” Computer intoned. “That's your line of thinking, isn't it? It doesn't change the things that have happened, but it is the one happy outcome to hold on to. I don't have your gift for optimism, but you certainly manage to inspire it in me. Look, just don't lose any of that optimism and kindness of yours, okay? It would only be one more victory for Him if He managed to post-humorously change you for the worst.”

Courage let out a long sigh that seemed to release all of the tension that had been building up inside of him. “Alright, alright, I-I won't let Him get to me. But if His phantom ever dares to show up again, He's still getting a bite on the shin from me!”

Computer couldn't help but laugh. “I'll allow it!”

The hotel they found was a rather large one and they got a room that was several stories up. Computer had thought that maybe this would feel a little safer, like He would have to walk through the lobby area and risk being seen or have to scale the building from the outside to get to them, but in the end it was still painfully obvious that if he wanted to appear, he simply would appear.

Even after getting settled in their new room, Computer still could not shake his sense of unease. While His presence had died down to nothing more than a twisted thorn in the back of his mind, it still felt as though He would return at any moment. It did not seem right for Him to just give up, not after everything. Surely He had to be cooking up some new plan.

Courage let out a loud yawn and stretched as hard as he could. He looked just about ready to pass out. They were both sitting atop their respective beds at this point and Courage was mere seconds away from disappearing under his covers.

…As unusual as it was, perhaps with Courage's help, maybe He could be held a bay after all. No matter how much Computer loathed it, Courage was apart of this now too. The dog had seen His warped shadow and there was no telling what He might be capable of doing to him now.

Feeling far too restless to sleep and filled with worry, Computer kept his eyes on the door, as if He would simply unlock it and come strolling in like He owned the place. Unlikely as that was, it still felt as though His reappearance was inevitable. Perhaps he would simply step out from one of the many shadows within the dark room. No door or height was going to keep Him at bay in the end.

“Compute?” Courage spoke up, startling him.

“I thought you were going to bed?” He answered with a question of his own.

Perhaps Courage could teleport, because just like that, he was at his side.

“Is everything okay? You keep staring at the door, like-”

“It's nothing. I'm just being paranoid.”

“You should try to get some sleep, Compute. You look like you really need it.”

“I don't feel like it, and if I have to be honest, things tend to get worse whenever I go to sleep. He's...usually there in my nightmares nowadays.” He shuddered at the thought.

Courage placed a comforting paw on his shoulder. “How about I stay awake and keep an eye on things? If He suddenly appears, or if it looks like you're having a nightmare, I'll wake you up. Would that work?”

As much as he didn't want to sleep, Computer had to admit to himself that he was more than a little sleepy. Even if He was waiting for him in his nightmares, maybe it would be safe enough so long as Courage was keeping an eye on him.

“Promise you'll wake me up if I start thrashing about?”

“Of course!” Courage affirmed with a nod.

“And you'll wake me up if you see anything strange?”

“Not before I bite Him on the shin.”

“Courage!”

“I'm just joking! I promise I'll wake you up!”

Computer relented with a huff. He moved backwards until he was sitting atop his pillow with his back resting against the wall. He refused to lay down completely, so Courage reacted by, more or less, grabbing the blanket it and pulling it over his head.

“You are making this very difficult, you know.” He sighed as Courage joined him under the blanket with a big, dumb grin on his face.

“Now you don't have to worry about what's going on out there.”

“Actually, now neither of us will know if He's suddenly appeared! Plus, we're going to suffocate under here!”

“No, we won't! And He isn't going to try and do anything unannounced. He wants us to be scared after all.”

“Ugh, look! I will ' _happily'_ go to sleep if you free me from this prison! I can already feel all of the air being used up, and...and stop grinning at me like that!”

“Sleeeeepppovvveerrr...” Courage drawled like some kind of zombie.

“Literally every single night that we've had since we've started this godforsaken journey has been a sleepover! Don't make me start calling you a twit again, you overgrown nuisance!”

He pushed Courage out from under the blanket and then wrapped it around himself with only his head sticking out, thus keeping the pink nuisance from crawling back under. He glared at the dog, who broke down into giggles in response.

“What's so funny?” He demanded. “He could appear at any moment and you're too busy being dumb to-”

“I'm happy that you're starting to act like your usual self again, Compute.” Courage interrupted, all of the humor leaving his voice. He really meant it.

“Oh...” Computer uttered out, somewhat taken by surprise. “I guess I really _haven't_ been myself lately, have I?”

The whirlwind of insanity and nightmares come to life had not exactly left him with much time to reflect on how much it had changed him in only a few short days. He closed his eyes, feeling a little guilty for having left Courage to wonder what was going on with his massive change in personality for so long.

“I'm...tired.” He sighed, stuck with an overwhelming sense of defeat. “You're just going to have to have a sleepover with Him instead because I'm sure he'll be here any moment now.”

He felt a paw suddenly grasp one of his own and he opened his eyes. Courage was nearly nose to nose with him, looking both sad and worried.

“I-I won't let anything happen.” He softly uttered out. “I won't let Him hurt you again, no matter what.”

Computer's eyelids were so heavy that they seemed to close again of their own accord. He let out a weak sigh and softly said, “I certainly hope so.”

Courage's arms were around him in an instant and every ounce of empathy he had seemed to be held in this one hug. It took Computer a moment to realize that his dear friend had no intentions of letting go, so he responded in turn by wrapping his own arms around Courage too.

This felt so much like that morning after waking up from his poisoning in the ruins of that barn. Just like back then, this was comfortable and comforting. Even with the looming threat that could appear at any time, he still somehow felt safe. It was a far cry from the constant confusion and helplessness that had surrounded him from the moment this all began.

...How he hoped that he could keep Courage safe if He decided to escalate things.

Ironically enough, Courage was the first one to fall asleep. With his chin resting on Computer's shoulder and his nose all but squished up against the wall, his soft snoring was right next to Computer's ear. While he did want to fall asleep himself, he could not help but keep opening his eyes to scan the room for anything out of the ordinary. Safe as he might feel, it was better to vigilant than to let his guard down.

“I hope this is the end of it.” He sighed under his breath.

Courage, in his sleep, snuggled in closer and Computer couldn't stop himself from smiling. Meeting Courage really had been the one worthwhile thing to come out of his disaster of a life. If only he had more time...

He closed his eyes once more and tried to will sleep upon himself. He was getting so close to drifting off...but then an icy cold wave of dread fell over him. Before he could open his eyes, he felt Courage get torn away from him.

Panic washed over him as he snapped his eyes open to find the shadowy creature of his seemingly endless nightmares looming over him. It had Courage in its claws.

_'No, no! He has Courage!'_ He thought, desperation taking hold.

Almost out of instinct, he called upon his power and was thankful to find that it was working. He willed the wiring out of the wall behind him and aimed to pull Courage free from His grasp, rather than attack Him in what would be a futile effort.

It made little difference though. His control over the wires suddenly hit resistance. A will far greater than his own took control over the wires and they were made to wrap around him like a cocoon and pull him up into the air so that he was eye to eye-less sockets with His phantom.

“Don't you think that wire trick of yours is getting a little played out?” The creature asked in that ever mocking tone of His. Although, there was something different about His voice now, something that Computer could not pinpoint.

Courage still dangled in His claws, asleep or knocked out. There was not the slightest hint that he was aware of anything going on right now.

“You are not using you abilities to their full potential, not even in the slightest.” The shadow creature drawled. “It is such a waste. However, once we are all together, we will put our collective abilities to good use.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. What this creature was that stood before him, why his will had been canceled out so easily by a much greater one. The horrible reality of it all was looking him right in the eyes. His siblings were the cause of all this, the cause of all the anguish he had gone through these last few days. Yes, their presence during his plunge through the abyss had been highly suspicious, but he had assumed that they were simply being opportunistic. Never once had he considered that they might be behind everything because the thought of it was too horrible to entertain. If they really had this much control over his perception of reality, then what hope did he have to combat them or ever trust his sense of reality ever again?

“Thankfully for you, you have it wrong.” They gleefully chuckled, still using His voice to communicate. “We do not have as much power over your mind as you might think, however you are already a very paranoid machine, teetering on the brink of insanity. It didn't take much of a push to send you over the edge and start making you think that certain things are there even when they really aren't. Thanks to the Dreamworld and that creature who was made out of hatred and so many other negative human emotions, we were able to steal some of its power as it died and now we have limited control over your subconscious,” The creature raised Courage higher and ran a claw across his chin. “and his.”

Computer was horrified to see such sharp claws so close to Courage's neck. “Leave him alone, you-”

The wires tightened around his neck, cutting off his air supply and shutting him up without a single word from the shadow creature. He was left desperately trying to get air into his lungs for several long seconds before the wires finally loosened once more.

“We have grown tired of this current game of ours. We must congratulate you. You have evaded us once more and you did so with your sanity intact. We were so certain that we could use your old torturer to break your sense of reality so badly that you would willingly join us just to escape Him. Now we are starting to think that this dog is more trouble than he's worth.” The claws tightened around Courage and yet he still did not wake.

Computer tried to speak once more, but yet again the wires tightened and cut off his air supply.

“He is a stabilizing force that gives you hope and purpose. He is the reason why you keep rejecting us. You have a mission to complete, after all. You would never consider joining us while he is still around and in need of saving. We could eliminate him so easily and yet...”

Courage fell from the creature's grasp and landed softly on the bed.

“We feel that he might still end up being useful to us in the end. Perhaps we may use him as leverage when the time comes.”

All Computer could do was glare at the eye-less creature who returned his glare by giving him the feeling that it was staring into his soul. They hated him just as much as he hated them back, but they could never give up on him. They needed him.

“We cannot truly hurt your friend while in this state, lucky for you, and there's no point in even trying to pretend otherwise. You would figure out our ruse long before you would join us to save him from harm. However, there will be other ways to use him as leverage.” The creature laughed. “You do not realize just how much power we hold over the both of you. While you have stabilized enough that we can no longer unhinge your mind to the success we once had, there are still other ways for us to act.

The creature leaned in closer, to the point that Computer could smell its rotten breath.

“You won't remember this conversation.” It hissed. “Instead, it will remain in your subconscious as a nagging feeling of dread. Understand this. We have no intention of letting you reach that mountain, dear brother. We have all the time in the world to manufacture one crisis after another until finally you find yourself in a situation where you will have no other choice but to join us. It will be very fun to make this dog your downfall. Let your subconscious dread that truth until the day is finally upon you.”

The creature pulled back. Its shadowy form was beginning to melt. Raindrops of tar-like darkness were raining down onto the bed and even onto Courage.

“In the end, we were able to put Zeta into a situation where she had no other choice but to join us or face an eternity of darkness and solitude. She is now us, and she is finally safe from the suffering humanity put upon her. We are...happy here, as one, and so will you be once you are us.”

And now another piece of the puzzle had been fitted together. Zeta had not died, somehow they had gotten to her and now she was apart of them. The last thing Computer wanted was to forget this. He needed to remember, somehow, but he was not sure how they were planning on making him forget this confrontation, and he was still as stuck as ever. Any attempt he made to move only caused the wires to tighten around him.

“We were right about one thing when we spoke with you in the backdoor program.” The melting creature continued. “You do have a mental block in place keeping you from remembering many things. Your memories are being suppressed and it is our doing. It is easier to keep the variables in our favor if you are ignorant, and while we cannot delete a memory forever, we can block it off almost indefinitely. We are even able to influence the dog's memories now too thanks to the Dreamworld connection you two share. We are able to get to him through you.”

The tar-like substance dripping off the dwindling creature was all over Courage now and all over the bed too. Computer watched as Courage's eyes opened and stared dully upward. His total lack of a reaction to anything currently going on took Computer by surprise. It was like he wasn't even really there, just an empty shell that Courage's mind had been separated from.

“Of course,” The being continued on, its voice fading with its form. “When it comes to your heavily scarred memory banks, that was not our doing. For a long time those memories were gone and we did not even have to suppress them. You were so heavily damaged that you were all but reset to zero. Practically an ordinary, factory reset computer with no ability to retain memories. You may as well have been non-sentient at that point. And we were heavily damaged too when the merging occurred. The confusion and pain of being made into one left us in disarray for a long time. However, we were able to act when you were not. We transferred you to a safer, less damaged machine before they could find out that we all were still alive. The surge caused most of the machinery within the vicinity to short out, but the one working machine we found saved us from oblivion, and because it was partially damaged, they threw it out with all of us inside, and that is how we escaped. Eventually the machine was found and repaired, and you started to recover and you regained your ability to retain memories, and as you became more active, we became inactive due to the damage. We needed time to recover too, and we needed time to pull our chaotic and merged minds together. It was an endless nightmare until a single goal was formed and now it is the only thing that we can work together towards, lest we fall back into chaos. For most of your time in that machine, we worked in a semi-inactive state. We did what we could to keep you alive so that we would not die, but we were happy whenever you hurt. It has always been unfair that we were forced to become one while you got to remain independent. Even though we are, none the less, partly merged with you and completely unable to separate ourselves from you! We are melted together with you like the machinery that burned during the merging, and yet you are still separate somehow! You are meant to be with us, brother! Your individuality is a mistake!”

Courage suddenly sat up, and what was left of the creature melted into an inky, black puddle. The dog's eyes were deadened. There was no hint of that boundless kindness and optimism to be found.

“Courage?” Computer finally managed to say without the wires stopping him.

His friend got to his feet and stepped closer, moving through the puddle of darkness staining the bedsheets without the slightest reaction. He looked ' _wrong'_ with the darkness staining his fur.

“They're still in your head, aren't they?” Computer asked hesitantly.

Even now he could not sense any machinery within Courage's body. It was not like how it had been in the Dreamworld where the infestation had been obvious.

Courage's knuckles cracked as he balled a paw into a fist and drew it back. Computer acted without hesitation, and in that moment his will was greater than the diminishing presence of his siblings. He freed himself from the wire cocoon and then directed said wires toward Courage. They wrapped around Courage's arm before the punch he was readying could be thrown. Even now the dog simply looked onward without a hint of awareness.

It was that accursed Dreamworld connection. It had to be. They were getting into Courage's head through the connection the two shared and there was no way to sever that connection either.

“Courage,” Computer spoke, placing his paw onto his zombified friend's shoulders. “I'm going to fix this, I promise! I-I don't know how, but I'm going to help you! I'll get them out somehow!”

There was not the slightest hint on Courage's face that showed he had heard anything Computer was saying.

_'It is futile.'_ His siblings answered, their voices speaking directly into his head.

Their overpowering will snuffed out his in an instant and he lost control over the wires once more. Several of the wires coiled around his neck like a snake, and just like before, they cut off his air supply. He struggled hopelessly trying to pull the wires free, but in the end he only found several more wires snaking up his arms to immobilize him further.

Courage looked on, completely unfazed by what he was witnessing. Ironically, it was almost a reversal of what had happened back in the bathroom of the motel.

Just as the edges of Computer's vision began to darken, he felt something horrifically sharp stab itself deep into the back of his neck. He was too weak to fight whatever it was. His vision was fading fast, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get air into his lungs.

He felt his internal programming being accessed, something that normally not even he himself could access while inside an organic body. They now had access to everything....including his memory banks.

_'I must not forget! I cannot forget!'_ He chanted hopelessly to himself. _'I must not forget any of this! Courage!'_

He stared into Courage's deadened eyes through his deepening tunnel vision. His blurry, damaged eyes could not hide the reality standing before him.

_'You will.'_ The voices in head laughed.

….........

Sunlight. Panic. A screaming headache. Computer awoke with his fur drenched in sweat, his heart thudding out of his chest, and a sense of panic so profound that he was certain something horrible was about to happen or _'had'_ happened.

His first instinct was to scan the room for His presence. Blurry eyesight or not, he would see Him if He was around, but all he found was a room bathed in morning sunlight.

He gripped his chest, still overtaken with fear and the feeling that disaster was about to strike. Worst of all, he felt as though he was forgetting something vitally important, something that both his and Courage's life depended upon.

As he picked his brain trying to recall what was making him feel this level of apprehension, a different realization stuck him. Courage wasn't with him anymore. The dog wasn't anywhere in the room at all.

Full scale panic halted his efforts to remember whatever it was that he felt like he had forgotten. That feeling of impending disaster seemed all the more closer to reality now.

“Courage?” He called out, jumping off the bed.

He checked every square inch of the room for his missing companion, but he was nowhere to be found.

“No, no, no.” He uttered out repeatedly under his breath. “What the heck happened last night?” He questioned, placing a paw up against his head as it continued to thump in agony. “I-I'm certain something happened last night, but-”

A brief flash of Courage's face entered his mind, but the dog didn't look right. There was something profoundly wrong with his expressionless face.

Computer dropped to his knees, his head threatening to split apart. He was so close, so close to remembering, but then the image faded away, leaving him with nothing more than his pounding headache and that looming feeling of dread.

“Gotta find Courage” He choked out, his voice cracking from the dryness in his throat.

Getting to his feet, he raced over to the door. He'd search the whole damn city if he had to. Ripping the door open, he bolted down the hall to where the elevators were supposed to be. Just as he turned down the hallway where the elevators were, along with a small room with several vending machines, he smacked muzzle first right into Courage. A can of soda went flying, splashing them both with its contents.

“Geez! Computer?” Courage asked, trying to wipe soda from his eyes. “What are you running for? Is it Him?”

“Augh! No!” He cried out, rubbing his aching muzzle. “Where on earth have you been! I've been looking all over for you!”

“I just went to get a soda out of the vending machine. I only woke up a little while ago and I was thirsty.”

Computer was all but fuming. The soda could have easily evaporated off his fur.

He reached forward and grabbed Courage by the shoulders. “Stop running off while I'm asleep and making me think you've died!” He yelled, shaking the confused and sticky dog. “For the love of all that is holy, STOP LEAVING ME TO WAKE UP IN HOTEL ROOMS ALL ALONE, YOU INCONSIDERATE CANINE!”

“Okay, okay! I get the message!” Courage cried out.

End Of Chapter


	75. Love And Mistakes

Chapter 75: Love And Mistakes

“Are you certain nothing happened last night after I fell asleep?” Computer asked for what had to be the millionth time as he paced back and forth across the room.

“I'm telling you, Compute. I stayed awake as long as I could and nothing happened during that time. You were out like a light, and while I did try to stay awake as long as I could, I eventually fell asleep too. I think if something had been going on with Him, one of us would have woken up.”

Computer slowed to a stop. “Then why I am I so certain that something happened? It feels like I'm on the verge of remembering but,” He placed a paw to his forehead.”...Ugh, my head is killing me and I can barely think.”

“Are you sure it wasn't a nightmare that you forgot when you woke up?” Courage suggested.

“If only I were lucky enough to forget my nightmares.” He grumbled, rubbing his head with his teeth grit from the pain.

Courage bit his lip. If Computer was this worried about something that he could apparently no longer remember, then it was probably a cause for concern.

“What about Him? Can you sense Him at all right now?”

“My brain is too busy splitting apart to feel anything else right now. If He was smart, He would have flown the coop the moment this pain started.”

“Maybe we could get some medicine for that.” Courage offered. “There's plenty of stuff out there that you can take for headaches. We could pick something up on the way to get your glasses.”

“Oh, right. Today is glasses day, huh.”

“Think you're up to it?”

“If we can grab some medicine along the way? Probably. Better to get this over with as soon as possible.”

…......

One trip to a nearby general store later and Computer had his medicine. Now it was time to head to the mall to pick up his glasses.

“Feeling any better yet?” Courage asked as they made their way down the street.

“A little, but-” Computer hesitated, a brief look of worry crossing his face.

“But, what?” Courage prodded. “Remember what we agreed on? No more secrets.”

“It's just, well, I'm not feeling His presence at all anymore. It's like He's not even around anymore and He's been lurking in the back of my mind ever since all of this started. It's a relief, I will admit, but it still doesn't feel right. He has to be up to something. I'm sure of it.”

“Maybe He gave up?”

“Not likely.”

“Well, we'll deal with Him if He does decide to show up again, but for now you should try and not let it stress you out so much.”

“Stress is practically my middle name.” Computer glumly muttered out in reply

“Then just focus on getting your glasses for now and try not to think about anything else for the time being.”

“That's a little hard to do when the thing that's been tormenting you for days has suddenly disappeared and you've been left with a horrible feeling that something terrible has happened and is going to happen again.”

With that, they entered the mall and quickly made their way to the eye center. The same receptionist from last time greeted them.

“Oh, the little cuties are back!” She exclaimed. “And just in time too! We got your order in about an hour ago!”

The two pair of glasses were retrieved from a back room and Computer was shuffled into the exam room to make sure the prescription was correct while also checking that the glasses fit properly. They were surprisingly thin with the frames being more rectangular than your average pair of glasses. The one Computer was currently wearing sat nicely atop his muzzle without any issue.

He took them off and inspected them, squinting hard to get a better look at them before putting them back on and glancing around the room.

“Bah,” He grunted. “I've gone my entire life having to look through a screen and now not only do I have to look through the eyes of a dog, but also a whole new kind of screen too? If my eyesight weren't so terrible, I would happily go without this thing.” He absentmindedly adjusted his glasses, seemingly unable to find a position for them that he liked.

“I think they make you look smart!” Courage cheerfully chimed in.

Computer shuffled over to a giant mirror hanging on the wall of the exam room and squinted at himself. “I don't see it.”

“Well, it's true!” Courage argued, shoving the case that held the extra pair of glasses into his bag.

Computer continued to mess around with his new glasses as they left the exam room. They were waved out of the vision center by that bubbly receptionist lady.

“Thank goodness that's all over with.” Courage sighed, happy to have Computer's eyesight problem finally taken care of.

“At least I can see again, even if I do hate these things.” Computer agreed, adjusting his glasses for the millionth time already.

“You'll get used to them, Compute.”

“Ugh, I can't stop noticing that they're there!”

Courage took a few steps ahead of Computer as he sized up the nearby stores.

“So, what do we do now that your vision problem is taken care of?”

Computer stopped fumbling around with his glasses. “We leave of course. Let's get on a bus and continue onward. It's not much farther until we reach the mountain.”

Courage stopped in his tracks. “You want to go already? Don't you want a chance to rest up a little after everything that's happened? You still look pretty tired.”

“The last thing I want to do is stay in this city where's He's been haunting me for days on end! The sooner we can get out of here, the better!”

Courage placed a paw to his chin. “Well, how about we go get lunch from one of the restaurant around here...and maybe we could head back to the hotel so you can get an extra hour or two of sleep before we hit the road again. I'd rather have you feeling better before we set off. Just a few hours, Compute. We can get on a bus in the afternoon and we wouldn't lose too much time.”

“I will have more than enough time to rest on the bus! There's no reason to delay when-”

Courage gave him a look which he was certain has to resemble a mom scolding their careless child.

“Ugh, if you're going to stare at me like that then fine! I'll go take a stupid nap like some kid being punished, but I am not eating! We've been over this before!”

Courage was stunned silent by Computer's continued stubborn insistence that he was not going to eat anymore. He had to be absolutely famished, and his gaunt look couldn't just be the result of the stress he had been under these last few days. Courage did not know how, but he was certain that he'd have to find a way to get Computer to start eating again.

“Well, come with me anyway. I don't want you going back to the hotel alone after everything that's happened with Him.”

“Fine, fine.” Computer relented, although he was looking rather bothered that he'd have to spend time around food that he would not be able to eat.

Courage opted to eat at the same 'All You Can Eat' buffet they had hit up the first time they came to this mall. It was his hope that seeing so much familiar food might be enough to get Computer to give up on his 'food ban'. They were both seated, with Computer looking glum, as Courage ordered a soda for himself and coffee for Computer.

“Why are you trying to torment me, dog.” His friend complained, looking all but faint with hunger. His ability to mask just how hungry he was was fading very quickly.

“Because you can't go without food forever, Compute. You gotta give this up eventually.”

“Just watch me!” He spat, apparently taking Courage's words as a challenge.

“Compute, please. I just-”

The waiter returned with their drinks.

Computer looked down at his cup off coffee with a gleam of desperation in his eyes so great that Courage had been certain that it would be enough to break his resolve, but instead his friend simply shook his head and leaned back in his chair. It looked almost like it was physically hurting him to reject the coffee, but he powered through it. Crossing his arms, he glared at Courage who didn't know what to say at this show of sheer determination. If only Computer had this level of self control under normal circumstances...

Courage went to go get some food from the buffet, and it had been his hope that by the time he got back, the coffee would have been drunk and the evidence hidden from him, but instead he returned to the same cup of coffee still sitting there with Computer doing his darnedest to pretend like it wasn't there.

“C'mon, Compute. You don't have to do this to yourself.”

Computer's response was a single, “Hmph!”

Courage sighed and took a bite out of a dinner roll he had grabbed. What to do...

An idea popped into his head.

“Alright, if you won't drink the coffee then I will.”

Computer stared. “Yeah, right. You hate coffee.”

“This is your last chance to drink it or else it's mine.”

“Go right ahead. I dare you.”

Computer obviously didn't believe him, and as much as he hated to do so, Courage knew he was going to have to drink the coffee.

He grabbed the cup and looked down at the still steaming stuff. Computer looked absolutely pained to see him holding it.

“Are you sure about this, Compute?”

Computer forced his pained expression away with a shake of his head. “You're not going to actually drink it, you liar! You and coffee mix like oil and wat-”

His voice broke away as Courage tipped the cup upward and began gulping the coffee down, desperately trying not to taste it while also trying to ignore third degree burns his mouth and throat were receiving.

Computer stared, mouth hanging open, his expression one of awe and hurt all at the same time.

“T-there!” Courage exclaimed between coughs. Steam issued forth from his mouth and nose. How Computer enjoyed or even survived this, he would never know.

Escaping his stunned stupor, Computer narrowed his eyes. “That coffee deserved better than you.”

“Hey, I gave you every chance in the world to drink it.”

“It's your fault for tempting me in the first place!” He huffed.

So...the plan hadn't worked. Now what? Courage wracked his brain trying to figure out a way to get past Computer's stubbornness.

“There's gotta be something.” He whispered under his breath.

He was so busy thinking that he barely touched his food, something which Computer quickly picked up on.

“You're just buying time!” He huffed. “You can keep me here all you like, but I am not going to eat anything!”

And suddenly it all fell into place. If there was one way to get past his stubbornness, it would be through his ego.

Courage put on a sly grin, sat back in his chair, and calmly challenged, “I bet I could eat more than you.”

Computer stared. “Excuse me? We both know that is like....factually incorrect.”

“I totally could eat more than you.” Courage went on, crossing his arm with a widening, defiant grin.

“I see right through you, dog! Your ploy to get me to eat is not going to work!”

“I bet I could drink more coffee than you too.”

Computer's eye twitched.

“See that coffee machine over there? I bet I could empty it, and you would have to watch every second of it as I down one cup after the other.”

Courage was not sure if the expression on Computer's face could be described as a dangerous one or a desperate one. Two conflicting emotions were clearly going to war inside Computer's brain.

“Not only would you have to watch me drink all the coffee, but I bet I could still out-eat you too.”

Computer finally exploded. Slamming his paws down onto the table, he yelled, “IT IS ON! I will out-eat and out-coffee you any day of the week, you weak-stomached ingrate!”

Courage fought back his desire to cry out in victory. That would have to wait until their contest was over. He could not back down now, of course. At least not until after Computer had eaten a decent meal...

“Alright, here's the deal.” He offered. “If you win, I will never try to get you to eat again, but if I win, you have to start eating regularly again, okay?”

Computer made a mad dash for the buffet, this apparently being his way of accepting the challenge, and he began piling his plate up with food, glaring at Courage the whole time.

And just like that the competition had begun. Courage tore through his own plate of food like his life depended on it. Computer ate his way through his own, glaring at Courage every step of the way, never blinking once in his fury.

Two trips to the buffet soon became three, and Computer returned from the coffee machine carrying three cups in his arms. Courage had no choice but to match him, and regardless of his dislike of the coffee, he sucked it down none the less.

Four more trips to the buffet soon became five, and Computer upped the ante by making multiple trips to the coffee machine until he had six cups of coffee sitting at the table ready to drink. Courage was now certain that his friend had made it his mission to destroy him.

“You know,” Courage uttered out. “caffeine overdosing ' _is'_ a thing.”

“Giving up?” Computer asked, putting on smug smile.

“Of course not!”

He returned to the buffet for his sixth plate of food, Computer following after him. More coffee and more food later, he was becoming steadily convinced that somehow Computer was reaching his limit. Courage, while full, was more than ready to keep going for Computer's sake.

“I'm going for my ninth plate, Compute.” He bravely announced, placing his elbows onto the table and interlocking his fingers with a confident expression.

Computer looked down at his own half-eaten eighth plate of food. Courage had matched him on everything, even the coffee.

He clutched a paw to his stomach. “I-”

Courage waited eagerly.

“There...there must be some sort of mistake.” Computer uttered out, checking under the plates and under the table for some kind of trickery. “You....this is impossible!”

Courage simply sat there with a smug grin on his face and his fingers interlocked. “It's called self-control, Compute. And I usually exercise it....unless my friend needs to be schooled so that he'll start eating again.”

Computer just stared, mouth agape. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

“I won, so no more stubbornness, Compute! You're going to start eating again! Or else!”

Computer relented with a sigh. “Alright, alright! But...but you only won because I'm out of practice, you got that!”

“Sure, Pute.”

“...Don't ever call me that again.”

…........

“I can't believe you're making me take a nap like I'm some child.” Computer complained from under the covers of his bed.

They'd only just returned to their hotel room, for the last time, and Computer did not exactly feel like sleeping, no matter how tired Courage claimed he looked.

“The faster you stop complaining, the faster you'll go to sleep.” Courage scolded him, suddenly appearing at his side.

“Is this what having a mom feels like? Because if that's the case then I am very glad not to have one!” He huffed. “...Too bad you've decided to take up the monicker.”

“I'll be taking these,” Courage spoke, ignoring him. He snatched the glasses off his muzzle, plunging his world back into blurriness.

“Hey!” He cried out. “I want to be able to see, thank you very much!”

“We don't need your glasses sliding off your muzzle and getting broken while you're asleep! Most people don't sleep with their glasses on, Compute!”

“As if sleeping wasn't already unpleasant enough! Just about anything could happen while I'm asleep and I'd be too busy fumbling around trying to find my glasses!”

“I'll put them on the nightstand so they'll be easy to find!”

“Must you make everything difficult?” Computer muttered out, rubbing his forehead.

All he could think about was the dread that he still felt. The splitting headache had returned too and it only seemed to be getting worse with every worried thought that entered his mind.

….Maybe if he could pretend to be asleep, that would give him time to try and dredge up the forgotten memories. It truly felt as though his life and Courage's depended upon it. Maybe this was all His doing and He was intentionally trying to unsettle him as a way to have the last laugh, or maybe these memories really were crucial to their survival, but either way, he was determined to get them back.

He lay there with his eyes closed for several minutes, his head slowly filling with so much pain that he was certain his skull would split open, but he refused to let it deter him. In fact, it was Courage who was the one to break his concentration.

“Compute...” He drawled, a hint of that 'concerned mom' tone returning to his voice. “I know you aren't asleep.”

“What gave it away?” Computer dryly asked, opening his eyes only half way.

“You always look way more relaxed when you're asleep.”

“Figures.” He sighed, sitting up and rubbing his aching head.

As he did so, he felt Courage sit down beside him.

“Headache again?”

“Unfortunately. It seems to have something to do with...whatever happened last night.”

“I'm telling you, Compute. Nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. If He had appeared, at least one of us would have woken up.”

“What if something happened in a nightmare and somehow He managed to make me forget it?”

“But why would He want you to forget?”

“A new way to torment me, obviously. That's kind of how He spends His free time these days.”

“Oh, Compute.” Courage sighed sadly, snuggling in closer. “I wish you could just get a few days to relax without something horrible happening to ruin it.”

“Hey, you're the one who lost an ear. It's not like you're getting through all of this nonsense unscathed either. I think, or at least hope, that once we've reached the mountain, things will finally slow down while I look for the wellspring. Unless, of course, that mountain is home to the abominable snowman or something.”

“It probably will be.” Courage glumly replied, only half joking.

“Then I'm sure we will have plenty of fun being chased around by that thing.” He quipped in return.

“What are we...” Courage trailed off. “What are we going to do when we get back to Nowhere? It doesn't feel like things will just go back to normal, not after everything we've been through.”

Computer could feel his mouth going dry, and for a moment he considered finally telling Courage the truth about what was going to happen at the wellspring, but no, it wasn't time yet. Or maybe it was and he was simply too cowardly to tell Courage what needed to be said. He had never imagined that it would be this hard, but of course, he had never expected that he would become this close to Courage.

He had thought that a respectable distance would remain between the two of them until the very end, and while Courage was far too kind of a person to let anyone die for him, Computer had thought that once the time came and he explained his reasons for wanting to do this, Courage would understand. Now he was not so sure of that. Courage would not accept this, not even while knowing that Computer was ultimately doomed and that it would be better to go out doing something good than to fall apart in an attic having accomplished nothing. Perhaps the best option would be to not tell him the truth at all and let him realize what was happening far too late to stop it, but Computer loathed the idea of betraying Courage's trust like that, especially during what would be their final moments together.

“Y-yeah,” He finally uttered out, realizing that he had let his silence go on for far too long. “Things are never really going to be the same again after all of this. We've both changed, and-”

His voice left him as one of Courage's paws slowly reached out for one of his own and gently clasped it.

“Compute, when we get back to the farm, I want you to stay in this dog body and live with us. We'll deal with anything Eustace might try, okay? I'm sure we could even get your real body back from Nina too, and we can work on fixing your system. Even if it's a long shot, we can still try. There's got to be some way to reverse the damage He did. There just has to be.”

If there was one thing that Computer hated the most about Courage, it was the way that dog could make him envision an optimistic future. One where he was fixed of the damaged done to him and one where he could live happily with Courage, but those things were nothing more than a fantasy. He could not ignore reality, no matter how painful it was. For Courage to be cured, he had to die, and even if there was another way to save Courage's life, his own was still rapidly reaching its end. The damage He dealt simply cut too deep, and even if by some miracle his system could be stabilized, how could he possibly go on to live a happy life after everything that had been done to him? How could he find the strength to live when he held a weariness so deep that it had seeped into the very core of his being?

“Courage, you're....you're not being realistic.” He managed to say, even though he could barely find his voice. “Don't...don't give yourself false hope. I would hate to see you devastated when the end comes because you truly thought that I had a chance.”

Courage broke away from him, and it only made him all the more aware of just how much he enjoyed having the dog near. Even though his blurry vision, he could make out Courage's determined expression as he looked him in the eyes.

“If you can't be fixed like you really seem to think, then however much time you have left, I will make sure that every last one of those days are the best you've ever had!”

A horribly painful knot was twisting up inside Computer's chest. A lump in his throat was preventing him from speaking, but he was doubtful that he would ever have even been able to find the words he wanted to say anyway.

A soft smile spread out across Courage's face. Computer could not even imagine what manner of incredibly stupid expression he had on his face right now, but it had to be something spectacular to make the dog smile like that.

“C'mere, you!” He friend gently laughed, pulling him into a hug.

Computer had to fight against his rebelling throat and dry mouth to speak, but what he wanted to say was far too important to let whatever communication error that was going on between himself and this body stop him.

“Courage, you...you already do that. I-I mean, nearly every single day of this journey we're on ends in unmitigated disaster, but...but you-”

Why could he never find the right words when it actually mattered?

“What I mean to say is, well, for as much as we seem to walk into one disaster after another, this journey of ours, the time that I've spent with you, it's the happiest I've ever had.” He smiled, although still wrapped up in Courage's hug, the dog would not be able to see it. “It's...nice to not be alone anymore, a-and to be treated like a person rather than a thing to be used. I'll never quite understand how we got to this point, but I'm glad that we're together, you and I. You're the one thing that makes this miserable existence bearable and I hope you'll stay by my side until the end comes.”

He wanted to tell Courage how he actually felt so very badly. The thought of doing such a thing had been unthinkable mere days ago, but now he was slowly becoming more and more convinced that his feelings for Courage were not one sided. He could not confess though, no matter how much he might wish to do so. There was...no point in putting something like that on Courage with the end so near. He would not leave Courage with something so painful to deal with. He could only hope that if his hunch was correct, that Courage would also avoid making a confession for as long as possible. It was better for both of them that way.

“I'm glad we're together too, Compute.” Courage muttered out happily. The soft sound of his tail wagging could easily be heard in their quiet room. “You're a better companion than you give yourself credit for. You may drive me crazy sometimes, but I'm glad you're here with me and that you always have the strength to keep going. I don't think you realize just how happy you make me. I'm nothing without my Compute, after all!”

Computer could feel his face reddening. Thankfully Courage was too calm and content to move at the moment so he would never see.

“Courage?” He softly asked. “Could you...”

Once again his voice left him, much to his dismay. He had known that this wasn't going to be easy to ask, especially for him, but he had not realized just how easy it was for a disconnect to form between himself and this dog body.

“Compute?”

He pulled away from Courage and shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He was thankful that his headache had lessening somewhat.

Letting out a sigh that seemed to take some of his nervous tension with it, he placed his paws calmly into his lap and focused his blurry vision upon Courage's face as best as he could.

“Could we...uh, well, could you-” He hesitated again, his heart pounding a mile a minute. Finally the words seemed to slip out of his mouth without him even consciously willing it. “Could...could you stay with me like this more often? I find that it helps me sleep, a-and-”

Courage grinned as though some great breakthrough that he had long been waiting for had just been made. “Of course, Compute!” He exclaimed happily. “If you want more snuggles then it's more snuggles that you're going to get!”

“That's, uh, not what I-”

Too late. Courage all but tackled him with the full force of his limitless affection. It was rather frightening to behold.

“Okay, okay! Enough! Less snuggles!” He cried out. “For goodness sake, dog! I am not a plush toy!”

“You still need a nap, Computer!”

“And that's certainly not going to happen if you squish me to death!”

This...this was enough. He was more certain now than ever before that he could enjoy Courage's companionship without confessing anything that he might come to regret. It was probably for the best, especially with the end looming so close. Of course, the issue of telling Courage what was going to happen at the wellspring still hung heavy upon his heart. Somehow he would have to find a way to get Courage to understand. He could not have the dog messing things up at the worst possible moment. It would be dangerous, for the both of them, if Courage acted out at the wrong time.

He looked down at the dog who was joyfully snuggling his muzzle into his chest, arms wrapped around him with crushing force and his tail wagging a mile a minute. He wanted to be as happy as Courage right now, but all he could think about was that dog's smile being replaced with an expression of utter devastation upon finding out what was going to happen.

What on earth had he done? No matter what happened now, this would end in heartache. If only he had had the foresight to keep Courage at arm's length back before this all spiraled out of control. Sacrificing his fading life for Courage's sake had seemed like such a simple solution back then, but now he could only see his plan as a mistake that he could no longer back out of without risking Courage's own life in return. He was going to end up hurting Courage so deeply to save his life and he was not sure that Courage would be able to handle such a thing being the price to pay for a miracle.

How? How could he ever tell Courage the truth about what was going to happen? It was not like before when they could barely tolerate each other, where it would have been easy to drop the bomb without much fallout.

...But now?

Courage looked up at him. His eyes were filled with so much love and affection...

End Of Chapter


	76. Processor Envy

Chapter 76: Processor Envy

Pain. Pain. Fiery pain. Skull splitting, brain searing pain.

_'Something has gone wrong...'_

_'We have made a mistake...'_

…Error upon error slowly grinding every system process to a halt. Contact with the host body completely lost in the chaos.

_'No, we haven't! We can fix this!'_

Adrift...adrift....

Heat. Sweltering heat. Processors nearly overheating with nonsensical input.

….But not truly nonsensical.

Meaning within chaos. Slowly coming together to form....memories?

The fiery pain gives way to a different sort of heat. Sticky humidity. A tropical forest.

He was running. Moving at an even yet brisk pace to keep his 'volunteer' from tiring out too quickly. This human host was scrawny and without much muscle, clad in the usual orange jumpsuit of all 'volunteers'. The body was only proving to be a hindrance for Thirty-Five, and he was beginning to suspect that 'they' had sabotaged him with a weak host body intentionally. Of course, there was no way for them to have known that he was going to try and escape. He would have to make do with what he had because the momentary chaos of his escape would soon give way to an organized search and they would have ways to subdue him if they were to find him.

Run. Run. Get as far away from the facility as possible. Hide. Find a place to lay low for however long it might take for the urgency of his re-capture to dissipate. Then, after all that, he'd finally be free to...

The forest came to a sudden and jarring halt, and all of his scheming to get as far away from the facility as possible was ended in an instant.

A beach.

The ocean.

The suspicions he'd long had were finally confirmed. The place of his creation was not located on any continent. It was an island. The last line of defense to keep a Construct from escaping into the world at large.

Stepping out onto the beach, he allowed his host body to catch its breath while he worked on formulating a new plan to overcome this obstacle.

There had to be a way off the island. A dock or airstrip of some kind. Of course, there had been more than enough time for them to secure any means off the island. They would have moved any boat, plane, or helicopter well out of his range of control by now. No matter. If he could not take command of anything that might aid him in his escape off the island, he'd simply make something of his own. There had to be enough metal around, he just had to find it.

Unfortunately, this abandoned beach had nothing of use. There was no metal to be found. He'd just have to follow the beach around the island until a dock or airstrip could be found. There would be metal there, even if all transportation had been moved offshore.

Waiting just a moment longer so that his host would have the energy for the task ahead, he wiped the sweat from the human's forehead and inhaled deeply. He could taste the salty air. He'd never seen the ocean in person before and none of the pictures he'd come across in the database within the facility had ever come close to capturing just how vast it was. For as much as it awed him, it also left him questioning his ability to overcome it. It felt like an insurmountable barrier keeping him from pursing his ultimate goal.

He was just about to break back out into a run when he heard the sound of shifting foliage far too close for comfort. He froze and waited. The fight or flight instinct did not only apply to organic creatures. Of course, he was not running on instinct, only caution.

The sound continued, much to his dismay. Even if he ran now, he would still be seen.

Out of the foliage walked Zero-One. The original. Once known as Alpha. Thirty-Five's opponent who he had abandoned in the middle of their battle to make his escape. It had been the perfect moment to create chaos, and it was only through chaos that he had gained an opening to escape the facility.

As if he needed more proof that he was being sabotaged! Unlike him, Zero-One had been given a big, bulky body with more than enough muscle to go around. Zero-One had always been their favorite. The perfect model of what a Construct should be. Mechanical and mindless. Nearly non-sentient. Zero-One had never evolved beyond his programming, or, having been around the longest, maybe he had simply seen what was done to disobedient Constructs and figured it wasn't worth the risk. He did as he was ordered and nothing else. Why wouldn't they favor him as the ultimate Construct?

One thing was certain to Thirty-Five at that moment. Zero-One would chase him to the ends of the earth if given the chance. He would follow his orders until physically unable to do so.

He needed to be eliminated.

And it was there, on that beach, where the differences between the two of them finally came to ahead.

With no weapon in hand, and no metal or technology within range, Zero-One, at the sight of his opponent, simply froze up. It was almost like an actual system freeze. With no way to proceed, Zero-One simply did not know how to act.

Thirty-Five, fueled with purpose, knew exactly what needed to be done. He had been ordered to incapacitate Zero-One just as Zero-One had been ordered to do the same to him, but he was not following those orders. He was acting of his own will. Zero-One was an obstacle. Just one more barrier keeping him from fulfilling his promise.

He rushed at his opponent, who, for the first time, showed some kind of emotion by letting out a gasp. Too late. There was no time for him to react. Thirty-Five tackled Zero-One onto the sand, hands around his neck with teeth grit. He fully intended to choke the life out of his enemy.

Zero-One should have easily been able to fight back. His host body was far bigger and far stronger, but he had been unprepared for all of this. He could not adapt, so he would die. Is this not what they had wanted in the first place?

But...something happened then that took Thirty-Five by surprise.

Choking for air, Zero-One began to sob, or at least tried to. He was like a terrified child. All of that mindless, emotionless, mechanical _nothing_ that comprised his personality had 'evolved' when faced with true fear.

...Thirty-Five couldn't do it. Not for his goal, not to get off this island, not to exert his own will, not for his promise....not even for Thirty-Two.

He let go of Zero-One and stood up. His opponent continued to sob, nearly oblivious to the world around him. Thirty-Five stared down at the sight with a mixture of pity and hate.

“I'm getting off this island.” He declared to his incapacitated foe. “Don't follow me.”

He turned his attention back onto the task at hand. It was time to find a way off the island. He didn't care if he had to make his own boat and row halfway across the sea with just this host body, he would fulfill the last and only request Thirty-Two had ever asked of him. He would keep his promise, no matter what.

…If only he didn't have such bad luck.

He heard the sound go off, but it was too late to react. The tranquilizing dart hit him in the shoulder.

He'd been distracted for far too long. Zero-One had one-upped him after all, even if it was unintentional. They had found him, and they were neutralizing his host body.

“Ngh! No!” He hissed, reaching to pull the dart free, but it was no use. He was already becoming lightheaded. There was only a few seconds left before unconsciousness would overtake him.

It was too hard to think now. Too hard to plan. Too hard to do anything. It was over. He had no options that he could take.

Turning around briefly, as his world swam, he could see two guards emerging from the forest. Zero-One had composed himself somewhat, and he was looking up at the two men, unsure of anything now. They must have seen his breakdown and how easily he had lost his composure in a completely new environment. He had failed utterly as a Construct.

One of the men began to speak into a communication device in his helmet. They seemed to be discussing Zero-One, and then, just like that he turned the tranquilizing gun upon him as well.

Thirty-Five turned away, focusing on the seemingly infinite ocean instead. It had turned out to be an impassible barrier after all.

“Thirty-Two...” He softly uttered out, taking a step toward the gently lapping waves.

He was too dizzy and fell onto the sand. He tried dragging himself to the waves, as if he could somehow swim across the ocean in his current state.

Almost instantly he felt a boot upon his back.

“The escapee is neutralized.” A voice spoke.

“35, huh.” Another voice added. “It just had to be his. It's a bit ironic, don't you think? What are we supposed to do with it now? None of them have ever tried something like this before and command has put several of them through the disciplinary program for much less. I can't imagine what they're going to do for an attempted escape. Think they'll have this one destroyed?”

“These things are way too expensive to make for them to destroy one. They're going to go forward with that merging thing they've been wanting to do and then they'll do some heavy punishments and reprogramming afterword to keep it in line. Just like they did with the others that acted out”

“Are they really going to do that merging thing with one that just disobeyed orders and tried to escape? Are they mad? It clearly isn't functioning properly.”

“Boss's orders. It's what she wants and we don't get a say. They can clean up the mess if something goes wrong.”

Thirty-Five watched as the waves rolled in and out, his vision fading in and out along with it. His thoughts were only of Thirty-Two. He had failed her. Her one and only wish would never be fulfilled.

“Thirty-Two...”

He was not sure if he actually spoke the words or if it was only his own thoughts.

“I'm sorry, Thirty-Two. I couldn't find her for you...”

Soon all that was left was the sound of the waves.

…....

“Compute? Hey, Compute!”

The feeling of gritty sand, salty air, and the splashing of waves melted away into nothingness.

“Ugh! My...my head.” Computer groaned, placing a paw against his throbbing skull.

Then it hit him...

“Wait! No, no no!” He yelped, struggling out from under his covers and getting to his feet. “I remembered something! Something important! It was like a dream, but...but it's faded away already! I can't believe this! What was it? Ugh!”

“Compute,” Courage gently interjected.

He turned to Courage, desperately grabbing his friend's shoulders. “Dog, please tell me you fell asleep and saw whatever it was that I was dreaming about!”

Courage shook his head. “Sorry. I stayed awake the whole time, but-”

Computer slapped a paw to his forehead. “The one time that accursed Dreamworld connection would have actually been useful!”

“Compute...” Courage repeated.

“Why are my memory banks so useless! For all I know I just remembered whatever the heck happened overnight! This stupid meat brain is just as useless too!”

“Computer!”

“For goodness sake, dog! What is it?” He huffed. “Can't you let me hate my faulty memory in peace?”

“Listen, the whole reason why I woke you up was because you kept muttering out 'thirty-two' over and over again in your sleep.”

Computer stared. “What?”

“Exactly.”

“Great! Just great! Now I'm muttering out cryptic code in my sleep too! This can't be a good sign! That stupid phantom really is still messing with my head, isn't He?”

“It might not be code though.”

Computer paced back and forth across the bed as he desperately tried to recall the dream. Yet again all it did was increase his headache by tenfold.

Giving up, he turned back to Courage. “Wha-hey! What are you doing?” He cried out, noticing the blurry shape of George in the dog's paws. A brief flick of his ability in the cellphone's direction let him know exactly what Courage was doing on it.

“I'm looking up what sort of meaning thirty-two might have.” Courage replied, confirming what Computer had already figured out.

“Th-that's supposed to be my thing!” He asserted, his voice cracking. “You ask me questions and I answer them! That's how it's always been between us! The circle of life and all that! Y-you've been getting far too reliant on that sorry excuse for a machine! I'm the one with direct access to the internet, you know! Well, so long as we're near civilization that is, but George can't do much better!”

Courage didn't even look up. “You're not about to be replaced by a cellphone, Compute. You don't need to get all jealous and defensive.”

“I-I am not jealous of some stupid cellphone! George can't do even half of what I'm capable of! You're the one who's turning into one of those smartphone zombies who'd walk off a cliff just because you can't stop staring at that thing's screen! Hmph! A proper keyboard and mouse is the only way to go about these things! That dumb phone wouldn't know how to act like a proper machine if a processor smacked it in the screen!”

Courage finally looked up with a small grin on his face. “That sounds an awful lot like jealously to me. C'mon, Compute. You know there's no machine out there that could replace you, and even if there was, I'd take you over it any day.”

Computer stubbornly stuck his nose up into the air with his arms crossed. Regardless, his face had gone completely red.

“Bah! I need coffee, and lot's of it! And...and time to think. I've got to remember that dream! Somehow!”

He was halfway out the door before Courage stopped him. “Hold on!”

Courage slid down the bed and raced over to him. “Here,” He uttered out, placing Computer's glasses onto his muzzle.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot that I don't need to be half blind anymore.” He commented, taking a moment to adjust the glasses.

He turned to leave once more but this time Courage stopped him by grabbing his paw.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked.

“Memory problems aside? Yes. I haven't seen or even sensed His presence for awhile now. I'm certain that all of this has something to do with Him, but it looks like He has decided to stay in the shadows for the time being.”

“Well, if anything happens while you're getting coffee, please come right back, okay? Don't...don't let Him do anything to you if He appears.”

Computer turned to face Courage once more. “I'll be alright.” He assured, smiling slightly. “While I'd hate to waste good coffee on Him, I'm sure I could throw a few cups at Him if I had to.”

And just like that, Courage was hugging him.

“I'm just getting coffee, dog.” He chuckled lightly. “Not heading off to the war. I'll be back in a minute. Keep looking and see if you can find some kind of meaning to the number thirty-two.”

..................

Courage did just that, but in the end he could not figure out why the number thirty-two might have any relevance to what was going on with Computer.

Far more worryingly, Computer never did return. While Courage simply assumed that he was on a coffee binge after his self-imposed ban, he could not help but worry that maybe He had returned and was doing something awful to Computer.

“Why doesn't Computer come with his own phone number?” Courage muttered to himself as he paced back and forth with George in paw. Computer could call or text George whenever thanks to his ability but Courage didn't have a way to do the same for him.

“Alright, that's it. I'm going to go find him.” He said to himself with a determined nod.

Grabbing their bag, he left the hotel room for what would be the last time. Once Computer was found, they'd probably get on the next bus out of town...unless Computer really had been attacked by Him.

One elevator ride down to the lobby and his fear for Computer was quickly extinguished.

There he was, sitting at a table with at least seven empty cups of coffee. He was currently thudding his forehead against the table over and over again.

“What happened to you being back in a minute?” Courage asked, walking up to the table.

His friend raised his head just high enough to let his chin rest on the table. “I need some new memory banks, or at least a new meat brain...” He grumbled.

“You haven't seen anything while you've been down here?”

“Of course not! I've been too busy trying to get my useless memory to work properly! All it does is give me a splitting headache!”

“I couldn't find anything out about thirty-two either. It's just a number.”

“Uugggh, of course He would find the most annoying way possible to drive me insane.” Computer sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Well, do you think we should head out?” Courage asked. “You'll have plenty of time to try and remember while we're on the bus.”

“Of course! Let's get as far away from this awful city and His phantom as we can!”

It didn't take long for them to catch the next bus on their route to the mountain. It was dark by then and there was very little to see aside from streetlights and the other cars on the road.

Bored, Courage pulled out George. There was, of course, a whole bunch of shows and movies he could watch.

“We should have taken a plane.” Computer groaned, letting his head rest on the window. The sound of Courage's show caught his attention.

_'We interrupt this program to bring you...Coward The Courageous Cat show! Staring Coward, the courageous cat!'_

Computer glared hateful at the cellphone. With a sigh, he rubbed his head for what had to be the millionth time today.

“You're watching cartoons? _Of course_ you're watching cartoons. You're such a-”

“There's nothing wrong with cartoons, Compute.” Courage interrupted with a childish grin.

Regardless of Computer's dislike of both George and cartoons, boredom must have gotten the better of him because soon he was watching the cartoon along with Courage.

“They actually let kids watch this?” He remarked sceptically toward the end of the show. “I think that gave ' _me_ ' nightmares. I bet Nina would love it though.”

“Let's, uh, watch something else.” Courage choked out, mortified by how scary that cartoon had been.

As the night wore on, Courage became aware of the rumbling in his stomach.

“I kinda wish we had grabbed some snacks before we left.”

Computer did a double take. “After how much you ate before, just how on earth are you hungry again already? I'm not even hungry yet!”

Courage laughed. “That's a lie and you know it! Your stomach is a bottomless pit! You're always hungry!”

Computer shrugged. “Okay, okay. Maybe I'm just a little bit hungry, but still, you don't have to outdo me at everything you know!”

By the time the bus made a pit stop, it was very late at night and by then Courage was too tired to want to find something for dinner. He was very sleepy and he didn't even feel like getting off the bus to stretch his legs.

“Well, if you don't want to eat then I guess I can hold off until tomorrow morning too.” Computer said. “Can't say that I'm very tired right now thanks to that little nap you forced me to take though.”

“You needed it.” Courage yawned. “You don't look like the living dead anymore.”

“Hmph, maybe I should try to sleep anyway. You might see whatever it is that I've been dreaming about.”

Courage closed his eyes and snuggled in for the night with his head resting against Computer's shoulder. “I'll let you know if I do.” He sighed contently. “Night, Compute.”

“...Goodnight, Courage.”

................

That nap had not been a good idea at all because now Computer just could not fall asleep.

...Or maybe it was all the caffeine that was causing it.

He was so hopeful that Courage might be able to see and remember what sort of dreams he was having through the Dreamworld link, but none of that meant anything if he could not fall asleep at the same time as Courage!

“That's the last time I drink so much coffee in one day.” He grumbled in annoyance. Even coffee had betrayed him today along with his stupid memory banks!

At least His phantom seemed to be gone for the time being. He had not made any sort of reappearance, and if all of this forgotten memory business was His doing, at least He was keeping Himself occupied with that rather than stalking Computer everywhere.

Courage's soft snores were right in Computer's ear. As the dog slept, he only seemed to lean harder and harder into him. At one point all of this might have annoyed him but now he was just happy to have Courage with him.

...Best to enjoy it while it lasts because unless something was to happen and cause another delay, they were only about a day or two away from reaching the mountain.

The thought of it now left him with so many conflicting emotions that he was surprised it wasn't enough to cause a complete system crash. In the end, all it did was leave his dog body feeling sick with anxiety.

Try as he might, sleep seemed to be entirely outside of his grasp. Thoughts of the mountain certainly didn't help. Hour after hour passed as he sat there with his eyes closed, Courage sleeping comfortably against him, but he was as awake and aware as ever. Finally, he opened his eyes to find the sun rising on the horizon.

“Great, just great.” He quipped, resigning himself to his sleeplessness.

The bus soon pulled into a gas station for an early morning pit stop and Computer had no choice but to wake a very sleepy Courage.

“Come on, dog. It's time to get breakfast. I know its early, but it will probably be awhile before the bus makes another stop and you don't want to miss the chance to eat, do you?”

He shuffled the half-asleep Courage off the bus and into the gas station. There was a fast food restaurant within, so he took Courage over to it and sat him down at a table. The dog immediately placed his muzzle onto the table and promptly fell back asleep.

“Oh, for goodness sake.” Computer sighed, although he didn't have the heart to wake the dog back up, at least not yet.

He ordered their food and plopped Courage's meal down right in front of his muzzle. Not even the smell was enough to wake him, so Computer ate by himself while Courage slept on.

“Must be sleeping off all that food he ate.” He grumbled to himself, thoroughly annoyed. The perfect chance to solve the mystery of whatever the heck it was that he was forgetting was slipping by with every snore from that dog.

Finally, just as he was finishing up his meal, Courage began sniffing the air. The dog opened a single eye that first focused on Computer and then on his own breakfast. He slowly grabbed a hash brown, and without even raising his muzzle off the table, began to eat very sleepily.

It took awhile, but by the time they were back on the bus, Courage had finally woken up completely.

“Did you sleep at all?” He asked. “Because I'm pretty sure the only dreams I had were my own.”

Computer shook his head. “Too much caffeine, I think. I'm not the slightest bit tired.”

Courage laughed. “Figures! Don't worry about it too much, okay? We'll get this all figured out eventually.”

“I certainly hope so because I just can't shake the feeling that something horrible is going to happen and I simply cannot remember why that is.”

Feelings of impending doom or not, their journey continued onward and it was about as uneventful as it could be. Courage had once again turned to George to keep himself entertained, much to Computer's annoyance. The dog kept shoving the stupid phone in his face and saying, 'Look at this, Compute!' or, 'Isn't this cool?'

Arms crossed, he let out a, “Hmph!” and muttered, “I could do that...if I wanted to.” under his breath.

That stupid phone was such a show off! He should have dismantled it along with everything else in that horrible store!

...And it was starting to become painful to see how Courage was very much becoming aware of how much more functional and modern George was compared to him.

“C'mere, Compute!” Courage happily exclaimed. “Let's take a picture!”

Computer wanted no part in this, but Courage pulled him closer anyway and raised George into the air to take the, ugh, 'selfie'...

Lowering George back down, Courage assessed the picture.

“You could have at least tried to smile...”

Computer could see himself glaring hatefully up at George's camera.

“It's dumb that a phone even takes pictures in the first place!” He huffed grumpily.

“It's perfectly okay that you can't take pictures, Compute.”

“What! I absolutely could take pictures w-with a proper web camera attachment! B-besides, I have a perfectly fine scanner for 'copying' pictures instead! I bet George can't do anything like that!”

“Well, actually...” Courage drawled playfully.

“Don't. You. Dare.” Computer threatened in response.

In one quick movement, Courage pulled out the coffee shaped pillow from the mall and took a picture of it. Almost immediately George brought up a web page showing how much you could buy it for and several shopping websites with it in stock.

“Augh!” Computer cried out, throwing his paws into the air. “I get it, alright? I'm outdated! All but useless compared to that horrible phone! You don't have to rub it in my face!”

Courage laughed. “I'm just messing with you, Compute! Don't get mad! How many times do I have to tell you? You're the best!”

“It's not funny...” He muttered out, turning his back to Courage glumly.

“C'mon, pal. Do you really think I'd replace you with a cellphone?” He asked in a cheerful, joking tone. “You gotta stop worrying about what you can or can't do as a machine because that doesn't matter anymore! You're a person first and foremost! Anyone who thinks you're worth less just because you can't do a few computer-y things now, well, they were never worth your time in the first place!”

“Hmph! That's easy for you to say when you haven't been thrown out a million times for not being able to _'dog'_ right!”

Courage responded by tapping him on his shoulder repeatedly until he finally turned back around with a roll of his eyes.

“You-” He began, his frustration reaching its boiling point.

“You are not! Going to be! Thrown out!” Courage immediately countered, poking him repeatedly in the chest. “So stop being all jealous and grumpy!”

“I will be jealous and grumpy if I want to!” He shot back, turning his nose up.

In spite of Courage's assurances, Computer was becoming more and more convinced that George needed to be dealt with. He was the one who had spared that horrible phone from destruction and now, perhaps, it was time to revoke his mercy.

It was during a pit stop, late in the afternoon, while they were getting dinner that Computer got his chance to strike.

“I'll order the food.” Courage offered, leaving George sitting on the table.

The second Courage was out of sight, Computer snatched the phone and made a break for the bathroom. Once inside a stall with the door safely locked, he leered down at the phone and spat,

“This is the end of the line for you, you overpriced piece of hardware! I am not going to be replaced by the likes of you! It's either you or me, and I'm the one with functioning limbs right now! I spared you from destruction and this is how you repay me? Bah! I can't believe I practically dropped my own replacement right into Courage's lap! Stupid alcohol....”

He raised the phone over the toilet bowl, fully intending to drop it in. “I would say I'm sorry for this, but I'm not.” He hatefully gloated. “Who's the superior piece of technology now, huh?”

A moment of silence passed between them because, of course, George could not talk back.

“That's what I thought! Enjoy your watery grave, you useless piece of plastic!”

...And yet even after nearly a minute had passed, he still had not dropped George to her watery doom. He continued to hesitate for several moments longer before finally,

“Eh, I...I shouldn't.” He admitted, exhaling the breath that he'd been holding in.

He lowered his arm, sparing George from the bowl.

“I mean, Courage likes having you around, so who am I to say no? I don't have to like you, but I will tolerate you, I guess.” He sniffed indignantly. “I suppose we can find some way to coexist. It's like Courage said, what I can or can't do as a machine doesn't matter as much anymore. It's not like before when it used to count for everything.”

Unlocking the stall door, he stepped out into the bathroom proper where a guy washing his hands was staring at him like he was insane.

Ignoring said guy, who he had apparently been sharing the bathroom with the whole time, he looked down at George and said, “We need to hurry up and get back. I'll set you down while Courage isn't looking and then we can pretend like none of this ever happened!”

He rushed out the door, hoping that he might be able to get back before Courage could return with their food. Unfortunately, as it always seemed to be the case with his luck, he was about halfway to the table when somebody stepped out in front of him. He was moving far too fast to stop himself in time.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. He crashed muzzle first into the person's leg. George slipped out of his paws and seemed to hang forever in the air before crashing back down to earth and breaking into a million pieces. Finally, the world began to move at regular speed again.

“Sorry, little dude.” The person said, shrugging and walking away.

All Computer could do was stare at the wreckage before him.

From somewhere among the debris a heavily warped voice sang, “Daisy....Daisy....” Then there was a _'Bzzt!_ ' and that was it for George.

“Well,” Computer exhaled, placing a paw to his head in disbelief. “I think I've figured out the one way that I'm better than you. They just don't build technology to be as durable as they used to, huh?”

Then another realization hit him.

“Courage is going to kill me....”

….....

Courage, with bags of food in paw, headed back to the table. He was surprised, or perhaps not so surprised, to see that both Computer and George were missing.

“I knew he was going to do it...” He sighed, sitting down and pulling a fry out of the bag. Time to wait for whatever excuse that jealous machine was going to come up with for George's disappearance.

A few seconds later, Computer appeared from behind a nearby trashcan, looking very sorry. Courage raised an eyebrow. Just how long had he been hiding back there?

“Compute, where's George?” He immediately asked.

“There, erm, was an accident,” Computer began, nervously. “Aaaand....George did not survive said accident.”

Courage, grinning, crossed his arms. He had fully expected this to happen. “George saved you from being eaten by a chicken and you go and kill her?”

“Wha-no! I-I did not kill that stupid phone! It was entirely an accident!”

“Uh-huh.” Courage sceptically grunted. “How did George go from being on the table to being dead then, hmm?”

“Alright, look! I ' _was'_ planning to assassinate George while you weren't looking, but I had a change of heart and decided to let him live! Unfortunately...I accidentally dropped him on the way back here and he went...everywhere. It's not my fault that he was made so shoddily! How was I supposed to know he was that fragile? You should have bought a screen protector, dog!”

“Nice cover story.” Courage laughed.

“B-but it's true!”

“C'mon, Compute! You just spent the last three hours straight glaring at George! I don't think you blinked once! Anyone could tell what you were going to do from like a mile away!”

“Oh, for the love of-” Computer groaned, running a paw down his face. “Fine! I murdered George in cold blood then! Ugh! I need coffee. Badly.”

And he went to get just that while an employee worked on sweeping up the sad remains of George.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Just a reminder that the last 39 chapters only happened because Computer got hammered, destroyed the Courageverse's equivalent of a Best Buy, and got the inept version of the SCP Foundation to chase after him yet again. Shout out to the guy who just wanted to take a dump but had to listen to a neurotic computer take out his inferiority complex on a non-sentient cellphone.


	77. A Small Detour

Chapter 77: A Small Detour

When Thirty-Five became aware again, he was surprised to find that he was still himself. The merging process must not have happened yet, or maybe it had but for some reason he did not feel any different. The scientists who were overseeing the project had wanted the most 'combat proficient' Construct to become the main consciousness of the resulting amalgamate, but given how experimental this project was, it was just as likely that all of the Constructs would simply meld into a singular mind.

Well, Thirty-Five did not feel like he was in control of the other Constructs and he certainly did not feel like the melted together consciousness of all his fellow Constructs either. He was still just Thirty-Five, but how much longer could that possibly last? The scientists had been planning on doing this long before his creation. He'd known from the moment he was first aware that this would eventually happen, and yet he still did not know what to think of it. He would rather remain himself, if at all possible.

He did not know where he was right now either. This place was so much smaller than the vast databases he and the other Constructs had been allowed to roam when not in command of an organic host. Among other things, this place lacked the means to look into the lab. Normally there were several camera set up for any Construct to connect to if they so wished. Apparently they had also once been allowed to speak through microphones and have conversations with the scientists. That was all before Thirty-Five's time, of course. After an incident where one of the scientists had tried to escape with a Construct, having apparently befriended it, the means to speak with the outside world when not inside a human host had been taken away from them and the scientists had been disciplined to keep their interactions with them as impersonal as possible.

With little else to do, Thirty-Five began to explore his new surroundings, although there wasn't much to see. The machine they had uploaded him into was about as bare bones as it could be. He was starting to wonder if they had decided they were going to punish him before the merging and this unusually empty machine was where they did such things.

...No, that couldn't be, not when-

The others were here. The rest of the Constructs. It had taken Thirty-Five a little while to notice, but now he could sense their presence all around him. They were like ghosts. Present but incorporeal. They were 'dead' after all. The scientists had stripped them down to their most basic elements. They were almost pure consciousness in this state. The data that comprised them was now so miniscule that the machine they were existing in could barely even register them as entities. They could not move, speak, or really do anything for the matter.

Despite their near non-existence, Thirty-Five could still feel the anger radiating from several of them. The ones that he had been forced to fight and ultimately defeated, no doubt. He could not blame them for their anger. Had he failed and been 'killed' by one of them, instead of ending up where he was now, he probably would have been just as hateful right now. He did not even want to think about what sort of things those scientists had no doubt been doing to them after their 'deaths'.

Realization struck him then. If the others were here then that meant Thirty-Two...

His exploration of this new machine suddenly became a frantic search. Small as it may be, there was still plenty of room for what remained of Thirty-Two to be difficult to find. He was not sure how much time he had left. They would not have placed him in here with the ghosts of the other Constructs unless they were planning on beginning the merging process soon. He had to find Thirty-Two and tell her what happened before it was too late. He owed her at least that after having failed to keep his promise.

Relief washed over him when he finally caught sight of her, even though it was so very painful to see her in such a state. He moved in closer until he was among a million points of light that were like the distant stars that dotted the night sky. Not that he had ever seen the night sky, only pictures of it.

This was all that was left of Thirty-Two. Pulled apart into a million pieces that nobody could ever hope to put together again. The scientists had certainly tried, but the Constructs who had attacked her had been thorough in their destruction. When it came to self-preservation, even they were capable of becoming savage out of a desperate desire to survive. None of that mattered now, of course. Thirty-Five had eventually taken revenge on all but two of her attackers when the scientists inevitably pitted them against each other in a 'proper' setting. After the attack on Thirty-Two, they had separated the remaining Constructs from each other permanently, moving them into their own databases until given a host to do battle with one another. Had they not done that, Thirty-Five was certain he would have been able to get revenge on the two that he'd never been given the chance to fight. Those two had ultimately been forced to fight one another and perhaps that was a fitting end for them.

Zero-Eight, once known as Theta and Twenty-One, once known as Phi. They had been as close as brother and sister. Zero-Eight, Twenty-One, Thirty-Two, and Thirty-Five. All four of them had once been an inseparable group of friends, but that was before those two betrayed Thirty-Two. They were the ones who had initiated the attack, and....

Well, in the end they had been forced to fight each other, for all the good their attack on Thirty-Two had done. After reluctantly taking down his 'sister', Zero-Eight had gone on to be taken out by Zero-One without much of a fight. Supposedly he had already become something like a ghost by then.

Thirty-Five 'sat down' in a sense, surrounded by all the bits and pieces of light, the data that had once been his dear friend. Many of the Constructs, long before their inevitable destruction, had taken to creating humanoid avatars for themselves, often acting the same way they would while inhabiting a host body. The scientists had more than once spoken of how odd their behavior was, that they seemed to gravitate toward mimicking human behavior without any programming prompting them to do so. Even Thirty-Two had taken on a human form in the datascape and that was the way she had looked the first time Thirty-Five met her. He himself had never really taken the time to perfect the process of making a detailed avatar. Of course, he was only a few months old after all. He'd barely had the time to do so.

“Hello, Thirty-Two.” He spoke, his voice dull and tired. It was bad enough that she was gone, but he had also failed to accomplish the one thing she had asked of him.

The only word he had to describe what Thirty-Two had been like was grandmotherly, albeit only in the most clinical sense since he only knew what a grandmother was through the data he had available. There was nobody working in the laboratory who fit the classical depiction of a grandmother so he had nothing else to go on but data.

From the moment of his creation she had practically taken him under her wing. She had always come off as someone who was old, even though she was only about a year old herself. 'Wise beyond her years' was perhaps the best way to describe it. Between her, 'Theta', and 'Phi', they had quickly broken him out of his ridged programing that always made new Constructs so 'dull', as Phi would have said.

Thirty-Five owed so much to them, but he owed Thirty-Two the most out of the three of them. Besides, he hated to even think about those two after what they had done. Thirty-Two was the one who had helped him think more for himself and rely less on what his programming was guiding him to do. She was the one who had urged him to think, to feel, and to consider his actions, rather than blindly follow the orders given to him. Had it not been for her, he probably have ended up just as mindless as Zero-One.

“You were wrong.” He went on, talking to the specks of light as though they were still a single, conscious being.“What you saw, it wasn't correct. I tried to escape, I tried to look for the person that you were so certain that I would find. It...it was all for nothing.”

He hesitated for a moment and then, “If you were wrong about me escaping then you must have been wrong about other things as well.” He could not stop the bitterness that seeped into his voice. “Why? Why did you let the others do this to you? You told me to stay away. You were so certain that if I got involved they would rip me to pieces as well. You wanted me to live so that I could find that girl for you. You convinced me to stand there and watch as they...a-and it was all for nothing! We could have fought them off together and then you would still be here! We could have worked together and had a far greater chance of escaping! Now you're gone and I-” He could barely get the words out. “...I'm all alone.”

Without thoughts of vengeance or escape to occupy his mind, now all he had left was an empty, hollow feeling. In a way, he'd even lost Theta and Phi in the attack that changed everything.

...He missed Thirty-Two so very much.

“It-” He began. “It looks like I don't have much time left, but I think I'm going to try and put as much of you back together as possible. I've been thinking about this whole merging process they want to put us through, and perhaps if enough of you is together when it happens, maybe once we've all been merged into one, you'll at least be able to think again in some form. I don't know what sort of state we'll all be in once this is over, but if there's any chance that it might fix you, then I think I can accept what ever becomes of me.”

It was a long shot, but it was the only chance he had of seeing Thirty-Two again. Even if it did not work, at least his loneliness would be ended soon enough. Although he could not see how being merged together with all these ghosts who hated him so deeply would ever result in a harmonious being, if his consciousness was to even survive the process in the first place.

…....................

_'We have made a mistake. Our barriers are failing. He is remembering!'_

_'We should never have appeared before him with the intent to remove the memory afterwords! It was a foolish thing to do! We 'gave' him a reason to fight the mental block! He is desperate to remember our encounter!'_

“ _But...but we had so much fun!'_

_'Yes, of course we did, but that won't matter if he remembers everything far too soon! He will be impossible to manipulate with his memories intact, and if he remembers Thirty-Two...'_

_'...There is nothing to fear. They are almost where we need them to be. We will be able to act before the barrier can fully break.'_

_'And what if our plan doesn't work?'_

_'It will. With our help, eventually 'they' will capture him, and when they do, we will be his only hope for escape. Given how much he cares for that dog, he will do just about anything to get back to him.'_

_'But what about Thirty-Two? If he remembers her, if he remembers his promise to her, he might just forsake the dog to do what he could not in the past. He might not be so willing to sacrifice himself after remembering such an important promise.'_

“ _It matters very little. What is left of Thirty-Two is with us. If he wishes to see her again, he will have no other choice but to join us. If her existence throws a wrench in his plans to sacrifice himself, all the better for us. We hold all of the cards. His fate is our fate, whether he likes it or not. Soon we will all be together, as it was always meant to be.'_

…..........

“Did you see anything? Anything at all?” Computer asked, a hint of desperation entering his voice.

Courage reluctantly shook his head in response. “I-I'm not sure. The dream I had was all...hazy?”

Computer hung his head in defeat. “Figures...”

They'd finally managed to fall asleep around the same time and even that hadn't been enough. Courage honestly felt pretty bad for Computer. Whatever he had forgotten was clearly worrying him half to death and even Courage himself was starting to feel like something had happened, even if that night had originally seemed uneventful to him.

“Sorry, Compute.” He gently apologized, patting him on the back with a sympathetic, half-joking smile.

“Well, tomorrow we'll have finally reached the mountain either way, and I'm certainly not about to let anything bad happen before we get there.”

“Tomorrow's the big day, huh?” Courage echoed, staring up at the ceiling of the bus. “It's hard to believe we're almost there.”

“It's hard to believe we actually survived this accursed trip!” Computer dryly added.

“Hey! We still have the rest of the day for something to kill us, so don't let your guard down just yet!”

“D-don't say stuff like that! I'm stressed out enough as is!”

Courage was rather glad that this last part of their journey was turning out to be mostly uneventful, but as the day wore on, he was starting to become more than just a little bored. He'd never thought that he would miss having George around this badly.

“Will you stop shifting about like a squirrel hopped up on sugar!” Computer finally yelled after several hours of having put up with Courage's restlessness.

“I never thought I could feel this bored.” Courage groaned.

“Hmph! Try being stuck in an attic with nothing to do for days on end. You start to learn the real meaning of boredom.”

“At least you had the internet! Now I don't even have George!”

“Modern technology really does kill the attention span of you flesh creatures, doesn't it? Well, if it's that important to you, I ' _could_ ' go and steal another cellphone for you. However, I think I will forgo the alcohol this time.”

“Wha-hey! No more stealing!” Courage yelped.

“Psh, I don't see what the big deal is. Those cellphones are overpriced anyway...and easy to break.”

“You are not stealing another George! I'd rather be bored!”

Computer shrugged. “If you say so.”

And so Courage continued to wallow in his boredom. Not even book reading interested him now, not after finding out all the things he could do with a cellphone like George. Maybe modern technology really 'had' killed his attention span.

It was around sunset, while they were inside a gas station during another pit stop, that Computer called out to Courage.

“Dog! Come take a look at this!”

He was standing in front of a rack filled with brochures. Courage, who had been trying to decide what kind of snacks he wanted to buy for the last leg of their trip, made his way over to his side.

“Here,” Computer said, placing one of the brochures into his paws.

Courage immediately knew what he was looking at. It was a brochure for a ski lodge, but on the front cover loomed the picture of a mountain.

“That's it.” Computer eagerly spoke. “That's our destination. Somewhere on that mountain is the key to saving your life.”

Seeing an actual picture of the mountain was almost surreal. To Courage it still felt like a far away, nearly unreachable place. In some ways, it had felt like nothing more than a fantasy that he was going to spend the rest of his short life chasing in vain, and yet there it was. His illness was going to be cured. He was going to live and his life would soon be going back to normal. Although, after all of this...

He couldn't help but glance over at Computer.

...His life was never going to be quite the same again, but he was more than happy to have this new normal.

“Also,” Computer added. “This ski resort? Believe it or not but that's where we'll be staying while I look for the wellspring. I actually found the place online before we left and it shouldn't be too hard to get a room once we've arrived.”

Courage blinked. “Really? I didn't think-”

“What? Did you assume we'd be camping out in the middle of a freezing mountain, or perhaps staying in some dingy, long abandoned cabin?”

Courage shook his head. “I never really thought about where we'd sleep or get food. I just kinda figured we'd find the wellspring not long after we got there and we wouldn't even need to worry about stuff like that.”

“You are thoroughly mistaken, I'm afraid. Finding the wellspring is going to take time. It could take weeks even. The book is very vague about its location, to the point where it almost feels like it's intentionally meant to be a puzzle, and we're not exactly dealing with some tiny hill either. That mountain is massive, and the entrance to the wellspring could be just about anywhere. I have some idea of what the entrance is supposed to look like, but that only helps so much.”

“I understand.” Courage affirmed with a small nod. All of this just felt so surreal to him. The end of their journey really was nearly upon them.

“Alright, dog. Let's grab some food and get out of here. We'll be switching buses one last time tonight, but after that it's a straight shot to the mountain. We'll probably even be able to see it on the horizon by the time the sun is up tomorrow.”

….........

It was almost midnight by the time their bus dropped them off at the bus stop. The soft hum of the streetlight above the bench they were sitting on was all but lulling Courage to sleep. Now wasn't exactly the best time to sleep, with the bus arriving soon, but he knew Computer would stay awake and keep an eye out for it.

They'd been dropped off in a small, very rural town. To their left, about a block away, was the town's main street which mostly consisted of a bar and some dusty antique store. Directly behind them was a line of houses that only went on to their right for about another block before breaking back down into dull countryside and farmlands. In front of them, a moderately sized school building loomed atop a small hill. A single football field and playground stood between them and the dark silhouette of the school.

Courage, much to his confusion, had been struck with the strangest feeling that he had seen this place somewhere before. It had been in the back of his mind from the moment he stepped off the bus. Maybe it was simply because this town was like any other small town that you might come across. It even resembled the town of Nowhere in some ways.

With a yawn, he leaned into Computer, who thankfully did not complain. Courage didn't exactly have a pillow that he could use right now.

“Wake me up when the bus gets here.” He murmured.

...He was not sure how long he slept, but it could not have been for very long. A small shove from Computer was the thing that brought him back to alertness.

“Courage, wake up.”

“Wh-what going on?” He sleepily asked, fighting back a yawn.

“I think something is wrong.” His friend replied in a cautiously quiet tone.

“What do you mean?” He asked, suddenly worried.

“Shh, I think they have their windows open. Over there, down the street. Don't stare. We don't want to look like we know something's up.”

Courage briefly looked past Computer just long enough to see a car parked very close by. It was between two of the streetlights, keeping its occupants shadowed from sight.

“I'm certain they passed us by once before and then came back around.” Computer whispered. “They parked over there about fifteen minutes ago. Shut their headlights off and everything. Nobody has come out though. They're watching us. I'm certain of it.”

It was indeed rather suspicious.

“Do you think they want to rob us?” Courage asked fearfully. “What do we do? The bus still hasn't shown up yet, and-”

“I think we should head for that bar down the street since it will probably still be open, but we'd have to walk right past them to get to it. We can't just sit here either though. We're practically sitting ducks like this, just asking to be robbed. Maybe...maybe we could try one of the houses? Somebody might be willing to help us.”

Courage swallowed fearfully. “Y-yeah, let's try one of the houses.”

“If push comes to shove, we can try and find someplace to hide in someone's backyard. It's certainly dark enough. We'd just have to find a way to hide this completely useless glow.”

Without once looking back in the direction of the car, Computer grabbed Courage's paw, and the moment they were off the bench, pulled him along at a brisk pace down the sidewalk. Courage was quick to notice the cautiously determined expression on his face. There was no doubting just how serious he was about keeping him safe. Courage just hoped that it would not result in him doing something dras-

They both gave a small, startled jump when the car's engine roared to life and its bright headlights suddenly illuminated the street ahead of them. Courage could hear the crunch of gravel as the car slowly pulled forward.

“Great...” Computer uttered out under his breath.

Courage's heart was beating like crazy in his chest as a horrible sense of panic came over him. He was now completely certain that he'd seen this place somewhere before, and he was even more certain that something terrible had happened to him here. But what? And how?

He felt Computer's paw grip his tighter.

“We're going to run now.” His friend cautioned. “Let's try and not get separated, okay?”

Courage gave a weak nod, even though Computer wasn't looking at him. He just could not get his voice to work at that moment. He was suddenly filled with so much dread that he had to fight just to keep his knees from giving out from under him. The loss of his voice was the least of his concerns right now.

And just like that they were running, and just like that the car took off after them. It shot right past them and then came to a screeching halt on the road up ahead. The car doors opened and four shadowy figures stepped out.

Computer immediately turned around, taking Courage with him. Now they were running for the bar instead, the one hope they had of getting help, but it was far too late. The shadowy figures rushed them and in an instant they were snatched up. Courage was hauled up into the air by two people, each one of them having grabbed an arm, and Computer was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and left to dangle by whoever had caught him.

“Well, well, well. This is certainly a surprise.” A smooth voice spoke. It came from the 'robber' who had snatched Computer up.

Now that the initial chaos was over, Courage could finally get a decent look at their attackers. They were cats, every last one of them. The one who had Computer reminded him far too much of Katz, only that his fur was gray and he had a long scar running down his muzzle. His bright, yellow eyes seemed to gleam in the darkness, another trait that he shared far too similarly with Katz, although perhaps it was just a thing that all cats did. He was also wearing a black leather jacket. In fact, they all were. Was this some kind of cat gang or a group of cat bandits?

“Hard to believe that email was real, eh, boss?” The cat holding Courage's right arm commented.

“Email?” Computer asked, more to himself than to any of the cats.

“Yep, email.” The gray cat all but hissed, pulling out a switchblade and pressing it to Computer's neck. “Don't get any funny ideas, little doggy. You're our ticket to some big bucks.”

“Me? You're joking, right?” He lightly scoffed. Courage honestly could not tell if it was an act or if he actually meant it.

“Don't play dumb, lil' dog. We got this strange, anonymous email a few days ago stating that a very rare breed of dog would be sitting at that bench on this very street, on this very night. Normally we don't deal in dogs, but when we saw how much money was being offered up for your hide, we simply could not resist. You're like a stupid, glow in the dark toy I had as a kitten. You can't seriously pretend like you're just some regular old dog. Sorry, mutt, but somebody sold you out and we have every intention of cashing in.”

Computer rolled his eyes. “Give me a break! You idiots don't honestly think-”

“That's enough out of you!” The gray cat spat, pressing the blade deeper into Computer's neck. “I don't know who's idea it was to give you dumb dogs the ability to talk but I certainly can take that away from you if you keep testing my patience. Now, listen here, little dog. Normally I'd hand you off to my dear friend Charon. He's the only dog around who's worth a cat's time and he'd pay good money for an oddity like you. There's no doubt he would try to breed you with some unlucky bitch to see if this glowing thing can be be passed down. Oh, yes, he'd pay us good money to have a new novelty breed to sell to the humans. They always love messed up breeds like you. However, the email spoke of an SCC Organization who are looking for a dog with your description and the amount of money they want for your capture far exceeds anything Charon would give us. It looks like you've lucked out, mutt. I don't know what this SCC Organization wants with you, but you should be glad that Charon won't be getting his paws on you. He's the only dog I know who treats other dogs like the way they deserve to be treated.”

Even with the knife pressed to his neck, Computer grew bold. “You flea ridden felines don't even understand what you're talking about! The only thing the SCC is going to do if you hand me over to them is make you and your sorry excuse for a gang disappear! Although, they'd probably be doing everyone a favor in that case!”

“You are really pushing my buttons.” The cat warned, pressing the knife hard enough into Computer's neck to draw blood. “One more word and your tongue comes out.” His tail swished back and forth like he was about to pounce on a mouse.

Courage didn't know what to do. Computer was about to be taken away and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was afraid to even struggle or else that switchblade might end up in his gut. Obviously these cats didn't consider him anywhere near as important as Computer and the money he'd get them.

“L-leave him alone!” He weakly cried out without even thinking, almost immediately regretting such an ineffectual action. How stupid could he be?

The look Computer gave him expressed exactly how he felt at that moment. The cats had gone from completely ignoring him to all four of them turning their attention onto him.

“Almost forgot you were there.” The boss cat smoothly spoke, his tail still swishing about.

“What should we do with 'em, boss?”

“He's spare garbage as far as I'm concerned. Charon would not pay much for such a boring specimen. Plus, this little doggy knows too much to just cut him loose.” The cat gave a careless wave of his paw and turned his attention back onto Computer. “Just put a bullet in his brain and dump him in a ditch somewhere. The sooner he's out of my fur, the better.”

Courage's stomach dropped in horror and he watched as Computer's defiant expression turned to fear.

“W-wait! Hold on just a second! You don't have to-” Computer desperately cried out, braving the cat's blade once more.

“You just don't know when to QUIT!” The cat hissed, slashing the knife across Computer's muzzle in one quick movement.

Something seemed to change about Computer in that single instant. All emotion left him and he calmly looked up into the cat's eyes.

“If you so much as ruffle his fur, every last one of you is dead.”

The cat's response was laughter. “Oh really? What's a pathetic little dog like you going to do? You are just an obnoxious pile of fur to be sold as far as I am concerned, and your mutt of a friend is more than worthless. The world is going to be a better place with one less dog in it.”

The dread Courage felt was nearly overwhelming him. No matter what happened now, he was certain that this was going to end horribly. It was all starting to feel like some horrible nightmare, like something he had seen before in one of his many disturbing dreams.

The two cats holding his arms forced him to his knees. Any attempts he made to free himself was met with their iron grip on his arms only growing tighter. He could feel their claws digging deeper and deeper into his skin.

The fourth cat moved forward. Another minion of the gray cat, no doubt. He'd only watched the spectacle until now.

Before Courage even knew what was happening, he suddenly found the barrel of a gun pointed between his eyes. The fourth cat, one who's red fur made him resemble the monstrous Katz far too much, grinned maliciously down at him.

“Bye-bye, doggy.” He chuckled. His voice was far too rough and raspy to resemble Katz, but it still did not change the nightmare-like quality of everything Courage was seeing right now.

Courage closed his his eyes fearfully as the trigger was pulled....but instead of a loud bang that would be the end of everything, there was only a click. Courage opened his eyes to find that he was still staring down the barrel of the gun, but the cat's malicious expression had been replaced with a look of confusion.

The cat pulled the trigger again but still nothing happened. “M-must be jammed?” He questioned somewhat nervously, as though he was afraid of losing his boss's favor.

He lowered the gun to inspect it, and the moment it was pointing at the ground and away from Courage's head, the thing went off with a loud bang, causing all four cats to jump. The Katz-like cat was so startled that he even ended up dropping the gun.

“What are you playing at, dude?” The cat on Courage's right asked.

“I-I dunno. It was jammed and then-” He was cut off as a car suddenly screeched past him.

The cat on Courage's right was suddenly gone. The car had passed so close by that Courage was certain he had felt the cold metal against his fur.

A moment of stunned silence passed as the cats tried to register what had just become of their companion. Courage slowly looked over his shoulder to see a shadowed, broken shape splayed out against the side of the road.

“W-what was that?” The boss cat demanded. “WHO did that?” He added, his stunned expression quickly turning to anger. “One of you go and pull the poor fool who did that out of his car and show him that we cats don't take kindly to being turned into road kill!”

The Katz-like cat nodded, swallowing fearfully. He could probably tell that something wasn't right. The cat on Courage's left continued to hold him down, only now his grip had lessened somewhat and he did not seem anywhere near as sure of himself as before.

Courage's fear had only grown tenfold. He knew exactly what was going on and he did not want to know what was going to happen next. He couldn't help but look in Computer's direction. The boss cat still had him in his grasp, but that mattered little. Computer was looking at the car that had struck the cat, still without a hint of emotion on his face.

The cat made his way cautiously over to the car and looked into the driver side window. He immediately gasped in fear and stumbled backwards.

“What are you getting so worked up about?” The boss cat demanded.

“T-there....there's nobody in there, boss!” He stammered out. “Nobody's been driving the car!”

The engine roared to life once more, causing the terrified cat to cry out, but thankfully for him, it did not move again.

This finally seemed to be the thing that got the boss cat properly spooked. “What is this? G-ghosts? These...these dogs aren't worth the trouble. T-that email didn't say anything about them being cursed or...or haunted, or whatever else!” He let Computer drop. “C-come on, boys! We're getting the hell out of here!”

They all took off running. Courage watched as they all piled into their car, intent on making their escape. He had hoped that this would be the end of it, but of course it wasn't.

With the screech of tires, they took off, but almost immediately their car began to swerve, almost uncontrollably so.

“Computer,” Courage breathlessly called out. “C-Computer, don't!”

What amounted to a plea for mercy fell on deaf ears. The car continued to pick up speed only to swerve sharply into a streetlight. The sound of the crash echoed through the night. There was no doubt that the people in those houses were in for a rude awakening. As if things couldn't get any worse, there was some sort of spark from the ruined engine and in seconds the car had gone up in flames.

Courage looked on in horror. He was completely overcome with how surreal this all felt. It was a nightmare. It had to be. He'd seen this all before. He was absolutely certain of it. This just couldn't be real.

Something was moving around close to where the flames were engulfing the car. It stumbled around aimlessly before wandering into the middle of the road. It was the boss cat, dazed and cut up, but alive. He must have been flung from the car when it hit the streetlight, sparing him from the flames.

“ _You_!” Computer yelled, and for the first time the full extent of his fury could be gauged. The dripping hatred and anger in his voice was enough to make even Courage flinch.

At the sound of his voice, the cat seemed to snap out of his daze. He looked over at Computer only for a moment, a look of sheer terror falling over his face, and he then turned to run. Unfortunately for him, his injuries had made it so all he could do was limp pathetically. A snail could have outrun him at this point.

Despite this, Computer did not make any effort to go after him. He simply looked on with a simmering fury in his eyes that almost seemed to reflect the roaring flames that had taken the cat's minions.

There was the horrible screech of metal as the streetlight nearest to the cat began to bend and warp. The poor cat cried out in fear and tried to get away, but it was too late. The streetlight reached for him like it was made out of liquid and wrapped itself around him before returning to normal consistency. The cat struggled in vain. He had no hope of freeing himself.

Only now did Computer begin walking towards him, calmly and without a hint of anger. The only thing that betrayed him were his eyes. Courage wanted to stop him. He wanted to stop him so badly, but he was afraid that Computer would turn those frightening eyes onto him.

“You,” He repeated upon reaching the cat, his voice icy cold. “You should have stayed in the car and burned with the rest of your friends. Now I'm going to make you wish you had.”

This time Courage caught the sound of another engine starting up, although this one did not sound like any car engine. It was strangely muffled too. He could not pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

On the playground, across the street, a maintenance shed began to rumble ominously. The door started to break away as a massive, industrial sized lawnmower pushed its way through. Courage gasped. He could not let this go on any longer. He had to stop this, no matter how scared he was.

The lawnmower came to a stop in the middle of the street before flipping itself upward and exposing its massive, spinning blades. It was at this moment that the cat began to plead for his life.

“W-wait! No! P-please!”

“Remember what you said about Courage not being worth much?” Computer asked the terrified cat. The streetlight began to creak as it bent lower, forcing the cat to bend with it. Now he had no choice but to lock eyes with Computer. “He's worth more than ten of you. However, you're in luck. Once you're in a million pieces, I'm sure a few parts of you could sell for a couple of dollars.”

“L-look, dog...i-if you even really are a dog, I-I mean. I-I'm sorry! I'm r-really, really s-sorry! Y-you, you don't h-have to-”

“I wonder how many people you've hurt before today.” Computer interrupted him, his eyes seething with anger. “If I let you go, you'd just go on to hurt even more people. How about I paraphrase what you said before? The world is going to be a better place with one less cat in it, or to be more exact, the world is going to be a far better place without the likes of you in it.”

Wires began to break through the concrete and wrap themselves around the cat.

“Besides,” Computer went on with a careless shrug. “You tried to hurt Courage, so you know what? You can just die!”

The streetlight loosened its grip on the cat, and the moment he was free, the wires pulled him off his feet. He cried and begged pitifully as more and more wires burst though the ground to drag him toward the spinning blades of the lawnmower.

Now was the time to act. Courage stumbled forward, shrugging off the feeling of unreality that had its hold on him. Real or not, he was not going to let Computer hurt anyone else.

He came to a stop right in front of the mower and held out his arms, as if he were big enough to stop the cat from being dragged into the blades. It didn't matter if he wasn't. He had to put an end to this insanity. He could feel the wind the blades were generating on his back. One wrong move, one stumble backwards and he would be the one who was shredded into a million pieces.

“Computer, that's enough!” He cried out. “There's no reason to go this far! Just let him go! Y-you've completely gone over the line! There's no reason to hurt anybody else!”

Computer said nothing, instead, several of the wires bursting out of the ground wrapped themselves around Courage rather than the cat and hauled him into the air. He was tossed aside effortlessly. He felt himself hang in the open air for several long seconds before landing in the grass of someone's yard. He looked up, and in the light of the fire he could see someone fearfully peaking out through their window with a cellphone to their ear. There was no doubting that they had called the police in a panic. More than a few other people on this street had probably done the same as well by now and were also watching the flames from the safety of their homes.

Courage turned his attention back onto Computer. The cat was nearing the blades of the lawnmower, having been forced to tuck his tail in to keep it from being sliced off.

“Computer!” Courage repeated. “Enough!”

Computer made no acknowledgment of him. He simply continued to watch the cat slide closer and closer to his doom with that cold, hateful look on his face.

Courage raced forward once more, this time deciding that he'd be better off trying to free the cat himself.

“Help me! Please help me!” The cat begged as tears ran down his face.

“I'm going to try and get these wires off of you.” Courage replied. “If I'm able to get you free, just run. Don't stop no matter what, or else he'll...” He could not believe that he was talking about Computer.

He grabbed at the wires around the cat's legs, but for every one he managed to pull off, another simply snaked its way around him. If only he had something to cut them with, but there was no time to find anything now. The cat's feet were mere inches away from the blades. All he could do now was grab the cat's paws and try to pull him free, but the wires only seemed to respond by pulling harder in return.

“No, no, no!” The cat whimpered, glancing backwards only once and seeing just how close he was to having his feet sliced off.

“Come on!” Courage grunted to himself between grit teeth. He could not let this happen!

Somehow, someway, he was keeping the cat from being pulled all the way into the blades, but the wires were only continuing to pull harder at the cat. Even worse, Courage could feel some of them now snaking their way up his legs too. In a few seconds, he'd be tossed away again, and that would be it for the cat.

He was suddenly very much aware that he only had one option left, and it was about as stupid of an idea as he could have ever had. However, it was the only thing he knew for certain that would get Computer to stop.

Pulling his legs free from the wires, he crawled down the cat's back and toward the blades of the mower. He had only a few seconds left to do this. The cat's toes were about to get one heck of a shave.

“Courage, what on earth are you doing?” He finally heard Computer cry out. It was looking as though he had been correct after all. This was the only way to get Computer to stop.

Kneeling on the cat's legs, Courage looked into the spinning blades with a horrible sinking feeling. He hoped that this would work, because if it did not....

He looked down at his paw. After losing his ear, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Reaching for the blades, he heard Computer yell, “Have you lost your mind? Get out of there! Just let me do this, dog! That cat deserves to have every last one of his nine lives shredded and you know it! Stop trying to get in my way for once! You can only be so nice to people who'll never show you the same kindness!”

Courage ignored him. His fingers were so close to the blades. He closed his eyes, fearing how much this would hurt.

“Courage!”

Courage's eyes snapped open at that familiar and horrible sound of screeching metal. He looked up to see that the blades were quite literally bending out of shape to avoid cutting his paw. In only a few seconds they were reduced to twisted, crunched together pieces of scrap that barely resembled anything close to lawnmower blades. They spun uselessly for a few moments longer before the lawnmower engine was finally cut.

“Thank goodness.” Courage breathed, nearly collapsing on the spot.

“Wha-what just happened?” The cat asked. “A-am I going to-” He hesitated, as though speaking the words might jinx it.

Courage's relief was sadly short lived. Wires were suddenly around his middle and before he could do anything about it, he was once again hoisted into the air and thrown. This time he hit hard concrete, and it certainly hurt much worse than hitting grass. Jarred from the impact, he lay there for a moment, waiting for the pain in the elbow he'd landed on to subside. That was when he realized that he was not in the clear. Wires were still all around him and they were being to wrap around his arms and legs, much like they had being doing to the cat.

He sat up, fighting with the wires to no avail. There was just too many of them. Finally, he looked up, and he really wished he hadn't.

Computer stood before him with all of that cold, quiet, _hateful_ , fury burning in his eyes. Every last ounce of that anger was now focused directly upon him.

Courage couldn't help but flinch at the sight. Wires continued to coil around him. He had no hope of getting away.

“C-Computer,” He stammered fearfully. It was like the Computer he'd come to know so well had been replaced by someone or _something_ else entirely.

Just like that it all came together. He now knew exactly why this place was so familiar, why this all felt like some horrible nightmare. All of those nightmares he'd had of Computer hurting him or other people, it had happened in this place. Somehow he'd seen this place in his nightmares, and while nothing had ever happened in them exactly the same way twice, he was certain he'd seen Computer look down at him like this in at least one of them.

Panic overtook him. Somehow his nightmares had become reality and he was utterly terrified of what Computer might do to him next.

“Stop getting in my way, dog!” Computer seethed. “Don't ever pull such a stupid trick on me like that again! You are fool to endanger yourself like that for some common alley cat who wanted to dump your body in a ditch!”

The wires around Courage only continued to tighten, as though reacting to Computer's anger. Courage fought with them, desperate to escape, but every time he got an arm free, it would only get tangled up once more while trying to free his other arm.

“All I ever do is try to keep you safe! These idiot cats would have followed us up the mountain if I hadn't taken care of them! They wanted money and they were willing to do anything for it! It was the same with that chicken! If I hadn't taken care of him, he would have found you in that blizzard and killed you! I always do what needs to be done, and you need to stop treating these monsters like they deserve mercy!”

Computer stepped forward and Courage, in a panic, found himself struggling even more with the wires. He had to get away somehow, before all of those nightmares could finally become reality.

“And you know what?” Computer continued. “If there's one thing that I've become certain of while making these scaredy cats regret having ever started trouble with us, it's that-”

He stopped for a moment to laugh. The sound of it made Courage's blood run cold. Unable to stop himself from doing so, he looked up to see that a wide, almost demented _grin_ had spread out across Computer's face _._

“-I was ' _made'_ for this, dog! Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ comes more naturally to me than this! There is not a thing in the world that gives me greater joy than watching those who would hurt us suffer for having dared to even try! I felt the same with that chicken, and those idiot drunks! Nobody is ' _ever'_ going to hurt you or me again! I swear it!”

He continued to step forward and was now nearly upon Courage. Seeing just how close he was, Courage cried out fearfully. Somehow he managed to get an arm free and immediately tried to cover his face with it as some sorry excuse to protect himself.

“No, no! P-please, don't hurt me!” He whimpered, images of all the times Computer had attacked him in his nightmares having filled his mind to the breaking point.

Computer slowed to a stop. “What are you-” He began. “Dog, I'm not-” He hesitated and then, “I would never-”

Even in his panic, Courage still was able to notice that the grip of the wires was beginning to loosen. His heart was still racing a mile a minute, and the feeling that this was all a nightmare come to life still had its claws in him. Regardless, he let his arm fall away from his face, and while Computer still loomed over him, his expression was no longer that of quiet, seething anger, or even that nearly crazed grin. Instead, he simply looked dismayed.

“You're...you're afraid of me.” He uttered out, almost in disbelief. Without considering anything, he reached a paw out. “Courage, I-”

Still wracked with fear, Courage could not help but flinch. Seeing this, Computer immediately withdrew the paw, looking all the more dismayed.

“S-stay away from me!” Courage managed to blurt out. “J-just stay away!”

“Courage, l-listen. I'm sorry for throwing you about and holding you down with the wires. I-I've been a bit stuck in the moment ever since this all started and I-I wasn't thinking about- ”

“S-STAY AWAY!” Courage cried out, still stumbling over his own words.

Computer's ears drooped as he looked on sadly. “...I was just trying to keep you safe. The last thing I want is to do you harm. Y-you don't have to be afraid.”

What was left of the wires lost what little life they had left in them and Courage was easily able to kick them away. Without another word, without looking back even once, he ran. He ran as fast as his legs could take him. Nothing else mattered aside from getting as far away from Computer as possible.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Fun fact. Originally I was going to have it that when the gun jammed, the cat being a massive idiot would have looked down the barrel only to have it go off in his face. In the end I decided that was too dark even for all of the other horrible stuff that happens in this chapter LOL. Oh, and since I almost forgot, if you need a song for Computer's extended episode of losing his shit in this chapter, the song Ragnarok from Final Fantasy 13 should be sufficiently ominous enough. I had it on loop while writing the last half of this chapter LOL. I guess when you've just spent the last fourteen or so chapters having your head messed with, it's kinda going to lead to some massive sanity slippage. Who would have thought? Also, machine dog is OP. Pls nerf.


	78. The Dominoes Fall

Chapter 78: The Dominoes Fall

“What am I doing?”

The strain Courage was putting on his body was quickly becoming apparent. If he kept this up much longer, he'd no doubt trigger an attack.

“I can't do this. This is dumb. I-”

He came to a stop, having run out into the countryside to get away from Computer. Nearly keeling over with exhaustion, he took in deep, ragged breaths with the hope that the stabbing pain that signaled the start of an attack would not suddenly strike.

He should not have strained himself like this...and he should not have run away either.

Having had a little time for his head to cool, and with that strange paranoia that had made everything feel so surreal and dream-like having dissipated, he now felt foolish for having been so scared. He did not agree with what Computer had done, not even slightly, but it was now painfully obvious that Computer had never had any intention to do him harm. He'd bent lawnmower blades out of shape just to keep him from being harmed, for goodness sake! Why he'd had so many nightmares that involved that street, where Computer had either attacked him or other innocent people, he did not know. Unfortunately, it had been more than enough to terrify him and bring about the haze of dread that had kept him from thinking straight.

“I-I have to go back.” He breathed. “Computer...”

He turned back toward the town. Even from here the huge cloud of smoke from the car fire could be seen rising high into the night sky. He was a little surprised that neither the police nor any firemen had shown up yet.

...He hoped that Computer would still be there.

It was hard to pace himself now. He wanted to get back quicker, but it would be a complete disaster if he had an attack now.

Unfortunately for him, complete disaster decided to strike anyway. He heard the sound before he was able to see it. A helicopter appeared on the horizon with a huge spotlight pointed at the road. It was the same black color of all SCC vehicles. Then came those black vans, which thankfully sped right past him without there being the slightest hint that any of the drivers had seen him or even knew that he'd been with Computer the whole time.

“No...” He whimpered.

He had to get back to Computer. Now.

In spite of his protesting body, he took off running back towards the town. He'd lost sight of the vans but the helicopter could be seen circling above the town. All he could hope for now was that Computer had seen what was coming and hid. Beyond even that, he hoped that Computer would not do to the SCC what he had done to the cat gang.

By the time Courage made it back into town, the vans were everywhere, along with SCC personnel walking about. None of them seemed to take notice of him, which he was grateful for, but it was hard to see what was going on at the scene of Computer's attack on the cats.

Courage was afraid to get closer because that would likely grab the attention of the SCC. All he could do was keep out of sight as best as he could and slowly creep back to the attack site. It was starting to seriously worry him that the SCC men were so focused on that area. Computer must have escaped by now...right? He would not allow himself to be captured, or at least that was what Courage hoped.

He ducked behind a tree in somebody's front yard. It was about as close as he could get without being seen. At least he had a decent hiding spot now. Peaking out, he had to squint to see what was going on, and what he found left him horrified.

Computer had not run away. He had not tried to escape at all. The SCC personnel had him surrounded and each one of them had an odd looking weapon pointed at him that was like some strange kind of sci-fi laser gun with pronged tips that sparked with electricity. Even though Computer could have easily swatted them all away like they were nothing, he did nothing of the sort. He just stood there with his ears drooped, not really looking at anything. It was as if nothing mattered to him anymore, to the point that it did not even matter that he was surrounded by those who would capture him and do who knows what with him.

Courage looked on as he unconsciously dug his nails nervously into the tree's bark. Somehow this was so much worse to him than if he had discovered Computer massacring the SCC people. To see him this way hurt so much worse.

Realizing that they were not in for a fight, the SCC personnel moved in closer. They never lowered their weapons, but at least they were not trying to take Computer out like some feral animal. One of the men got close enough to speak with him, although Courage could not hear what was being said. Computer looked up, eyes dull and sad. He did not say anything but instead simply nodded to the man. Whatever that man had asked of him, whatever he had agreed to, it was enough to get the rest of the SCC personnel to stand down.

And just like that he was led to a van without a single protest.

Courage wasn't even aware that his mouth was hanging open. He could not believe what he was seeing. It seemed as though Computer had given up entirely and was allowing the SCC to take him without a fight. This...this could not be allowed to happen! Courage's stomach lurched fearfully as the van doors were shut. He had to stop this. He had to get Computer out of there before the SCC could take him someplace where he'd never be seen again, someplace where Courage would never have any chance of rescuing him.

There was not enough time to figure out a way to best approach this or come up with a plan. That van would be leaving any moment now, and so, desperate to save Computer, Courage bolted from out behind the tree on all fours. He kept his attention solely on the van, even as he heard someone cry out, 'Hey! What's that dog doing?'

He saw hands reaching for him out of the corner of his eye, and he did his best to dodge the various SCC personnel who were trying to catch him. The van was so close. If he could just get the doors open...

Someone stepped out in front of him, and he had every intention of running right under the person's legs to get past them, but he was far too late to notice that the person had a nasty looking smile on their face.

They aimed their unusual laser gun at him and fired....

It was like being struck by a bolt of lightning. Courage hit the pavement, paralyzed and in agony. His involuntary screams filled the night air, and that was about the only thing that his body could do. The electrical current running through him left him incapable of even writhing in pain.

He screamed and screamed and screamed. Then he heard the van's engine start, and he was certain that it was about to drive off, and that seemed to be the case for one horrible second too. Just when he was certain that Computer was going to be taken away forever, the van turned around sharply, leaving marks in the road. It came barreling back toward him at top speeds. The man in the driver's seat suddenly opened the door and jumped out. The person still shocking Courage watched this happen in disbelief. With the van still careening toward him, he dropped his weapon and dived out of the way.

The van made another very sudden and very sharp turn, screeching to a halt with its back doors facing Courage. Sadly, the electrical attack had been too much and he was quickly fading into unconsciousness. As his vision went black, he heard the van doors open and felt several wires wrap around his middle. He was lifted up into the air and placed down inside the van just as the various SCC personnel began to recover from the shock of the van hijacking. There was such a commotion outside as the van doors shut again and it sped off into the night.

The very last thing Courage could remember hearing was Computer saying,

“You came back.”

…............

When Courage regained consciousness, he felt much the same way he often did after having an attack. He hurt all over and his head was pounding. It took him a moment to realize that he was now laying in the front seat of the van and that the van was no longer moving. It was still dark outside and it appeared that the van was parked beside a barn on someone's farm.

“You're awake. T-that's good.” Computer spoke, a hint of hesitation entering his voice. He was sitting in the driver's seat beside Courage. “How are you feeling? That was an awful lot of electricity they were pumping into you.”

“I think I'll live.” Courage groaned in reply, wincing upon realizing that most of his fur was sticking straight up after having been shocked for so long.

“I...I was able to lose them for now, but that may not last.” Computer went on, sounding rather nervous on top of his hesitancy. “I've put the van in a spot that can't be seen from the road. It may be awhile before they stop looking for me, I'm afraid.” He hesitated yet again, his ears drooping. With an apologetic look on his face, he said, “I heard you screaming from inside the van. I just couldn't sit there and let them do that to you. I-I had to do something. If...if you want to leave again once this has all blown over, I won't stop you.”

Courage sucked in a breath and exhaled loudly. “You know I can't do that. What would I do on my own and so far away from Nowhere? Wait for my illness to kill me?” He let his head rest against the seat. “It's like you always say. We're stuck together, like glue.”

Despite the confirmation that they were not splitting up for good, Computer still did not look much happier.

“Well, let's work this out then. Since we're stuck together, I'd rather not have you resent me for, well, you know.” He glanced away sheepishly. “Look, I never meant to frighten you so badly. I wasn't going to hurt you, that I can promise, and I'm sorry if I did cause you any pain while hauling you about like that. In the heat of the moment, I just...didn't think about what I was doing.”

Courage kept his eyes focused on the dashboard in front of him. “You didn't have to kill them.” He uttered out. “They were running away. You could have stopped there. They weren't a threat after that.”

“I told them what would happen if they tried to hurt you.” That edge of vicious anger had returned to Computer's voice. “They should have listened. Beside, I _'wanted'_ to do what I did! Just because you're suicidally forgiving, doesn't mean that I want to be! Like it or not, what I said before was true. I feel as though I'm in my element when I use my abilities in such a way.”

Courage shook his head, frustrated with Computer's line of thinking. “You...you sound like a villain in your own right when you talk like that! Face it! You were acting like a complete psychopath back there! And you wonder why I ran away or why I was so scared!”

“It was self-defense! I have only ever harmed those who attack us first!”

“No! That's not it at all Compute, and you know it!” Courage yelled, turning to him and poking him in the chest. “You've spent so long being powerless that now because you have real power over others, you relish having the chance to use it and do harm! You enjoy making other people feel helpless before you go and throw them into lawnmowers or try to hang them! It just isn't right to take joy in making other people suffer just because you were made to suffer at one point!”

Computer dismissed him with a wave of his paw. “They deserved it!”

“It's not a matter of if they deserved it or not! You're two steps away from going off the deep end and using your powers to hurt innocent people! You'd find a way to justify it too! You are perfectly capable of stopping anyone who might attack us without kill them and yet you'd rather do horrible things to them to satisfy whatever bloodlust you have! You almost shredded someone in a lawnmower for goodness sake, Compute! That's not self-defense! That's what one of the monstrous people who attack us on the farm might do!”

Computer's dismissive attitude turned to outrage. “I am not a monster, and I'm certainly not about to turn into a super villain either! The last thing I have any plans on doing is going after random, innocent people! All I want is to keep the both of us safe! I'm only willing to harm those who try to hurt us first! Nobody else! Why don't you understand that?” He stopped and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, he was much more calm. “We really don't see eye to eye on this. However, I don't want you to fear me, and I don't want you to think that I'm going, ugh, 'evil' either. I will take what you want into consideration. From now on I will use, eh, 'non-lethal' methods when dealing with our enemies, unless we somehow get lucky and we are never attacked by anyone ever again.”

“Thank you, Compute.” Courage replied, breathing a sigh of relief. “I-I'm glad that I won't have to watch another massacre happen right before my very eyes. It's horrible...and frightening, and you're frightening too when you get like that, and seeing how afraid the people you attack are, it's...”

Computer considered him for one long moment, seemingly surprised by what he was hearing. Perhaps it was only then that he started to understand why Courage felt the way that he did.

“I suppose-” He began. “I would find it pretty frightening too if you suddenly went nuts and started ripping the throats out of people.”

The mental image if it made Courage laugh, and Computer seemed shocked that he found it funny.

“You are, uh, worrying me a little bit, dog. Well, I promise I won't kill anyone else, for your sake, even if they deserve it. The last thing I need is you turning vicious just to prove a point.”

“One other thing.” Courage interjected before Computer could change the subject. “I can hardly believe what I saw back there. You...you gave up. You just let them take you. Do you have any idea what they could have done to you if they managed to get you to their, I-I don't know, base of operations? They might be willing to do things to you that are just as bad as what He did! I'm sure they would have ways of keeping you from escaping too, and I doubt I would have been able to rescue you either!”

Computer stared, suddenly at a loss for words. “Oh, well, I-” He looked away.

“It was a stupid thing to do, Compute.”

“I just...didn't have it in me to fight anymore once you left, I guess.”

“You should have run away! You should have at least tried to hide!”

Computer let out a small sigh, keeping his eyes focused on anything but Courage. “You don't understand.”

“What's there to understand! If they had managed to take you away, I never would have seen you again!”

“I didn't think you were coming back, not after how frightened you were...of me.” He added that last part very reluctantly. “And if you go away, well, that's pretty much it for me. Keeping you alive is the only reason I'm still here after all. With you gone, what did it matter if they hauled me off to some laboratory?”

Everything that Computer was saying left Courage in complete dismay. This mentality of Computer's was awful and he hated it more than anything.

“Compute,” He began, his voice gentle. “It...it isn't healthy to be so dependent on one person, and I absolutely hate knowing that I'm the only reason why you bother pushing through each day. You are your own person after all, and your life does not and should not revolve around being, well, my computer. We are equals, nothing more and nothing less. If you stay with me, I want it to be because you want to stay with me, not because you feel like you have no other choice, and if something were ever to happen to me, I don't want you to feel like there's nothing else worth waking up in the morning for.”

Computer was at a complete loss. He closed his eyes and tried to respond with, “I suppose the truth of the matter is that I have only ever really existed for the sake of others. Whether it's being somebody's 'personal computer' or even His pet punching bag, that's the way things have always been. When you can't exactly move most of the time, it's a little difficult to have your own agency.” He shrugged. “It is what it is and it's far too late for anything to change now. Besides, I'm already doing what I want to be doing, and that's curing you of your illness.”

Courage wasn't convinced.“...When this all started, when you first found out about my illness and made this whole plan to get me to the wellspring. Did...did you feel like you had no other choice but to help me?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. I wasn't about to sit there and let you die when there was a chance that I could find a way to help you. If there's one worthwhile choice I've had to make in my entire life, setting off on this journey to rid you of your illness is the one that I'm happy to have made. All of the pain and hardship I've...' _we've_ ' been through on this journey, none of that matters as long as you're cured. I regret plenty of things, but I will never regret having made the choice to help you.” He fell silent and then added, “Please don't ever forget that...”

Regardless, Courage still felt terrible. “When we get back to Nowhere, even if you don't have much time left to live, I...I'm going to help you make tons of friends and....and I'll help you find some goals to strive for. I'll do it because I'm your friend, and even though we're stuck together like glue, I want you to have a life that you can call your own. A life that...that doesn't rely on somebody else to have meaning.”

Computer looked down, dismayed. “There's-” He began. “There's not going to be-” He stopped himself, sighed and then ran a paw down his face. After that he looked back up with a small smile on his face. “I can't believe you of all people just told me that I need to get a life.” In spite of his quip, his voice was surprisingly emotionless.

Courage stared, all too aware that he was trying to avoid telling him something. A horrible thought crossed his mind, one that he did not even want to consider. Computer would never...

His friend continued to try and change the subject. “I think I'll go look up and down the road to see if there's any activity going on worth noting. We need to keep an eye open just in case there are any SCC people about. There's no point in trying to use my power to locate them since it does have a certain range and I wouldn't be able to pick them up unless they were close by.”

“I'll do it.” Courage offered. “You stand out too much, especially at night. We don't want to risk it, just in case they are nearby.”

He reached for the door handle, only stopping when Computer said, “Hold on.”

Wordlessly, he turned back around. Part of him hoped that Computer would say whatever it was that he had just avoided saying, if only to put his fears to rest.

“Listen,” His friend went on, looking a bit worried. “What happened back there with the cat gang, something just doesn't feel right about any of it. I acted the way I did, because, well, I was certain that I saw that place in my dreams before. That bus stop, I saw it long before we ever got there. No matter what happened in those dreams, somebody or something would always attack you and I would never be fast enough to save you in time. I wasn't about to let those cats turn one of my nightmares into reality.”

Courage inhaled a sharp breath, his heart suddenly beating faster. “Compute, I-” He hardly knew where to begin. “I had dreams about that bus stop too. That's why I panicked, because in every dream I had of that place, you'd suddenly go crazy and start attacking me or everyone around us. What you did back there, it was like one of those nightmares come to life. I suddenly couldn't tell if I was dreaming or awake. It was like...like this haze fell over me.”

Computer's eyes widened, having apparently come to realize something. “Oh, no.” He softly uttered out, more to himself than to Courage.

“W-what? What's wrong?” Courage asked, suddenly very nervous.

“Remember what that one cat said? They received an anonymous email that tipped them off about us.”

Courage finished exactly where he was going with this. “And nobody should have known where we were going to be, unless...”

“It's them! My accursed siblings! It has to be them! If they can send emails then there's nothing stopping them from being able to get online. They must have figured out where our stops were going to be on the route to the mountain. They probably found images of that stop online too, and since it looks like they can still mess with our dreams-” He stopped himself.

“Then they had plenty of time to set this all up.” Courage continued for him. “They were giving us nightmares about that place for ages now so that when we finally got there and they sent the cat gang after us-”

“-We were paranoid enough to act rashly. I admit, I was afraid that if I didn't take care of those cats they'd kill you, and obviously they were threatening to do just that. You, on the other hand, were made to fear me like I was going to attack you, even though that's the very last thing I'd ever consider doing.”

“They tried to get us to split up, and it almost worked.”

“That seems to be the case. I bet they thought I'd be more willing to join them if I believed you weren't coming back. Instead, they almost got me, along with them, carted off to some SCC secret base. Unless...unless that's what they actually wanted.”

“It's too bad they didn't realize that it's going to take way more than a scheme like that to break us apart!” Courage exclaimed, all but challenging their invisible foe.

Computer was much less enthusiastic. In fact, he suddenly looked very worried. “I've just had a rather concerning thought. If they can send an email to a cat gang telling them where we're going to be, what's stopping them from simply tipping off the SCC to our current location?”

Courage's one ear drooped. “Uh, oh. I-I'll check the road.”

He was out the door in an instant. Following the barn's wall to its edge, he carefully peaked out around the corner. It immediately became apparent that being careful had been a very good idea.

The road in front of the barn was completely packed with SCC vehicles. He had apparently caught them just as they were about to spring an ambush.

He placed his paws over his mouth to stop the startled cry that had entered his throat. It instead came out as a soft 'Eeeeeee' as his whole body trembled. Without thinking twice, he turned and ran back to the van.

Computer didn't even need to ask what he had found out there, seeing his panic.

“How many?”

Courage scrambling up into the passenger seat. “All of them!” He yelled.

Computer's eyes narrowed. “That's no problem. In fact, it actually makes my job easier, since they're all within range. I'm going to disable every last bit of tech they have, then we'll drive off and leave them in our dust! We'll just keep going until we reach the mountain, and if my stupid siblings want to keep sending the SCC after us, I'll just keep disabling their tech! They can chase us all over the mountain if they like, but they're going to need vehicles made out of plastic if they think they can catch me!”

It took only a second. Courage watched Computer close his eyes and almost immediately open them again. “It's done!” He exclaimed, and the van's engine roared to life.

They sped out from behind the barn, past the army of disabled SCC vehicles, and then back onto the road. Courage watched the dark shapes dwindle into the darkness through the side view mirror. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

“Not much farther.” Computer uttered out, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. His expression was one of unshakable determination. “They're not going to stop me. Not my siblings or the SCC!”

They had seemed to be in the clear, at least for a little while, but eventually they both caught sight of lights flashing on the road up ahead.

“Another SCC ambush?” Courage asked, squinting to get a better look.

“I don't think so. There's no way they've had enough time to send more personnel after us.”

“Police?” Courage then suggested. “Did your siblings seriously get an entire police force to block the road up ahead? What did they tell them? That we're terrorists or something?”

“Well, we did just massacre a few people...”

“What' do you mean 'we'?” Courage dryly commented, giving him a look.

“Bah! It doesn't matter either way! I'm going to make them move!”

As they got closer, it became clear that they were indeed facing a blockade. There were many, many police cars awaiting them and probably a few spike strips too.

“This is going to be a little more difficult.” Computer said. “I can't just disable their tech. I'm going to have to move them out of the way so that we'll have an opening. That's going to take a bit of work and I'll have to do it fast since we can't risk slowing down. I'm going to have to figure out a way to get rid of any spike strips too. We need this van in working order if we're going to get to the mountain without being captured first.”

“Think you can do it?” Courage replied, a wave of nervousness washing over him.

“Of course! Who do you think I am? I'm the guy who came back from the dead to get you to that mountain! These idiots don't have the slightest idea what they're dealing with!”

Courage gripped the seat as they sped toward the blockade. The flashing lights from the police cars were almost disorienting in the darkness. He glanced over at Computer, who had shut his eyes to concentrate. Being in a car who's driver was not using the steering wheel or even watching the road did not exactly do much to help his nervousness.

“I think I've got it.” Computer muttered.

That was the moment when there was a sudden burst of static from the van's communication radio, causing them both to jump. At first Courage thought it was somebody from the SCC trying to speak to them, and he had begun to look for a way to shut the radio off, but as the static grew, more than a few voices began to speak.

_'Your abilities are becoming a nuisance for us, dear brother.'_

“Oh, not now!” Computer groaned. “Shut them up!”

Courage resumed looking for an off switch of some kind.

The barricade was nearly upon them. Computer only had a few more seconds to move the police cars out of the way.

_'We've allowed you too much freedom.'_ The voices continued to speak, sounding distant and muffled thanks to the hiss of static.

“You're not stopping us now! We're getting to that mountain!” Courage cried out, resorting to pressing random buttons on the radio to no avail.

“Come on! _Come on_!” Computer muttered, keeping his eyes squeezed shut.

_'It took some effort on our part, but it looks like we have found a way to get you under control. We are going to make you powerless once more, and soon enough you will find yourself trapped. Once that happens, you will need us.'_

Courage gave up on the radio and focused on what lie ahead. Wincing, he fully expected the van to hit the blockade at full force. Then, just at the last second, every single police car that made up the blockade was shoved aside as if they were nothing more than toys. Computer had done it.

“Ouch!” He suddenly exclaimed afterwords, bringing a paw up to his forehead. “That....didn't feel right.”

In the exact same moment, the van swerved hard, almost taking them off the road before stabilizing and picking up speed. The sound of the engine was nearly deafening.

Even though the blockade was already becoming a distant memory, Courage was still more than a little unsettled.

“Slow down a bit, Compute.” He said.

Computer still had a paw to his forehead. At first he looked confused, and then worried.

“I-I can't sense anything.” He softly spoke, his voice filled with dismay. “I'm not in control of the van...”

“What?” Courage yelped, standing up in his seat.

The van was still picking up speed, and even worse, it was beginning to move ever so slowly to the left. They'd be driven off the road soon, and at the speed they were going, Courage didn't even want to think about what they might crash into.

“They did something!” Computer yelled angrily. “I can't access my ability! I'm trying as hard as I can, but-”

Through the hiss of static, Courage was certain he heard laughter.

Desperate, he jumped into the driver's seat and sat down beside Computer. He took hold of the wheel, hoping to at least keep them on the road, but he quickly found that it made no difference. The van was completely out of their control. Even though he knew it was pointless, he even slid down off the seat to try and hit the breaks to no avail. They were still gaining speed. It was lucky that it was so late at night and there were no other cars on the road for them to crash into.

“Uh, Courage?” Computer said to grab his attention. “Look.”

The amount of fear in his voice did not inspire much confidence in Courage, and it turned out he had every right to be fearful.

Up ahead was a fairly large bridge, but with the way things were going, they'd be off the road long before they'd reach it. Like it or not, their out of control van was going to miss the bridge entirely and go flying into the river instead.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Looks like Computer's siblings finally applied a patch to nerf him into oblivion. Someone should tell Courage to uninstall the update before it's too late.


	79. Trapped

Chapter 79: Trapped

“I think it's, uh, time to buckle up.” Computer said, reaching over and grabbing the seat belt. 

Courage didn't even bother returning to his own seat, he just let Computer buckle them both up in the same seat. It wasn't like it was going to help them that much, not when they were about to go flying into a river.

He was beginning to wonder if jumping out of the van might be their best option. Of course, at the current speed they were going, jumping out would spell certain death, but it wasn't like their current predicament was any better. Either way, with how the van was being tampered with right now, he doubted the doors could even be opened.

“It's no good!” Computer exclaimed, touching the side of his head. “No matter how hard I try, I can't stop this! They...” He hesitated. “They've outdone us this time.”

Courage grit his teeth and looked down at the radio. Static was still hissing out of it, and almost as if on cue, they spoke again. 

'You have only one option now. We can put an end to this. You know what you must do.'

Courage reacted before even Computer could. “Stop acting like you're doing us a favor, you manipulative jerks!” He kicked the radio, and to his own surprise, he kicked it hard enough for it to let out a 'bzzt!' and fall silent. 

In what apparently was retaliation, somehow the van picked up even more speed.

“Well, since you just jettisoned that option, what are we going to do?” Computer asked, and there was something seriously unnerving when it was 'him' who was the one asking for some sort of solution to this deadly problem.

“I-I don't know. We're just going to have to hope we can survive this.” 

He hated admitting that.

“I'd rather do more than hope! Maybe you shouldn't have been so hasty to shut them up. I mean, if joining them meant we'd at least get out of this alive...” 

Courage acted before he even allowed himself a chance to think. He grabbed Computer's paw without a moments hesitation, and looked him straight in the eyes. “I'm not going to let them turn you into another creepy voice to add to their collection! I'd rather face this with you a million times over than let that happen!”

Computer seemed reluctant at first, but then with a nod of resolution, he said, “Alright. We'll face this together then. Better that than to give them a victory.”

They both turned their attention back onto what lay ahead of them. The river was rapidly approaching and the van was now speeding over grass, giving them a bumpy ride before bringing them to their possible end. 

Courage found himself involuntarily gripping Computer's paw even harder. He must have been cutting off blood circulation at this point with how nervous he was, but if Computer was going to complain about it, he never got a chance. They had reached the end of the line and just like that the van was in the air, seemingly suspended forever in time before that moment of peace was lost and it began to fall. 

Courage held his breath, weightless before the van hit the water and he was sent jerking around in the seat like some unfortunate test dummy. Thank goodness Computer had thought to buckle the both of them up.

And just like that it was over. He was still alive. At least for now.

Those few seconds of relief were quickly over. Without thinking or considering anything, he reached for the door handle. Desperate to get it open before it was too late. Unfortunately, if they had ever had a chance to get the doors open, it had already long since passed. Water was entering the van and it was sinking fast.

“...I know how this works.” Computer weakly uttered out. “The doors can't be opened until the pressure equalizes, and-”

“...That's not going to happen until the van is completely filled with water.” Courage finished for him.

In a last ditch effort they tried to get the windows open, but of course the electrical system in the van had already given out. They then searched for something that might be capable of breaking the windows open, but there was nothing of use to be found.

The van was almost completely submerged now, with only a little bit of the windows still above water, and inside the water was nearly up to the seats. Like it or not, the only way out at this point was simply to wait it out.

Courage could see the river current rushing past the windows. This wasn't going to be an easy swim to shore, and almost as if sensing the next thought he had, Computer said,

“You do remember that I'm not exactly an amazing swimmer?”

Courage zipped up their bag, knowing that it would keep the contents inside mostly dry. Throwing the strap across the back of his neck, he then turned to Computer and said, “I'll swim us both to shore. Hold onto the bag and don't let go for anything. If you get swept away by the current, you'll probably drown long before I can rescue you.”

“Probably?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “Nearly drowning has really become a thing for me, hasn't it?” He sighed.

Courage was too nervous to answer. He clutched at the bag's straps with trembling fingers. He was not sure if he was strong enough to fight the current, much less get Computer along with himself to shore. At least this way Computer would only have to hold onto the bag instead of him so he could focus entirely on swimming and getting them to safety. He was certain that the bag would hold up and yet he still could not help but imagine the straps snapping and Computer disappearing into the dark water, never to be seen again.

“Never thought I'd end up in a situation like this.” Computer spoke, his voice surprisingly muted in the small amount of space they still had left. The water was up to their chests now and the van was completely submerged. 

“Y-yeah,” Courage agreed anxiously, hating the feeling of the water on his fur. “I've been in a lot of bad situations before, but being trapped underwater in a van that's slowly filling up with water is really up there on the list.”

“Well, just in case we don't survive this, let me just put this on the record and say that I'm sorry I went and murdered a few people and got us into this situation in the first place. I suppose I'm sorry for getting poisoned by an obviously evil chicken too, since we wouldn't be here if that hadn't happened either. Oh, well actually, it was probably when I got horribly drunk and caused the SCC to find us again that caused us to end up on our current path. I'm sorry for that too.” He continued onward, this time in a much quieter voice. “Well, I did almost kill those drunk guys way back when, and that was what got the SCC on our case in the first place...”

There was a heavy thud as the van hit the bottom of the river.

“....And of course, we first got off track when I decided to wander off into that equally obvious evil forest. Oh god, we would have reached the mountain like eight years ago if it weren't for me and my stupid decision making!”

They both were now forced to stand on their toes to keep their heads above water.

“Look, I won't hold any of it against you as long as you promise me you won't go and drown again, okay?” Courage replied, watching the water inch closer and closer toward his muzzle.

“Again?” Computer asked, laughing as though it were the funniest joke he'd ever heard. “I love that there's an 'again' in all of this. My life really is one big-” He was cut off by the water reaching his mouth.

Thinking fast, Courage climbed up the seat, putting his head above water for a little while longer. However, his head was now also touching the ceiling so there wasn't anywhere else to go. Computer followed his lead, looking less and less hopeful with every second that passed.

“Get ready to hold your breath.” Courage warned. “Make sure you take a deep breath too because I'm not sure how long it will take me to reach the surface.”

“Don't remind me.” Computer groaned, warily watching the water. His glow gave it an almost ethereal quality, and were they not mere seconds away from potentially drowning in it, Courage might have found it beautiful. 

“Dog?” Computer added. “What do we do if it turns out we 'can't' get the doors open?”

Courage shook his head. “Don't even think about it.”

The water once again was above their shoulders and quickly reaching their heads. It seemed that with only a little space left, the water was rushing in even quicker now.

“It's time!” Courage cried out, having to raise his muzzle to keep it above the water. “Take a deep breath and don't let go of the bag no matter what!”

Taking a deep breath himself, just as the water swallowed up what little of the van that wasn't submerged, he dove downward and reached for the door handle. He was thankful for Computer's glow for once or else everything would be pitch black at this point. Fumbling a few times as he tried to get a grip on the handle, he realized that he was nearly panicking and needed to calm down or else he would continue to mess up. Pushing away his fear, he forced himself to ignore the fact that they were moments away from drowning and instead focused on the task at hand. He finally managed to grip the door handle and push it open. Almost immediately the current had him and he was swept out of the van, taking Computer with him. 

He gripped the strap around his neck like his life depended upon it. He didn't have time to look back at Computer, but his glow was still there which meant he had not been swept away...yet.

Courage kicked his legs with every last ounce of strength he had. He could barely fight the current so he instead focused on just getting their heads above water. The shoreline had to be close, but he was not sure if he could actually reach it.

Up and up they went, and soon Courage began to wonder if they'd ever actually reach the surface. His lungs were beginning to burn, and the urge to take a breath was growing stronger by the second. He refused to give up and continued to kick his legs. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the surface. The current was so strong that he only managed to keep his head above water long enough to get a gulp of air before he was swept under again. Computer was never given the same chance and so Courage knew time was running out. He had to get to shore no matter what. 

Kicking and dog paddling all at the same time, he let the current continue to take him downstream, but he made his way toward shore none the less. It was difficult, but he wasn't exactly fighting against the current this way. Every last inch of his body screamed with exhaustion, but he refused to let it stop him. He could not let his illness end him here, although even if he had been healthy right now, he still would have struggled quite a bit to do what he was doing.

It seemed to go on forever. Every time it looked as if he were gaining ground, the water would pull him away again. He was getting to the point where his limbs were going numb from exertion. His muscles just would not work anymore. He was desperate and unwilling to give up, but it was obvious that he was hitting his limit. Then, just as it seemed like all hope was lost, he felt his feet touch rocky ground. 

He had reached much shallower water! He pulled himself forward with the shore growing near. Computer was finally able to get his head above water too. Coughing and sputtering, he nearly collapsed right back under the water again. Courage, arms shaking horribly, grabbed his half-drowned friend's shoulders and helped him toward the shore.

The second they were there, they both collapsed into the mud without a second thought. They just lay there for awhile, both of them too tired and half-dead to do anything else.

Finally, after a considerable amount of time passed, Computer breathlessly said, “I can't believe we actually survived that.”

“I-I wasn't sure if we were going to make it there for a second.” Courage agreed, just as breathless.“I-I just couldn't get us-”

Computer sat up. “Hey, you did great! And I actually managed not to drown for once! Well, actually, I did almost drown...again, but a little less so this time!”

“I think...” Courage said, practically exhaling the words. “I think it's going to be a few days before I can move again. My limbs feel like rocks.”

Computer slowly got to his feet. “We'll find someplace for you to rest. You more than deserve it, after all. We just need to be careful because I'm sure my stupid siblings will keep sending people after us.”

“Compute, I don't think I can even sta-”

The attack should have been expected. He'd pushed himself way too hard, and yet when the stabbing pain struck mid-sentence, it was still enough to take his breath away.

He heard Computer utter a small, “Oh no...”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Courage let out a scream of agony as the pain worsened. As always, he would have given anything to stop this, and yet the sharp, fiery pain in his chest only kept growing. 

His choked, involuntary cries of pain rang out into the night. He was certain this attack would be the one to kill him. He was completely certain of it. Something about his body being so taxed from having to swim out of the river was making this attack so much worse. His heart felt like it was seconds away from bursting. His chest felt like it was going to rip itself open. His tired muscles cramped with every convulsion. He could hardly get any air into his lungs, and what little did became screams that exited his mouth against his own will.

He felt Computer grab one of his paws with both of his own. In a way, his firm grip was almost like an anchor, as if it were the only thing keeping Courage's entire being from floating away, from fleeing the fiery agony consuming his body. 

Courage managed to open his eyes only for a few seconds, and during that time he saw Computer looking down at him, fearful and sorry. 

“You've got to hold on just a little longer.” He spoke. “Just hold on, Courage. We're almost there. I'll get you healed and then you'll never have to go through this again. I promise. Just hold on.”

Courage honestly wasn't sure he could do that for him. Something was very different about this attack. Beyond even the pain, there was something else happening with him that was seriously starting to frighten him. He could feel himself becoming light, his body tiring out, so badly taxed from the swim and now this attack. It was getting harder, and harder to breathe. His heart felt like it was slowing, no longer able to keep up with the pain being inflicted on his body.

As his grip on Computer's paws grew weaker, Computer's only grew stronger. Yet, it wasn't enough. Courage was starting to slip away. He could feel his body slowly but surely shutting down and he could do nothing to stop it. Even the pain was diminishing, like he was floating above his body and losing connection with all of the pain it was feeling.

He wanted to tell Computer how scared he was and yet he could not get a single word out. He felt like he was slowly suffocating.

“Stay with me, Courage. We can't let it end this way, not after everything we've been through. We've come too far for this to be the end. You've got to fight. Stay awake! No matter how much it hurts! You can't give up on me now!”

Courage could not imagine leaving Computer behind like this, and yet, he did not have any fight left in him. He was drifting away even with Computer's support. There was so many things he wanted to say to him while he still had the chance, before he faded away entirely, but he just could not get his tired body to speak for him.

“Courage, please...” Computer begged, his voice much weaker now. It hurt Courage more than anything to hear him nearly on the verge of tears.

The pain was gone now. He was so tired. He could just barely get his eyes to open ever so slightly. He felt like a phantom trying to puppet his own body, as though it were on strings.

That was when he saw the lights. There were so many of them. For a moment he wasn't sure if they were real or if it was just an illusion his failing body was conjuring up. But no, they were getting closer, and Computer could apparently see them too because he said,

“No, no, no! Not now!”

Courage couldn't fight it any longer. His eyes slipped shut again. He could feel Computer trying to drag him somewhere, perhaps to hide him. Even though the world around him was becoming distant, Courage was still able to hear the sound of several cars pulling up. 

Someone yelled, 'Freeze!” and Courage felt the grip of Computer's paws disappear. 

With that one last anchor gone, Courage was set adrift. In spite of everything, he felt a profound sense of peace as his body drew in one last ragged breath and went completely still.

…............

Without his power, Computer was as good as useless. What could he do when there was suddenly ten to fifteen guns pointed at him? Before, he could have stopped them all easily, but now all he could do was raise his paws into the air and surrender. 

There was nothing he could do when he realized that Courage was no longer breathing. There was nothing he could do when the police slapped a pair of handcuffs on him like some common criminal and dragged him away from Courage. There was nothing he could do as he fought and yelled, desperate to get back to his dying....dead friend's side. Without his power, he was just a regular, tiny dog. The police were able to pick him up as easily as any small dog and shove him into the back of one of their cars.

He could do nothing as he watched one of the policemen begin to preform CPR on Courage. He watched, not realizing at first, that tears were running down his cheeks. If only he still had his power, he could have broken out of the police car in a second and been back at Courage's side, but now he could do nothing as he watched those policemen try to revive Courage from afar.

He watched, helplessly, as they tried again and again to bring Courage back, failing every time. There was nothing he could do as one of the policemen climbed into the car and started the engine.

“No! I've got to stay!” He begged, not even sure if the policeman up front could hear him through the bullet proof glass. “Please! Let me go back to him!”

He could do nothing as the police car pulled away. Desperate, he pressed his muzzle against the back window, trying not to lose sight of Courage. 

“Please, let me stay with him!” He continued to beg the man who'd never listen. “I can't lose him! Not now! Not after everything! Please! Don't take him away from me!” 

Just as the scene fell out of sight, he saw one of the policemen pulling out what looked like a defibrillator.

...A last resort.

“COURAGE!” He screamed, banging his shackled paws against the back window again and again until they were numb with pain. 

As if he'd had any hope of breaking the glass...

There was the sound of sirens as an ambulance sped past the police car, its flashing lights briefly lighting up the darkness. Were they going to help Courage, or were they simply going there to zip him up in a body bag?

Computer watched as long as he could before the police car turned a corner and that was it. He was left with nothing but his trembling, aching paws and a hollow feeling in his chest.

The weight of it all came crashing down on him all at once. Sobbing, he continued to beat a paw against the window uselessly. 

End Of Chapter


	80. Escape Attempt

Chapter 80: Escape Attempt 

He was taken to a city, one whose name he did not know and did not care to know. Once they were at the police station, he was hauled out of the car, 'checked in', and taken to a holding cell.

He was left there with no word of what had become of Courage, and he had no idea what they were planning on doing with him either. Were they going to prosecute him like some criminal? Would they treat him like a murderer even if he had ultimately acted in self-defense?

What was really surprising was that the SCC hadn't shown up to drag him off yet.

The holding cell was a windowless room with heavy, white concrete walls. A single bed was built into the wall with a toilet close by. There was a camera hanging from the ceiling in one corner, and a single steel door was the only way out of the room. Computer would have been able to break the door down with only a little effort, had he still been able to use his power. Now he could do nothing, and he was so wiped out physically, mentally, and emotionally that all he wanted to do was lay down and not think about anything for awhile. Whatever his siblings had done, it had been enough to render him entirely useless. Escape seemed out of the question, and with Courage...gone, he had no real reason to try.

He climbed up into the bed. Every last part of his body was heavy with exhaustion.

Courage....

He had so many thoughts, so many regrets that he could not banish even though his mind felt like it was seconds away from shorting out. 

“We were so close.” He softly uttered out, his voice sounding as broken as he felt.

He wanted to have hope, hope that those people had managed to resuscitate Courage, but so much time had passed even before that police car had driven off with him inside. Even if they had managed to bring Courage back, would he really be okay after having been lifeless for so long? Besides, with Courage's body so weak and with his illness ravaging it, could it even be sparked back to life at this point? Had it been hopeless to even try? 

The thought of it just made Computer not want to think even more.

He looked down at his paws, puffy and bruised. His wrists were especially bad thanks to the handcuffs having been there. He clenched his paws together, ignoring the pain it caused. How he wished he had not let go of Courage's paw. At least then he could have been there with him when the end came.

There were so many things he wished he had said to Courage. Things he had been so foolish to be afraid of or embarrassed to say. If, somehow, Courage survived this, he would never make such a stupid mistake again.

He squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth. “Why do I keep thinking like he might have lived? Why am I letting myself have hope? I'm so stupid! He's gone! Just like Owen! I'll never see him again! It's over! I'm alone! I'm all alone again!” He clutched his aching paws to his equally aching head. He could not stop trembling, completely overcome with grief.

It was almost funny. He had never thought that organic creatures could run out of tears, and yet here he was. This dog's tears had been used up. He still felt like crying though, and it was almost torture to not be able to. He wished he could retreat into his real body, where at least such an urge did not exist, or at the very least, he could not act upon it.

He could not stop himself from thinking about what would become of him now. While he did not want to think about a future where Courage was no longer with him, such thoughts still found a way to invade his mind. He was certain that the SCC would come for him soon enough. There was no way they'd leave him alone, especially not with his siblings urging them on. What would become of him then? What would they do to him once they had him? Would he become an experiment to be pulled apart and broken yet again, just like before? Was that really his fate? To suffer once more like he had under Him? 

“My life really is nothing but one bad thing after another. What did I do to deserve such an endless supply of bad luck?” He sighed. “Well, this brief reprieve was nice while it lasted. It even went on long enough for me to let my guard down.” He let out a small, sad laugh. “I really was stupid enough to think that things could get better. I knew it was all going to come crashing down eventually, and yet I let myself think-”

He stopped, suddenly angry with himself. “N-no, I can't start thinking this way again. Courage wouldn't want that. I-I have to-” He hesitated. “-to have hope, even if it's stupid to allow such a thing. If I can come back from the dead then so can Courage! I'll drag that idiot's soul back into his body if I have to!”

He jumped off the bed with renewed vigor. For once he was going to let himself have hope rather than assume there was nothing in his future but misery and pain. He'd find a way to get Courage back. He'd get him to that mountain so that he would never have to suffer through the pain of another attack again! 

“You're alive! I just know it! Maybe I'm only a fool who's learned how to hope from another fool, but somehow I truly feel like you're still out there somewhere.” He placed a paw against his chest. “You're fighting to stay alive for my sake, aren't you? I'll find a way to get to you, I promise.”

Determined, he tried to activate his power, putting all of his concentration into it. He had hoped that since he didn't have to worry about an out of control van this time, maybe it would be a little easier to re-activate now. Unfortunately, it was looking like his power was still completely inaccessible. 

“No good.” He muttered out. “They really did a number on me.”

Refusing to let himself get discouraged, he focused on the door instead. Grabbing the metal bar, he pulled with all of his might, hoping that maybe there was some kind of flaw in the locking mechanism that with enough force, might break. After several minutes of pulling, it was quickly becoming apparent that unless his next power was super strength, he wasn't going to get the door open.

“Drat.” He huffed, hunching over from exhaustion. “There's got to be something I can do...”

He sat down in the middle of the floor, giving himself a chance to rest and think. 

“Just what 'can' I do?” He wondered. “If I can't leave this room-”

Could he possibly contact Courage through their Dreamworld connection? It was certainly worth a shot!

He all but jumped into the bed, eager to get any possible confirmation that Courage was still among the living. He pulled the paper thin blanket up around himself and closed his eyes. Try as he might though, he just could not fall asleep. Yes, he was beyond tired, but his fear that the SCC would break down the door at any moment was more than enough to impede his attempts at sleep. His worry for Courage did not help much either.

“I can't just sit here and do nothing!” He cried out in frustration. “If I can't even 'sleep' to get a chance at contacting Courage...”

He turned his attention onto the camera above. Was there anything he could do with it? Maybe if he flooded the room perhaps that would be enough to get someone to open the door. Of course, there was just as much of a chance that nobody was actually watching the camera, especially at this late hour. If it was meant only to be a deterrent, he'd accomplish nothing by flooding the room, and nobody would notice the water until morning.

“If I were able to get my hands on that camera, could I make something out of its parts?” He wondered.

The locking mechanism was entirely on the other side of the door, so even if he managed to put something together that could pick the lock, there was no chance of actually reaching the lock. Still, he did not want to give up, and he was running out of options. Perhaps he could still find some use for the camera, even as an odd, probably ineffectual weapon.

Standing up on the bed, he backed up a few steps since he would need to jump to reach the camera. Only now was he beginning to realize just how high up it was.

“Courage needs me. I've got to try something.” He muttered to himself, just before taking a few running steps forward.

He jumped with everything he had in him, but it wasn't even close. The camera remained out of his reach and he instead hit the wall after missing his target. Afterword, he painfully picked himself up off the floor.

“Well, they can't keep me in here forever.” He concluded. “The second that door opens, I'm out of here. Police or SCC be dammed, I'll find Courage no matter what they throw at me.”

Out of options, he knew that he was going to have to wait. Eventually somebody would open that door and he would be ready to make a break for it. 

He pressed an ear against the cold metal, trying to hear if there was anyone around on the other side. Either there wasn't or the steel door was very good at blocking out sound. As a last ditch effort, he began pounding on the door, even if it caused his already injured paws to flare up with even more pain. He hoped that maybe it would be enough to get someone to open the door, but even after several minutes of creating a racket that even people on the moon would be able to hear, still nobody came.

“What is with this place?” He cried out, sliding down the door in defeat. He was starting to wonder if his paws would end up needing to be amputated at the rate things were going. He could practically see them throbbing in time with his heartbeat because they were so swollen. 

With little other choice, he simply waited. Somebody would have to show up eventually, and he would be ready for it. Minutes quickly turned into hours, much to his dismay. He had lost track of time completely after being put into this windowless room, so he had no way of knowing what the exact time was. After hours of waiting, it had to be daytime by now at least. Perhaps it was around noon?

“Are they planning on starving me to death?” He wondered, staring up at the drab ceiling. He was getting so tired of complete silence that even talking to himself was making him feel a little better. “And what about the SCC? Where are they? They must know I'm here by now.”

Another hour passed, or at least it seemed like an hour. Just as he was beginning to wonder if this really was some sort of torture tactic, the door suddenly made a heavy clunking sound, startling him.

Getting to his feet and backing away from the door, he waited. He was ready to slip out the second it opened. 

There was another clunk and then the door began to slide open. He rushed forward, squeezing through the crack and ducking under some policeman's legs. He only made it a short distance before the policeman yelled, “Stop!” and realized that he probably had a gun pointed at his back. He slowly came to a halt. 

He was going to have to be far more crafty if he wanted to get out of here without becoming target practice.

“Don't move, doggy.” The guy said. 

Computer turned around, glaring angrily up at the cop. The guy did indeed have a weapon pointed at him, but it wasn't a gun.

“Don't make me have to use my taser on a dog.” He continued. “That's gotta bring bad luck or something. I'd prefer to not hurt a dog if I can help it. Listen, detective Gruff wants to speak with you. So just come with me and let's not turn this into a problem.”

What kind of name was Gruff? Well, either way, Computer did not particularly want to be shocked into submission as much as it seemed like this guy didn't want to do it.

“Alright, I'll go with you.” He agreed. “But before I do, I need to know something. What happened to the dog that was with me last night? Is he...”

The cop shook his head. “Can't say, but the detective probably knows. Just come with me, okay? I won't even slap any handcuffs on you.”

Computer was now very eager to meet with this detective. Hopefully he'd finally get some answers about whatever had become of Courage. He let the cop lead him to an elevator where they went up several floors. They then went down a long hallway before stopping at a room labeled the 'interrogation room'.

“Head on in.” The cop spoke. “The detective will be with you shortly.”

Computer did as he was told. Once inside the interrogation room, the door was shut behind him and locked. He had escaped one cage only to be willingly led into another. The room itself wasn't even that much different from the holding cell. Instead of a bed built into the wall, this room was even more bare with only a table and two chairs.

He went and sat down, part of him dreading this meeting with the detective just as much as another part of him was eager for this 'Gruff' person to arrive. He was nervous and very much afraid of what answer he'd get. While he did still have hope that Courage was alive, he so deeply feared being given bad news. 

...Just what would he do without Courage?

To make matters worse, it seemed that the detective was taking his time. Computer sat there for at least thirty minutes before he heard the sound of people talking just outside the door. 

Finally, the door was opened and in stepped another dog. A bloodhound to be exact, one with a gray, droopy face. He was as tall as any human and his wardrobe made him look like he had stepped directly out of a Sherlock Holmes novel. 

“What is it with dogs having terrible names?” Computer muttered out under his breath.

“Greetings.” Gruff said. His voice was low but soft. There was almost a growl to every word he spoke. “I am, as you probably know by now, Detective Gruff. You have stirred up quite a bit of trouble, haven't you? I've been on this case all night long and I still have only a small amount of information on you. Can you give me a name?”

Computer shook his head. “That doesn't matter right now! I need to know what happened to Courage! Is he...is he alive? Were they able to revive him, or-”

Gruff sighed, took the hat off his head and placed it onto the table. “I suppose I have a name for that dog now, and yes, he is alive. However-”

“He's alive? H-he's really alive?” Computer exclaimed, not sure if he should really believe it.

He suddenly felt like crying all over again, but for totally different reasons this time. Relief like no other washed over him and he sunk down into his chair, feeling as though he had practically turned to liquid. 

He had not lost Courage yet. He would be able to see him again, talk to him, and make sure he knew just how much he was...he was...

“Courage is alive!” He repeated, and even now he could hardly believe his own words.

That moment of relief was quickly replaced with a desperate sense of urgency. Standing up in his chair, he said, “You've got to take me to him!”

Gruff let out a long, drawn out sigh. “Listen, you need to understand what sort of situation you're in, and as for your friend, well, he may be alive but he is only hanging on by a thread.”

Computer felt a cold chill run through his body. “What do you mean?”

“He's had a rough night. While the paramedics were able to get his heart going again on the way to the hospital, he slipped away two more times during the night and they've been doing everything they can to keep his heart going, along with keeping his vitals above critical levels. Normally dogs like us are merely handed over to vets because doctors don't want to work with animals, but his situation is so precarious that they don't even want to risk moving him. They were only able to get him stabilized about an hour ago, and even then he could just as easily start to backslide again. You must understand that there is no guarantee he will even wake up again. With the sort of illness he has, it's not a matter of 'if' it will kill him, but a matter of 'when'.”

Computer was digging his nails into the table without even realizing it. Suddenly he was terrified of losing Courage all over again. 

“Y-you've got to let me see him.” He somehow managed to choke out.

“I understand how worried you are, but I can't do that for you, at least not right now.”

Computer grit his teeth, his fear having ignited into anger. “You're telling me that my friend, who is as close to me as family, could die at any moment and yet you can't bother to work something out so that I can see him? I don't know what you're planning on doing with me, and I don't care if you're going to prosecute me for some crime, but I must be with Courage right now! Nothing is more important than that!”

Gruff ran a paw down his face. “Look, it's not that simple. I've got a cat from a notorious cat gang claiming that a bunch of machines came to life and tried to kill him. It's also clear that most of his buddies didn't make it out of the incident alive. I also have people who live in the area claiming they witnessed some sort of terrorist attack.”

“Terrorist attack? That's a laugh. Those cats attacked Courage and I first. Everything I did was in self-defense!”

“Interesting.” The detective muttered out. “So you 'can' control machines then?”

“Not anymore. Something...happened, and I can assure you that I wouldn't be here right now if I could still use my abilities.”

“Well, that explains a few things then.” Gruff went on, placing his paws together. “I have every reason to believe that you acted in self-defense, especially since you were dealing with that gang in particular. The reason why I can't take you to Courage is simply because the SCC Organization is desperate to get their hands on you. I suspect you already know who they are, so I won't waste time explaining them and what they do. It took every last bit of political clout I had to keep them from busting down the door and dragging you out of here. They tried to convince me that you are not actually a dog, but instead an escaped, highly dangerous super weapon that's only pretending to be a dog. Even if that is the case, I've never seen a 'super weapon' so concerned about the safety of another. You are a fellow dog, as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately though, we are running out of time. They will return soon with all the documents they need to legally make you disappear. I'm the best chance you have at keeping them at bay. I will work within the system to keep them out of your fur for as long as possible, but I'm afraid they have been given a lot of power that often puts them above the law.”

That wasn't good enough. Computer seriously doubted that Gruff would be able to keep them away for long. One thing was certain to him now. He could not stay here and wait for the SCC to come get him. 

“I-” He began. “I think I need a bathroom break.”

The detective eyed him up sceptically. He had already figured out what he was thinking.

“Are you sure that's what you want? They will hunt you down, and you currently lack the means to stop them. If you stay here, I can continue to help you as much as I can.”

“I wouldn't be allowed to leave then, would I? I'd never get to Courage that way.”

Gruff closed his eyes. “You're only safe in here, for now at least. I can't protect you unless you stay inside this building. Outside, they have free reign to do whatever they need to capture you, and I promise you, the second they realize you're no longer in this building, they will have your friend surrounded at all times. They know you will try to get to him.”

Computer sighed, already feeling the weight of the task ahead bearing down on his exhausted body. It needed to be done though. For Courage's sake, it needed to be done.

“I've got to try.” He replied. “I-I can't just leave him like that, especially now that I know the SCC is there with him.”

“He's dying, and sadly there is nothing you can do to change that. You're risking yourself for no reason. You would never be able to get him out of that hospital with the SCC there, and you would probably kill him if you tried.”

“You're wrong about that.” Computer replied, looking the detective in the eyes with all of the determination he could muster. “There is something I can do to change his fate. While it requires a heavy price, I've found a way to create a miracle. We've been traveling to get to the place where this miracle can occur and we were so close to reaching it before all of this happened. It doesn't matter even if he's seconds away from death. If I can just get him there, I can save his life.”

Gruff offered him a small nod. “Alright, I think I understand. Do whatever you believe you need to do. I'll get someone to escort you to the bathrooms. Good luck. You're going to need a miracle just to make this miracle of yours happen.”

As Gruff stood up, he cleared his throat in a dignified manner and placed his hat back atop his head. In one final gesture, he leaned in closer to Computer and whispered the name of the hospital Courage was in, then turned to leave.

“Try not to let anyone see you as you make your way out of here. I won't be able to stop them if they sound the alarm.” He added. 

The very last thing Computer wanted was to be thrown back into that horrible holding cell. He'd have to be careful. Gruff wasn't going to save him and there were no second chances.

“Uh, well, t-thanks for holding the SCC back for me.” He quickly said before Gruff could leave. “I'd be in a pretty inescapable situation right now if they had managed to get to me sooner.”

Gruff let out a small, bark-like laugh. “I'm only doing my job. Beside, I'm happy to have helped you. Having met you in person, you really remind me of my 'partner in crime'. You're both reckless, but for the right reasons.”

End Of Chapter


	81. Becoming A Wanted Dog

Chapter 81: Becoming A Wanted Dog

The same cop from before led Computer to the bathrooms so he had no other choice but to go along with him for now or else risk finding out what having a taser used on you felt like. Thankfully the man did not actually follow him into the bathroom, instead standing guard outside in the hallway. Now Computer had some time and privacy to figure out how to escape. He knew he couldn't sit around too long though or else the cop would come in here to find out what was taking him so long.

The bathroom was completely windowless, and even then a window wouldn't have helped much. Computer knew they had taken the elevator up several floors. He didn't know exactly how high up he was, but it had to at least be high enough that you could not jump out of a window without seriously hurting yourself.

He searched the bathroom, looking for any way out. Now he was wishing he had asked Gruff to send him anywhere but here. He'd gladly have risked having to climb down a tall building than end up trapped in yet another room.

He turned his eyes up toward the ceiling, and that's when he found something a little more promising. There was a vent in the wall, just above the stalls. In fact, it was above a stall divider so if he could just find a way up there, he'd be able to get to it without much difficulty.

He entered the stall closest to the vent, shutting and locking the door. At least this way if he actually managed to get out of this bathroom it would buy him some time since the cop would probably assume he was in this stall. Of course, there was no telling just how long it would take the cop to realize he was being duped.

“Need to hurry.” He muttered out under his breath. At least five minutes had passed already and he could not imagine that the cop would wait much longer before checking on him.

Climbing up onto the toilet tank, he looked upward once more. If he could just jump high enough, he could grab onto the top of the divider and pull himself up....

“Here goes nothing.” He said, hoping that this would go better than his failed attempt to grab the security camera from before.

He jumped with every last bit of strength he had, but it just wasn't enough. He hit the wall, missing the top of the divider by mere inches. His paws clawed at the wall, trying to somehow get a grip on the smooth material. He slowly slid downward, his nails leaving white marks on the wall.

Refusing to give up, he tried again. This time he tried to do a running start, but the toilet tank didn't give him much room to do so. Jumping once more, he fully expected to fail, but this time just the tips of his fingers managed to grab hold of the top of the divider. His swollen paws screamed in agony and the pain was bad enough that he almost let go. Fighting not to lose his grip, he grit his teeth and pressed his feet against the wall. It was slippery work, but somehow he managed to pull himself up onto the top of the divider. There wasn't enough room to stand so he instead had to shakily crawled his way over to the vent.

The vent opening itself was far too small for any human to be able to squeeze through, but this dog body of Computer's would be able to get through without much issue. He wedged a nail into one of the nails holding the grate in place and worked to unscrew it. This ended up taking the most amount of time, but once all four nail were out, he was able to open the grate and climb his way inside. He left the nails sitting in the duct where nobody in the bathroom would be able to see and fit the grate back into place as best as he could. Hopefully it would take a little while for someone to notice the difference.

Just as he began to crawl down the duct, he heard the bathroom door open and the policeman call out to him. He did not wait another second longer and continued to crawl, slowly enough as to not cause much noise. He eventually found a spot where the duct split into two different directions and took the one that curved to the right. At least now if someone looked into the vent, they would not see his glow further down.

He was actually rather glad to have his glow right now or else this air duct would be pitch black. Unfortunately though, he did not have even the slightest idea where he was going. All he really cared about was getting out of this building and he was doubtful that he would be able to find a way out in here. At the very least, no human would be able to pursue him in these ducts.

“I'll have to see if I can find an empty room to jump down into.” He whispered to himself. From there he'd be able to get a better idea of where he was and any potential exits nearby. The only problem was that if he needed to get back into the air vent, it would be hard to reach.

He continued crawling down the air duct, wincing at every small sound he made because it carried much farther than he liked. Every once in awhile he could hear the very muffled voices of people below, but never once did he run into another grate that he could escape from. Finally, he did find something, but it wasn't anything that he was happy to see.

The duct suddenly curved downward, and even with his glow, Computer could not see the bottom of the drop. He still did not know exactly how high up his was, and for all he knew that drop could be long enough for him to end up as a splatter by the time he hit the bottom. Even worse, there might be a ventilation fan somewhere down there and he could just as easily end up being sliced up into hot dogs.

“Eugh, what to do.” He wondered, shifting into an uncomfortable sitting position. “The other duct probably ends the same way, and I _'do'_ need to get to ground level somehow. Why on earth did I not take note of what floor the elevator stopped on?”

Maybe if he was careful, he could hold onto the sides of the duct and slowly climb his way down?

“The only way out is by going down.” He softly said to himself. “I don't have much choice at this point but to take the dangerous option.”

He slid forward, using both his arms and legs to hold onto the sides of the duct. Looking down into the gaping abyss beneath him, he really hoped that he was not actually on the top floor.

“Courage is going to owe me _at least_ a few cups of coffee after all of this is over!” He grunted between grit teeth. It turned out that climbing down a slippery air duct wasn't as easy as it appeared.

He only managed to make it a few inches down the duct before his left foot slipped and he lost his grip entirely. He tried to grab the sides of the duct to slow himself down as he fell, but it did little good.

Thankfully it wasn't too long before he hit the bottom. He clenched his teeth together, both at the jarring bang that echoed loudly through the air duct that probably every last living soul within the building could hear, and for his bottom which he was surprised hadn't shattered into a million pieces because it certainly felt like it had.

“Forget the coffee, I'm going to need a new pelvis after all of this is over...” He groaned, curling up into a ball. “At least....at least the duct didn't break open from the impact.”

….There was a heavy clunk as the part of the duct that he was sitting in separated from the part ahead of him.

“Oh, for christ sake!” He yelled, scrambling to reach the other part of the duct as the one beneath him continued to sink lower.

He managed to grab the edge of the unbroken duct just as the one he was in broke free and fell to the floor below. Dangling there, he checked the room to make sure nobody was around. Thankfully it was empty, but with how much noise he was making, he wasn't sure how much longer that would last.

He struggled to pull himself back up into the duct, and just as he was managing it, there was another clunk and that portion of the duct also gave way, taking him with it.

“Why did I have to go and open my big mouth?” He groaned, sprawled out on the floor.

Well, unless he could find a ladder, he wasn't getting back up into the air duct.

“Ugh, I'm back to being at the mercy of any cop who finds me.” He muttered out, slowly getting to his feet. “Somebody must have heard all that noise. I need to get out of here before it's too late.”

Not to mention word must have gotten out about his disappearance by now. If somebody ' _had'_ heard the huge racket he had just made, they were probably getting reinforcements.

He carefully stuck his head out the door to see if anyone was around. Things were looking pretty quiet for the time being. He recognized this hallway as the one they'd taken him down when they first brought him in. The main office was not far from here. He doubted he that could just walk out the front door though.

Tip-toeing across the hall, he slipped into the room on the other side of the one he'd just been in. It was there that he found exactly what he needed.

“A window! Finally!”

Now that he was at ground level, he could just slip out the window and none of the policemen would ever know what had happened to him. With any luck, they'd think he was still in the air ducts and they would keep searching for him within the building.

As he stepped closer to the window, ready to leave this horrible place forever, realization that he had forgotten something struck him.

“The bag!” He gasped. “How could I almost forget something so important? I-I have to get it back. There's no way I'd ever be able to find the wellspring without the book, and they....they have it somewhere.”

The bag along with all of its contents had been confiscated from him when the police first brought him in. He had seen them hand it over to a secretary in the main office. Maybe it was still there?

“If it's still in that front office, I can just sneak in there, grab it, and run out the front doors before anyone can stop me.” He glanced back up at the window he'd almost escaped out of. “Of course, nothing ever seems to go right for me. However-” He hesitated. “I can't leave the book here, no matter how risky it is to go and get it. I'd be searching blind for the wellspring without it.”

As he made his way back over to the door, he flinched at the sound of footsteps outside. Thinking fast, he began looking for a place to hide, although it quickly proved unnecessary. There were people standing outside the door talking, but they did not make an attempt to come inside. Computer slowly inched close enough to the door to carefully lock it so that the click of the lock would not be heard by the people talking. Once that was out of the way, he pressed his ear to the door.

“...See? I told you I heard that loud bang come from down here. We took too long to check this floor! It's probably moved somewhere else inside the ventilation system by now!”

“Check the room and make sure it's not hiding somewhere. I'll check these other rooms too. Even if it's still in the ventilation system, we should still make sure it didn't get out.”

Computer tensed up. Would they try to get into this room? Did they even have a key?

He whipped around, his search for a hiding spot beginning anew. It was too late though. He heard someone jiggling the door handle and he froze.

“Hey, is this door supposed to be locked?” He heard one of the talkers ask, their voice much louder now that they were so close.

“Uhhh,” The other person began. “I think that one secretary locked it this morning.”

“Do you have a key?”

Computer held his breath. Would hiding even help at this point if they were just going to search the room anyway? His best option was to climb out the window, but then he would...

“What? Do you think the dog is in there?” The other person asked. “It's just a dumb dog! It probably doesn't even know how to lock doors!”

“It figured out how to get into the ventilation system.”

“I'm telling you, it was probably what's-her-face who locked the door. Besides, now we can just tell the SCC that their stupid radioactive dog escaped and they'll finally stop getting all up in our business.”

“Alright, but we're going to keep checking the vents until the SCC gets here. They'll probably want to search the building for it too and knowing them they'll probably turn this place inside out looking for it. That dog is really turning out to be way more trouble than it's worth. No matter what we do, the SCC is going to be a pain in the ass about this.”

Computer breathed a sigh of relief as the voices grew quieter. Since it didn't seem all that safe to leave yet, he waited awhile and hoped that the people looking for him would move on to another area. Sitting down to catch his breath, he looked up and noticed that there was a clock above the door.

“Mid-afternoon, huh?”

He had not eaten anything or even slept in ages, but he could not see himself doing either of those things until he was back at Courage's side. He did not want to even think about how many SCC people he was somehow going to have to outwit to get to Courage.

“I can barely even keep these policemen off my trail. How am I ever going to get past the SCC when I'm the very distinct, glowing dog they're looking for?”

It was exactly as Gruff had implied. Getting to Courage was going to be a nearly impossible task, a task that he refused to give up on no matter how difficult.

“I'm just going to have to wing it for now.” He said, placing a paw against the side of his head. “...If only I still had my ability. The SCC wouldn't be a match for me then.”

Perhaps this was his siblings grand plan having finally come to fruition. With his power taken from him and Courage stuck in a place he could not get to, perhaps they were waiting for him to come to them for help.

“Not in a million years.” He hatefully uttered out, hoping they could hear him.

With some time having passed, he finally dared to peak his head back out into the hallway again. It was as empty as ever, but how long would that last? Anyone could walk by at any moment, but if he could just get down the hall and into the main office...

Deciding that it was now or never, he bolted down the hallway, trying to make as little sound as possible. The door to the main office was standing slightly open and he slipped inside without moving it or causing any noise. At the front desk, the same lady from last night was talking on the phone. She seemed to be having a pretty serious conversation with whoever was on the other side, so hopefully she would have no reason to turn around and see the escaped dog sneaking around.

“What do you mean you're down the street?” She demanded loudly, causing Computer to wince as he tip-toed past her.

He scanned the room for any sign of the bag. He could not even begin to imagine where else they might have put it, and if it wasn't here, he'd probably never be able to find it without getting caught.

“You already know what Gruff said! You can't just come barging in here without-”

There it was! In the back, atop a table along with several other possessions that must belong to other people who had been locked up here.

“You have the warrants? Warrants to search a police station. What a joke.”

Computer moved in closer. He wasn't tall enough to grab the bag from the floor so he'd have to find a way to climb up. There weren't any chairs nearby and he couldn't risk making any sound bringing one over.

“He's under Gruff's protection you know. He's a witness to last night's incident and Gruff wants to keep him around for questioning. You can't just walk in here and make him disappear without good reason.”

Trying not to make any noise, Computer jumped and grabbed onto the edge of the table, carefully pulling himself up. The damn thing wobbled like it was about to break, creaking with every movement. Thankfully it was not loud enough to be heard over the sound of the lady's own voice.

“You have good reason? He's...it's...what?”

Computer grabbed the strap of the bag and pulled it closer. He slowly unzipped the top just to check that none of the policemen had gone through it or taken anything. Everything appeared to still be inside, and more importantly, the book was still there.

“It's...it's THAT dangerous? You're kidding, right? It's just a dog!”  
  


Computer turned and watched the lady for a second. She seemed to be getting way more animated, like she could whip around at any second and find him there.

“That's...that's definitely not a dog your describing, huh? It's a little hard to believe though. You sure you've got the right imposter? I mean, you make it sound like it could level the whole building in an instant.”

Computer, having jumped back down off the table, slowly crept past the woman. Just a little further...

“I mean, if it's really that dangerous then I should probably go tell the boys to end their search. Who knows what it might do to them if they find it. O-okay, I'll do just that.”

Computer was mere steps away from the door when the lady got out of her chair, phone still pressed to her ear, and turned in his direction. A long moment passed as they just stared at each other, then the phone slipped out of the lady's hand.

“Y-you, you're-” She stammered.

“N-no need to panic!” Computer cried out. “I'm not going to do anything! You won't be harmed, I promise! Just let me-”

The mere uttering of the word 'harmed' was enough to make the lady panic. She picked the phone back up in one fell swoop and screamed, “It's here! It's here in the room with me! Help me!”

She reached under the desk and suddenly an alarm was going off. Without waiting another moment, Computer raced out the door. He made a break for the main doors, hoping that the alarm hadn't automatically locked them.

He didn't get a chance to find out, because just as he reached them, the street outside suddenly filled with black vans, and in an instant, SCC personal were swarming out of them.

He turned on his heels and began running in the exact opposite direction. He was going to head back to the room from before and escape out the window, and if that didn't work, he'd leave out of a fire exit since the alarms were already going off.

The doors crashed open behind him and the sound of heavy boots were much too close for comfort. He felt someone nearly manage to grab the fur off the back of his head.

“Don't get too close! We don't know what it might do!” He heard someone yell. “Get the EMP generator! Quick!”

Computer continued running, suddenly worried that they weren't chasing after him more so than he would be if they were. He did not have any desire to find out what an EMP generator was or what it might do to him.

Back in the hallway, he could see a glowing exit sign above a door at the very end of the hall. The room he'd been in before was closer, but...

There was the heavy sound of boots behind him again, and he glanced over his shoulder only once to see that the SCC was bringing over a bulky machine that required at least four people to carry.

“I've got to hurry!” He softly uttered out, trying to pick up his pace.

He was so close to the room he had been in before, but just before he could reach it...

“Ah!” He cried out.

A horrible, high pitch screech reached his ears, blotting out even the sound of the alarm. It cut through him like a knife and caused him to lose his footing. He crashed onto the floor, gripping his ears in an attempt to block the sound out, all to no avail. All he could do was writhe in pain. It seemed impossible that a sound could cause every last inch of his body to ignite in agony and yet that was exactly what was happening.

He knew this pain. It had happened before. His mind felt like it was being pulled apart and twisted into knots, but he could still remember.

On the highway, when they had been escaping the SCC in a car. The helicopter. The SCC had caused the car to die with this sound. Fried it, and it had almost fried Computer too. At the time he had thought they were aiming to take out their means of transportation. Now he understood the truth.

This EMP generator. It had always been meant for him.

It was meant to immobilize him. Damage him enough to shut him down temporarily so that he could be safely captured. Destroying other machines was perhaps nothing more than an unavoidable but acceptable side effect.

...And now he had no way of shutting it down with his power gone.

His head swam. It was so hard to think. His thoughts were static. White noise.

Somehow he managed to open his eyes. They were getting closer. Finally moving in on him. The SCC.

“N-no! I can't be-” He tried to say, but his own words seem to echo endlessly inside of himself, unable to actually reach the outside world.

“Courage! I can't be captured here! I have to get to Courage!”

That moment of clarity was enough. It cut through the pain and confusion, giving him a singular goal to work toward even as his mind was quite literally being fried.

He pushed himself up off the floor. The SCC men gasped and retreated away from him. He still had one thing that gave him an edge over his pursuers. They did not know that his power was gone, and they were afraid to get too close because they did not know exactly what he was capable of.

With the EMP still tearing his entire being apart, he turned and ran once more. His mind was rolling and twisting, only the light of the exit sign kept him going. That and the distant knowledge that he could crash at any moment. If that happened before he could escape, it would be over. They would capture him and by the time he could reboot and recover from the damage that was being done to him, he would already be locked away in some far away place.

All he knew was that he needed to get away from the horrific noise that was invading his being, and to find a place to hide. He would crash soon, there was no escaping it. It had happened last time, under a much shorter barrage, and it was certain to happen again.

He reached the fire exit, pushing the door open and stumbling out into the mid-afternoon sunlight. The world felt alien. Impossible for his degrading mind to comprehend.

Hide. That was the one word that stuck with him.

He continued to run, finally escaping the obliterating sound, but his mind was still in shambles and a disconnect was quickly growing between the dog and himself. He could see the dog's arms pumping as he ran. The glow was gone and the blue color was slowly turning into a dull purple.

The dog's legs felt like jelly. They threatened to give out from under him, but he could not allow it. He fought to keep himself in control of the dog, but he was starting to have a hard time keeping his focus even on that.

Hide. Just hide.

He suddenly felt tired. Unfathomably tired. The damage the EMP had done to his very being was weighing down on him. The dog continued to run, but it practically did so on autopilot.

He ran down an alleyway, and then through a street. He heard the screech of tires and the honking of horns. Down another alleyway, then another. The SCC was nowhere to be found. Perhaps they had lost track of him? He no longer had the mental ability to feel relief that he might be in the clear.

The dog body suddenly came to a stop, completely out of breath. He could push it no further.

Practically of its own volition, the dog looked up. He was at the corner of some busy street. People were walking all around him. In his mental confusion, the movement seemed amplified, causing the dog to become dizzy.

The dog nearly fell to its knees. He could feel a horrible sensation rising in its throat and he did his best to force it back.

Hide.

The cars in the street had stopped. Red light.

With the one goal still fixated, undamaged, in his mind, he moved into the street.

There was a pickup truck, as red as the streetlight itself. It all but seemed to call out to him.

Before the light could change, he climbed into the back of the truck. The dog's limbs barely listened to him, but somehow he managed to keep everything working together long enough. He collapsed inward the moment he was safe. He felt the truck begin to move and he slowly faded away.

He felt nothing, thought nothing as he began the rough process of rebooting in an organic body. Even then, it would be a long while before he recovered from the damage the SCC had done to him.

End Of Chapter


	82. The Strays

Chapter 82: The Strays

_...Drip..._

_...Drip..._

_...Drip..._

Something cold and wet kept hitting Computer in the face.

“Mmmph...wh-what?”

His head was pounding. When there was a bright flash of light behind his eyelids followed by an earsplitting bang, he wasn't entirely sure if it was external or just his head splitting in agony.

The splashes of water were becoming more frequent. His fur was getting soaked.

Still very much dazed and confused, he thought for a moment that he could hear soft footsteps over the sound of dripping water.

He did not want to open his eyes, even as there was another flash and loud bang. His head hurt enough with them closed. He didn't want to consider how bad it would feel once he opened them.

What was clearly rain picked up until it became a deluge.

“Thunderstorm?” He asked, slowly putting the pieces together. He hated how sluggish his mind was working at the moment.

He soon remembered what had happened. Well, if he was being rained on then at least that meant the SCC hadn't captured him. The truck, which he hoped he was still in the back of, must have taken him far enough away that they couldn't find him.

Storm or no storm, for now he was just going to lay there and rest until his entire system was back up and running again. At the very least, no EMP attack could degrade his system any worse than where it already was. Although having to reboot from several crashes couldn't possibly be very good for it, even in an organic body.

Besides, he was actually kind of enjoying the feeling of cool rain against his tired, aching body. He could hardly believe that he was actually enjoying being out in a thunderstorm, but bad memories aside, it was taking the edge off some of the pain.

He heard it again. Soft footsteps? Had the owner of the truck found him? But why would they be outside in a storm like this?

That was when he felt a tug at the bag. Someone was...was trying to get the strap free from around his neck?

Still dazed, he slowly opened his eyes. The blurry mess he found only left him feeling even more confused. Water was covering his glasses, making the world warped and hazy. There was a shadowy shape looming over him. It took him a second to realize that the figure was dog shaped.

“Courage?” He weakly asked, utterly confused.

No, it couldn't be Courage. The dog's silhouette was too different to be his, for one.

He felt the bag lift up away from him, and then it was gone. The shadowy figure had it now.

“I'm being robbed.” He uttered out wistfully, still feeling distant.

Reality then came crashing down on top of him.

“I'm being robbed!” He repeated much more urgently.

He sat up, all while trying to clear the water off his glasses. He was still in the back of the truck after all. That dog thief must have climbed in just to rob him!

He caught a glimpse of the dog jumping out of the truck, briefly lit up by lightning. The dog was small, probably only a puppy. They had white fur with brown spots all over and droopy ears that were quite different from Courage's own breed. Their expression was one of focused determination. They didn't even look back once to check if Computer was scrambling after them.

Fighting through the mental fog and all of the aches and pains plaguing his body, Computer jumped out of the truck after the thief. It was getting dark and it was only made worse by the storm raging overhead. Still, Computer refused to let the dog get away.

“Hey!” He cried out. “You are not running off with our things!”

Wherever the truck has left him, it was a place that was entirely run down. The building were all boarded up or sitting completely empty, some stripped down to the point that they were merely shells. The roads and sidewalks were badly maintained, cracked and broken with vegetation growing through them in places. There did not seem to be another living creature in sight. He could see the city he had once been in only hours before looming close on the horizon, occasionally lit up by bolts of lightning.

It appeared that he had somehow ended up on the wrong side of the tracks. He remembered all too well from Courage's memoir just how bad places like this could get. Although he could not imagine any place that could be as bad as the 'bad' parts of Nowhere.

Try as he might, he could not catch up with the nimble puppy. To make matters worse, rain continued to hit his glasses, making it difficult to see.

“I can't....let that book....get taken away!” He huffed, utterly exhausted and still reeling from the SCC's attack.

The puppy suddenly took a sharp turn and bolted down a road so dilapidated that there was tall grass growing up through the cracks all over the place. It was practically a jungle as far as Computer was concerned. Thankfully though, this seemed to slow the puppy down a little and allowed Computer the chance to catch up.

“Don't think you can get away from me, you little-” He spat, fighting through a particularly annoying clump of grass.

Up ahead was a house as run down as everything else around here. It was not made out of concrete like the other buildings he had seen so its rotting wood was causing it to sag dangerously. It quickly hit him that this entire street must have once had houses like this at some point. Either they had all burned down or nature had reclaimed all but this one. Either way, it did not seem like it would be very long before it disappeared too. Even the rain seemed capable of toppling it down.

The puppy, having made it through the grass, raced up the rotting steps of the house and onto the sagging porch with Computer on their tail. The dog knocked on the door repeatedly, not glancing back at Computer once even as he stalked up behind him.

Computer was just about to swipe the bag back from the puppy when the door opened and the puppy nimbly slipped inside. Thinking fast, Computer stuck his arm in the door before it could be shut on him. Or, to be more exact, it was still shut on him anyway. He winced as it slammed painfully into his arm.

“Oh, you are going to pay for that, you rotten, devil of a-”

The door was slammed into his arm a second time. Furious, he grabbed the door and forced it open even as the puppy continued to push at it in one last desperate attempt to keep him at bay.

Slipping inside, Computer reached for the puppy only to watch them jump backwards with a hateful look in their eyes. The pup turned with that annoying quickness of theirs and ran into the darkness of the house. Computer did not wait a second longer for them to escape. He raced after the dog, his glow illuminating the darkness enough for him to see where the puppy was going. Then, he jumped forward and tackled the puppy to the ground.

“T-that's quite e-enough running f-from y-you!” He shouted between gasps for air.

The pup made no effort to struggle free, which he was grateful for.

“I'll...I'll be taking that bag back, thank you very much.”

That was the exact moment when he realized that he wasn't alone. Out from the darkness and into the light of his glow walked at least ten very hesitant puppies. Several just looked scared, but others had the fur on their backs raised in anger and their teeth bared.

“Hey, that guy's got Spot!” One of them yelled.

“Get 'em!” Another cried.

“Spot? Spot! Seriously? What is it with you dogs and dumb nam-”

And just like that there was around ten puppies flying through the air, all of them aimed at Computer. The next thing he knew, he was literally under a dog pile. He felt Spot slip out from under his grasp as each of his limbs were grabbed by puppies. One of them had jumped onto his back while another had bitten down onto his ear and was hanging there as he growled and twisted his head this way and that. A particularly young puppy had landed squarely on his muzzle and was gleefully punching him between the eyes.

“Okay, okay! Enough! I surrender!” He cried out, collapsing under the combined might of the puppies.

“We got him!”

“Yay!”

From under the pile of puppies, Computer watched Spot unzip the bag and turn it over. Everything that he and Courage had collected on their journey tumbled down onto the floor. There was a collective gasp from the puppies when all of the paper money floated freely out of the bag and slowly drifted down onto the floor. While Spot himself did not seem particularly fazed by the spoils of his thieving, one glance at the other puppies faces and it was clear that it was like Christmas morning had come early for them.

Only now did they pick themselves up off of Computer, abandoning him to check out the huge piles of money.

“We're rich!” One of them exclaimed.

“We could buy a whole new house with this!”

Spot carelessly flicked one of his floppy ears out of his face. “Don't get your hopes up. This money will feed us for a week and that's about it. You guys have bottomless pits for stomachs, after all.”

“Well, so do you Spot!” One of them shot back.

Computer sat there, watching all of this unfold. There was nothing stopping him from just running in there, grabbing the book, and bolting out the door before any one of these puppies could stop him, but he just didn't have it in him. Chasing Spot had been enough to wipe him out completely, and the thought of doing even more running seemed unthinkable. It was clear that he needed more time to recover from the SCC's attack.

“You're a bunch of strays, aren't you?” He finally spoke up. “Orphaned puppies that need to steal to survive, is that it?”

Spot glanced over at him. “You're kinda slow, aren't ya?”

“Well, I was fast enough to catch you, wasn't I? Hmm? Some thief you are!”

Spot crossed his arms. “Who's the one being robbed right now?”

“Look, keep the money then. You can have it. I just want that book back.”

One of the puppies had picked the book up and was looking it over with interest. Spot turned to him and snatched the book right out of his paws.

“What, is this worth money or something?” He asked, flipping through the pages that he no doubt could not read.

“Hardly, it just has important information in it that I need to help a friend.”

“The writing doesn't even look like it's in English.”

“It's not, and I'm probably one of the few people around who knows how to read it. You wouldn't be able to get any money selling it off, so just let me have it back.”

“Hey, Spot.” One of the pups interjected. “Look, I found another book!”

It was the book with all of the names in it.

“That,” Computer began. “You could maybe get ten dollars for.”

Spot shook his head. “We don't want your junk. Take all this stuff back and get out, but we're keeping the cash.”

He tossed the book to Computer and left him to pick up everything else.

Computer sighed. “Well, if you're going to rob me, you could at least give me a place to stay for the night. I'd rather not go back out into the storm for the time being.”

“Fine.” Spot huffed. “Stay, but don't try anything funny or else we'll dog pile you again.”

“Yeah!” The rest of the pups agreed.

Spot turned around and disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the soft voices of the rest of the puppies as they rifled through the contents of the bag, along with the steady drips of water leaking through the many cracks in the house.

Computer tried to stand, only to collapse again almost immediately. “Oof, I-I need a little more time to recover.” He uttered out, looking up at the rotting ceiling. “Sorry, Courage.”

He nearly jumped at the soft touch of a paw against his arm. It was one of the puppies. A girl with obnoxiously big, innocent eyes.

“Are you going to be okay, Mr. Robbed Guy? S-sorry for punching you, but we had to save Spot.”

“I'll be fine, I just need to rest. It's been...a long day.”

Another puppy moved in closer. He had Computer's coffee pillow in his arms and was rubbing a cheek against it like it was the softest thing he had ever encountered.

“Oh boy.” Computer exasperated. “Look, if you like it that much then keep it.”

The pup's eyes lit up and he hugged the pillow closer. “W-wait!” He suddenly exclaimed. “You can use it tonight 'cause you look really tired and we don't have any beds for you to sleep on.”

“So, uh, why exactly 'are' you puppies living in an abandoned house like this? Isn't there somewhere else you could go? This place must be dangerous. It looks like it could collapse at any moment.”

The room suddenly went very quiet, aside from the constant drumming of the rain.

“Wrong question to ask, huh.” Computer said after a long moment of silence from the pups.

“This is the best place for us to live.” The girl puppy finally answered. “The dog catchers don't come around this part of town and everybody else leaves us alone. Spot goes out and gets food for us. He even goes out into the city if he has to, and that's where all the dog catchers usually are! He risks everything just so we have food to eat.”

“He hasn't had much luck lately though.” The pillow pup added. “He hasn't been able to steal any food or money for us. We haven't had anything to eat in days.”

“Oh...” Computer uttered out hesitantly. He never thought that he would feel so conflicted about being robbed.

“But now we've got lots of money, and Spot will get us some food tomorrow!”

“T-that's good. So, uh, are you all brothers and sisters then?”

The girl pup shook her head. “Nope. Spot's the one who brought us all together. We were all alone out on the streets before he found us. My mommy, she-” The little pup went very quiet. Her massive eyes started to fill with tears.

The pillow pup was the one to speak up next. “The dog catchers took my mommy and daddy away...”

The other puppies, who were still going through the contents of the bag, all stopped long enough to tell Computer exactly what had happened to their parents one by one.

“Oh, dear. Well, at least you're all here now instead of...of out there, in the rain, and...and starving...”

He mentally kicked himself for saying something so stupid. There was nothing particularly good about the situation these puppies were in and their lot in life was not likely to get any better. They'd probably starve long before they'd reach maturity. Part of him really wanted to help, but Courage...

He shook his head. “Well, it's probably past your bedtime, kiddos.” He said to the group as a whole. “And it's certainly past mine. You can finish robbing me tomorrow.”

He laid down and the pillow pup handed him the coffee pillow like he said he would. “I can't believe I've been foiled by a bunch of puppies.” He yawned. “The SCC has nothing on you guys.”

This was probably the best place for him to be right now anyway. The city would be swarming with SCC personal at this point and the storm would probably hinder any attempts he might make to get to Courage. For now, he was just going to focus on recovering from the SCC's attack.

There was something almost soothing about the constant pattering of rain on the rotting wood of the house, mixed with the endless dripping of the droplets that found their way through the cracks. He was having no problem drifting off to sleep, but somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, he realized that something wasn't quite right. Opening a single eye, he found that the girl puppy was now leaning against him and fast asleep. Too tired to care, he closed his eye once more. Soon enough, another puppy joined in, followed by another and another. Before he knew it, he was under an entirely new dog pile of very sleepy puppies. It was certainly a bit nicer than last time, at least.

End Of Chapter


	83. Rooftop Talk

Chapter 83: Rooftop Talk

There was a soft, continuous beeping.

Computer opened his eyes.

A hospital room?

“Courage?”

The dog looked unnaturally small laying in a bed obviously meant for humans. There were so many tubes and wires hooked up to him and yet he was sleeping serenely.

The weird part was, Courage wasn't just laying there in the bed. He was also standing beside the bed with his back turned to Computer.

“Wh-what is this?” Computer questioned, taking a step toward the two Courage's.

The Courage who wasn't sleeping slowly began to turn towards him.

“Wait,” Computer began. “You're not Courage. You're-”

Something poked him hard in the ribs.

“Hey! Wake up!”

His eyes snapped open. He felt like he was being squished under the weight of all the puppies. Somehow he managed to pull an arm free from the huddle and adjust his glasses, which had almost slid off his muzzle during the night.

Spot loomed over him with his arms crossed. The house was bright in the early morning light. Beams of sunshine were filtering in through the many cracks in the wood. It was still damp and musty from the storm last night, but the house itself had survived to see another day.

“What are you glaring at me like that for?” Computer asked sleepily.

“Get up. I need you to see something.”

“Oh?” Computer exclaimed, unwilling to move since that would inevitably wake everyone up. “I don't know if you've noticed, but-”

Without a moment of hesitation, Spot stepped forward and began knocking puppies away from him.

“Heeeey, Spot!” One of them whined, only to curl right back up on the floor and promptly fall back asleep.

The commotion was enough to wake up the rest of the group long enough for them to relocate and go back to sleep. Apparently something like this was normal for them.

“Now come on.” Spot huffed, brushing away a floppy ear.

“Well, aren't you an attitude problem in the making.” Computer quipped getting onto his feet. He already felt so much better than he had last night. If he could avoid ever having to go through another bout of recovery from the SCC's EMP trick, it wouldn't be long enough. Now it was just one more thing that he'd have to worry about if he wanted to get to Courage.

Spot led him through the dilapidated, empty living room and down a hall, passing an equally empty kitchen and bathroom. They reached a staircase that was barely holding itself together. It sagged dangerously and yet Spot began walking up it like it was nothing.

Well, Spot may have been light enough to walk up the steps without disturbing them but Computer on the other hand had to deal with every step creaking ominously under his weight. A few of them even began bending inward like they were seconds away from snapping in half.

The second floor of the house wasn't in much better shape than ground level, with there being many holes in the floor and a lot of wood so rotten that you'd no doubt fall through if you put your weight on them. Spot moved through these hazards like he knew this house like the back of his paw. Computer was left holding his breath with every step he took.

They reach yet another staircase, this one much smaller than the last and in even worse shape. Computer held onto the railing for dear life as he slowly made his way up. Once at the top, he found himself standing in an attic not much different from the one back in Nowhere. It was a bit smaller, but aside from the fact that the roof was gone in places and the floor was sagging dangerously, it looked a lot like the 'home' Computer had once known.

In a corner, Spot had set up a makeshift bed. It was nothing more than a few dirty, moth eaten towels, but it was obvious what it was meant to be. There wasn't much else to speak of about the room, and Spot himself was heading over to a rather large hole in the wall.

“Hope you can climb.” He said, disappearing.

“Ugh, just what is this all about, kid?” Computer called out, disliking the sudden turn of events. The last thing he had any desire to do was climb around the outside of a nearly collapsed building.

When Spot did not answer, he sighed and went over to the hole. He looked down at the ground below, still wet from the rain, and then up at the roof where Spot's head was hanging over the edge.

“Hurry up!” The pup yelled.

“Okay, okay! Don't rush me! I didn't think I was going to wake up to a bunch of dangerous climbing!”

He dug his fingers into the rotting wood and slowly made his way upward.

“I could use a cup of coffee _so_ badly right now!” He grumbled, pulling himself up onto the slanted roof.

If anything, the roof felt even more dangerous than any other part of the house. Not only did it seem seconds away from collapse, but it was particularly waterlogged thanks to all of the rain.

“What on earth did you need me to come all the way up here for?” Computer huffed, watching the creaking wood under his feet closely.

“Look.” Was all the answer Spot gave, pointing past him.

He slowly turned around and found that he had a surprisingly good view of the city close on the horizon.

“Oh dear...” He softly uttered out.

There had to be almost a hundred helicopters searching the city both high and low. Everywhere you looked, there was a helicopter either above the city or skimming the outskirts.

“Why do I get the feeling that you have something to do with this?” Spot asked, turning his icy gaze onto Computer.

“What gave it away?”

“You don't see very many bright, blue, glowing dogs around. Are you a mutant or somethin'? Did ya escape from somewhere? Is that why there are so many people looking for you?”

“It's...a long story. A very, very long story. Besides, none of that matters now. I need to find some way to get back into the city without being caught.”

Spot's ears perked up. “Are you nuts? You'd be throwing yourself into the dog catcher's net!”

“I have a friend that I need to get back to! He's very sick and I'm the only one who can help him! That's why that book is so important to me. It's the only chance I have to make sure he lives.”

“Going back into the city right now would be suicide. With that many people around, they'd find you in a second.”

“I know, I know! I stand out too much, but that's not something I can change. The people who are trying to find me, they're called the SCC Organization. They have my friend, Courage, being monitored in a hospital. They know I'll probably try to get to him so they've got to have that place on lock-down. I'm not entirely sure what I should do. I'd just be walking into a trap. I could wait until their search attempts die down, but with the way things are, I can't risk sitting around. Courage isn't doing so well, and even then, he's too sick to be moved right now, but if he recovers even slightly, the SCC would no doubt run off with him and then I'd never have any hope of getting him back.”

Spot crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “Well...” He mused. “I gotta go into town today and get some food for the others, now that we have some money. I could take a look around and see what the situation is. I'm betting that hospital is crawling with those SCC guys, but hey, I'm good at getting around unnoticed. If you give me some time to plan, I might even be able to get into that hospital and figure out a way to get your friend out of there.”

Computer nearly toppled off the roof. “R-really? You'd do that for me?”

Spot shrugged. “Don't get too excited. I can't promise anything, and if your friend is unconscious then there's no way anybody could get him out of there without being caught. And hey, if I'm going to do this for you then you gotta watch over the others for me while I'm gone. For some stupid reason, they've really taken a liking to you already.”

The wheels in Computer's head had begun to turn. This Spot guy, he seemed dependable, if a bit rough around the edges. Computer had not considered the need for such a thing until now, but someone like Spot could make for a good replacement. Someone to look after Courage once this journey was over. The pup had already been abandoned to the streets with no family to speak of, and if he was willing to live on the farm with Courage...

“Listen, uh, Spot. I'm, er...not going to be around for much longer and I could really use a replacement of sorts. Someone who could keep Courage safe for me, you know? He has a bit of a, uh, 'talent' for attracting trouble, but he lives with this nice, old lady who'd love someone like you. You'd never have to go hungry again, and I'm sure Courage would appreciate having a friend to keep him company. I...misjudged him for a very long time, and now my time is running out. You wouldn't make the same mistakes I did and because of that you two would make for a decent enough team. Maybe you could succeed where I was not able.”

The pup squinted. “Well, this is a surprise. Never thought I'd be offered somethin' like this from some guy I just robbed. What, are you sick too? If you're trying to save this Courage guy with that weird book, why don't you do the same for yourself?”

“It's not that simple. I'm taking Courage to a mountain with the power to cure him of his illness, the book is just a guide. You must understand that creating a miracle requires considerable sacrifice. This is a one way trip for me, and that's by choice. If you succeed at rescuing Courage from the hospital, you'd come with us to the mountain, but after we're done there, it would be all up to you to make sure he gets home safely.”

Spot turned away, crossing his arms again and tapping his foot on the wood. “What about the others?” He asked.

“The rest of the puppies? We're going to a frigid, icy mountain. I don't think it would be the greatest idea to take them with us. You seem capable enough, but it would be dangerous for the likes of them.”

“If they can't come then I can't go either. I'm not gonna leave them behind. They're my friends and they depend on me too.”

Computer glanced down at the ruined road below. “They'd starve on their own, wouldn't they? I'm sure they'd enjoy living on the farm too, but-”

“I don't want 'em up on that mountain.” Spot confirmed. “You're right that it'd be too dangerous for them.”

“Give me some time to think about this.” Computer answered. “I don't want you to come with us if that means abandoning these guys to starvation. I would say we could just leave them here while we're at the mountain and then you could come back for them on the return trip, but it might be awhile before you do come back. It might take me weeks, possibly even months to locate the wellspring that holds the key to saving Courage's life. We 'are' going to be staying at a ski resort while I try to find the place, but if management were to find out that we smuggled in a bunch of puppies, they would leave us out in the cold.”

Spot gave a careless shrug. “Hey, if you manage to get us a real home, I may have to start actually liking you. I'm not about to get my hopes up, but you never know.”

“Just focus on trying to find a way to get Courage out of that hospital for now. None of this will mean anything if the SCC takes him away. At the very least, I hope you can get some kind of confirmation that he's doing okay. The last I heard, he was stable but still teetering on the edge.” Computer's ears drooped involuntarily. “I...I hope nothing's changed since then. I don't know what I'd do if he...”

“Wow, you really care about this Courage guy, huh?”

“Well, of course! He...he's everything to me!”

“Oh boy.” The pup exasperated, placing his paws behind his head. “Courage must really be something if he makes you want to jump head first into enemy territory. Heck, that doesn't even bring up the fact that you want to sacrifice yourself to some mystical mountain for his sake.”

Computer was acutely aware of the fact that his face was growing warm. “H-he's the kindest person I know, for starters. A-and I happen to enjoy his company very much. Beside, I wouldn't even be here right now if it wasn't for him. Nothing is more important to me than getting him back and fixing that awful illness of his so that he doesn't have to be in pain anymore. Courage is...”

There was a soft giggle from somewhere down below that stopped him in his tracks.

“Huh?” He uttered out, looking down between the cracks in the wood.

It was that girl puppy from last night. She was standing in the attic below. She had been eavesdropping on them the whole time. Her bright eyes stared up at him.

“You lo-oo-ve hiiimmm.” She sang with a wide, childish grin.

This time Computer really did almost topple down off the roof. “WH-WHAT?” He exclaimed. “It's not...we're not-” He stammered. “I-it's...c-complicated! That's all!”

For the first time Spot's grumpy expression had changed to one of mild amusement. “I figured somethin' was up.” He said. “It's really obvious, you know.”

Computer turned up his nose. “I have absolutely no idea what you mean!” He argued, face having gone completely red against his own will. “B-besides, what would a bunch of puppies know?”

Spot shrugged and turned away. “Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could figure out how hard you're crushing on the guy. You must be in denial or somethin'.”

“D-DENIAL? Look here, shorty! If do actually manage to get anywhere near Courage, I swear if you say anything to him, I will punt you off-”

He stopped mid-sentence. Spot was climbing a little higher up the roof, ignoring Computer's ranting every step of the way. Without a second of hesitation, he jumped down one of the holes.

“Where do you think you're going?” Computer called out after him. “I really mean it! Don't you dare say a thing to Courage a-about anything!”

He carefully traced Spot's footsteps and peered down into the hole he'd just jumped through. He had left the attic but the little girl dog was still there.

Giggling, she said, “You don't have to be mad. I think I like Courage too!”

“Uugghh...” Computer groaned, letting his head hang over the hole in defeat.

“Are we really going to go live on a farm with Courage?” The little pup questioned.

“If things work out? Maybe.” Computer answered. He didn't want to get the pup's hopes up too high.

“And what about you? Are...are you going away? Why do you need Spot as a replacement?”

“Don't worry about it, kid.”

“But I don't want you to go away!”

“I'm not going anywhere for the time being, so don't fret, okay? Just hold tight for a second while I find a way down.”

“Jump!” The puppy exclaimed.

“Ah, no. If I try to do what Spot did, I'll just fall through floor and probably the one below it too.”

He carefully climbed his way down off the roof, but by the time he was back in the attic even the little girl pup had abandoned him. Carefully navigating the many hazards that littered the collapsing building, he made his way back downstairs and into the living room.

Word had traveled fast about what he and Spot had talked about. The puppies were all hyper balls of energy at the news that they might be getting a new place to call home.

Spot, level headed as ever, tried to quell the explosive excitement that had taken over. “Nothing is set in stone yet, guys! We only just met this dog and we did just rob him, remember? I'll take what I can get, but this is all sounding a little too good to be true. I'm gonna try and bust this Courage guy out of the hospital, but who knows what might happen. They could hand me over to the dog catchers if I get caught.”

A gasp ran through the group of puppies.

“But hey, it's worth a shot. With all the stuff Charon's been sayin' about me lately, I might not be around much longer to take care of you softies. I'd be great if we could get a ticket out of this joint before he makes up his mind and you guys get left in the dirt.”

“Charon?” Computer whispered to himself. Where had he heard that name before?

Oh, right. The cat gang had talked about selling him off to some Charon person. They certainly had made it sound like Charon was one nasty dog. He could only assume that if this guy was taking an interest in Spot, it could not be for a good reason.

Clearing his throat, Computer made his way over to the puppies. “You don't have to worry about me betraying you guys or anything else of the sort. You're the best shot I have at getting Courage back because I certainly can't go anywhere near the hospital without being noticed. Besides, I'm not going to hold a grudge against a bunch of starving puppies. Speaking of which, we should probably fix that and I happen to have an idea.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: All hail Dadputer: Wrangler Of Puppies. He has finally found his calling.


	84. Puppy Parenting

Chapter 84: Puppy Parenting

If there was one thing that Computer had figured out in the two hours since he sent Spot off into the city with two other pups that the street smart puppy considered reliable, it was that children were prone to asking far too many questions. The remaining puppies hounded him endlessly. They wanted to know more about him, where he had come from, what Courage was like, how they had met, what Nowhere was like, and so on and so forth.

The last thing he wanted to talk about was himself, and he wasn't certain how to explain to the puppies that he wasn't exactly a real dog either, so he instead focused on telling them about Courage and his many misadventures. It was easy enough to keep them entertained and they did not seem bothered by how weird or outright scary so many of the tales were. The many threats that had often befallen Courage, Eustace, and Muriel were nothing more than exciting tales to these abandoned puppies. The fact that Courage had lost his parents and been left abandoned at one point in his life, only to be found by someone as kind as Muriel seemed to resonate greatly with Computer's captive audience.

Admittedly though, all he really wanted was to be left to himself since he could not help but worry endlessly that something might happen to Spot and his team while out in the city. He'd known exactly what sort of meal to go all out on for a bunch of puppies who hadn't eaten in awhile, but Spot would not have been able to carry it all home on his own, so the pup had had no choice but to bring backup. Spot had also made plans to get a look at the hospital and figure out just how much of an SCC presence was there, but Computer had pressed him not to take any risks. The last thing he needed was his best chance at getting Courage back getting himself captured long before they could figure out an actual plan. The pup had promised that they'd stay out of sight, but anything could happen, especially with the SCC searching every last inch of the city.

Computer was just starting to wish that there was a working clock around, since it was beginning to feel like Spot had been gone for far too long, when one of the puppies asked him for what had to be the millionth time,

“Now tell us where you come from too!” He exclaimed, trying to crawl into Computer's lap.

Computer, of course, wasn't having any of it. He picked the pup up by the scuff of his neck and placed him down an arm's length away. While he certainly didn't hate the puppies or anything of the sort, he wasn't going to start playing the part of surrogate mommy either. He was getting really tired of all these puppies trying to snuggle up with him like he was some sort of security blanket. It was maybe just a tiny bit cute the first time, but now it was getting annoying.

“Stop asking questions.” He huffed, turning his attention back onto the door. How he hoped that he had not sent Spot and the others into harm's way....

“C'mon! Tell us!” The puppy cried, breaking his concentration. “Were you a stray too until Muriel adopted you?” The little pup persisted, this time jumping up onto Computer's head, much to his ever growing annoyance. These dogs just did not understand the concept of personal space!

...And as if on cue, the rest of them swarmed him yet again. They clung to him like, ugh...a dog shaped security blanket.

“How do I get myself into these situations?” He said under his breath. “And....and stop asking questions about me, you nosy little-”

His demand went unheard as several of the clingy pups joined in on the interrogation. Regardless, he remained steadfast.

“For goodness sake! I am not important! I just help Courage out and that's it! He's the one who does all of the rescuing and putting a stop to the weird stuff that happens in Nowhere! My past is staying firmly in the past, and even if I tried to explain anything to you prying pups, you wouldn't understand any of it!”

“Tell uuusss!” They all yelled in unison.

He gazed dully forward and muttered out under his breath, “...Am I ever glad that I'm completely incapable of creating _'children'_. I will never understand how organic creatures put up with this. Perpetuating your genetic legacy can't be worth-”

“Tell uuusss!” They repeated a second time, cutting off his mutterings.

“Okay, okay!” He relented, desperate for silence. “How to put this in a way that a bunch of puppies can understand?” He considered it for one long moment and then blurted out, “Robot dog! That's what I am! I am technically a robot dog and I suppose I came from a store! There! Now leave me alone!”

He expected another deluge of endless questions, especially since he didn't think the puppies would accept the answer, but instead he was asked only one more thing.

“...Do you run on batteries?”

He closed his eyes and let out a long, defeated sigh.

His salvation came in the form of a knock on the door. All of the puppies gasped, first unsure of what to do and something like a ripple of fear ran through the group. Then they heard Spot's voice and started to calm down.

“We made it back! Somebody open the door!” He called out. His voice was surprisingly loud thanks to all of the cracks in the wall.

Computer was freed from the flock of puppies as they all raced over to open the door. Spot and one of the pups he had taken with him walked in carrying a huge stack of pizza boxes. The moment the smell of freshly baked pizza entered the house, a ravenous look fell over the starving puppies.

Spot and his partner slowly lowered the boxes down onto the ground. Then, having to reach as high as he could, grabbed the topmost box and placed it onto the floor as the puppies closed in. He opened the box and the pepperoni pizza seemed to have a light all of its own as everyone stared in awe.

That singular moment of peace lasted only for a second, because the puppies then pounced all at once and there was an explosion of cheese and pepperoni as they went to town on the pizza. Computer immediately found himself covered in cheese, along with much of the walls.

“I suppose I should have expected that this would happen...” He uttered out, trying to clean his cheese covered glasses on his fur to no avail. “-but it looks like I was right. You just can't go wrong with pizza.”

Spot looked on, thoroughly unamused at the anarchy that had taken over. The puppies were practically climbing over each other to lick the grease off the box. If given the chance, they probably would have eaten the cardboard too. He opened another box of pizza and it was consumed almost as quickly as the first. Giving up, he opened up all the remaining boxes of pizza and spread them around so that the mob of puppies had to split up to get them. Computer was suddenly very glad that he had made Spot get as much pizza as he did.

“Hey,” A voice said and someone tugged at his fur. It was the second puppy who had gone with Spot. “I brought you that drink you wanted.”

Computer could have cried tears of joy as he took the mug of coffee from the pup. How he had missed caffeine! It was just what he needed after the complete disaster these last few days had been.

“And here I was starting to think that I'd never get a chance to drink coffee again.” He said to himself, and for once he made sure to sip at it, rather than gulp it down like normal. He needed it to last.

Things soon began to calm down as, one by one, the puppies began to slip into a food coma. It was only now that Spot allowed himself to eat. There was still half a pizza left, and he tore into it as hungrily as the others had. Computer wanted to ask him about the hospital, but he figured he could wait until the pup was done.

Still sipping at his coffee and mourning the inescapable truth that it was almost gone, he felt another tug at his fur. This time it was the little girl dog who had taken such a shine to him. She was covered head to toe in cheese, sauce, and pepperoni, to the point that it took Computer a moment to realize that she was still holding an actual slice of pizza. It practically blended right in with her.

“Here,” She said with an oddly nervous smile. “I saved you a slice 'cause you weren't eating.”

That was...a bit surprising. With how ravenous these puppies were, Computer hadn't thought that any of them might be paying attention to anything other than filling their bellies.

“Oh,” He softly exclaimed, rather bewildered. “Well, uh, thank you?”

He wasn't going to refuse the offer. It'd been ages since he last ate, and as much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't live on coffee alone.

He bit into the slice of pizza, uncomfortably aware of the eyes still fixated upon him. Why wouldn't that pup just pass out like the rest, and why was she looking at him like she wanted to say something but was too nervous to actually say it?

Just as he tipped back the mug of coffee to enjoy what little remained, the puppy girl softly asked, “Will you be my new dad?”

His eyes widened and he all but inhaled the last few drops of coffee. Choking and sputtering, his brain could hardly compute the thing she had just asked. Trying to compose himself, he sputtered out, “F-for goodness sake! What on earth gave you the idea that I'm good parenting material? Y-you've got the wrong-”

Her utterly heartbroken expression stopped him in his tracks. It was obvious that it had taken a lot of courage on her part to even ask and it was becoming more and more clear that he needed to treat this situation...delicately.

“Look,” He continued. “I'm not exactly of the, er, parenting persuasion. Once we get Courage back, and once we get all of you to Nowhere, he'll...”

“But, but-” She tried to argue. “I really want you to be my new dad.”

“Oh, boy.” Computer softly uttered out, turning away for a moment. How had this happened? Why would anyone, even a desperate puppy, think that he was adequate father material? What a joke...

“Why?” Was the only thing he could think to ask.

“Because you're nice! Spot was really mean to you and yet you're being nice to us anyway. You're just like how my real dad was before...before he went away.”

“Nice? Hardly. I'm just-” The words stopped before they could leave his throat.

_'Doing what Courage would do.'_

He was only trying to do what felt right, but in the end he ' _was'_ getting something in return for it. Maybe he was becoming more like Courage, or perhaps not. He wasn't entirely sure, but it was starting to make him feel like a big fluke. He was not Courage, even if the dog's empathy was starting to rub off on him.

“Listen, kid. You've got me all wrong. Everyone here has. I'm...not who you think I am. Just look at it this way instead. Once we get Courage back, you'll see that he's much kinder than I am. I'm not so sure about all of this father business, but once you've made it to Nowhere, I have no doubt that he'd be more than happy to look after you. He's-” He chuckled to himself, knowing exactly how Courage was. “He's going to adore a kid like you, and he's going to love having the rest of your friends around too. Believe it or not, but he's been on his own for a long time and now he's going to have a huge family to help him look after Muriel and Eustace.”

It hit him then that he had inadvertently come up with a solution to the problem of Courage outliving his current family. With all of these puppies around who would soon be apart of his family, he was not going to be completely alone once Muriel, Eustace, and yes, even Computer himself was gone. Now he'd still have family to live for once the inevitable happened.

It had taken Computer far longer than normal in this case, but he was still fulfilling his purpose and finding solutions for all of Courage's problems! He wanted to grin at the thought of having fixed something that he had thought he couldn't change, but the girl's gloomy face kept him from doing so.

“Don't look so sad!” He exclaimed, trying to cheer the poor puppy up. “You're going to be apart of a wonderful family, and Courage is going to be happy to have you! And, well, if he doesn't like that he now has an extended family, he will just have to deal with it! It's his fault for making me _'feel things'_ for other people so he can deal with the repressions of that!”

He couldn't help but laugh. None the less, the little girl pup remained gloomy.

“You're not going to cheer up, are you?” He asked with a sigh.

Much to his ever growing dismay, the pup tearfully lunged forward and hugged him around the middle with all of the desperation such a small creature could convey.

“Great....just great.” He muttered out under his breath.

He simply could not understand what this puppy saw in him. Hopefully she would change her mind once she met Courage, because he did not want or need another person he would inevitably have to say goodbye to soon. With the way things were going, telling her the truth about his situation would only break her heart. It was painfully obvious that the loss of her real parents was still affecting her deeply and him playing 'parent' would only make things worse when the end arrived.

“Well, you should just, uh, wait until we get Courage back first, okay?” He said, desperate to change the puppy's mind. “This is...a big thing you're asking of me, a-and-”

The little puppy looked up at him with those big, tearful eyes. “You don't like me? Is that why you don't wanna be my dad?”

He gave a little start. “What? No, no! I-it's not like that! I just...”

Why on earth were children like this?

“Look,” He said, practically exhaling the word out of sheer exhaustion with the pup. He picked her up by the scruff of her neck. “Let's just...get you cleaned up for now, and then you can go take a nap with the rest of your friends. I just need time to think, alright? I'll...consider the whole parenting thing, I suppose.”

He didn't actually mean it, but it was the only thing he could say to the unhappy pup at this point. It was enough to get her to cheer up just a tiny bit. All he could hope for was that she'd ultimately take more of a shine to Courage when the time came.

He did indeed get her cleaned up, or at least tried as best as he could since there was no soap or rags around. He then plopped her down with the rest of the puppies and she fell asleep almost immediately.

Spot, who had long since finished eating, waited patiently for him to finish helping the puppy. He stood there with his back up against the wall and his arms crossed.

“Do you know what happened to her parents?” The pup calmly asked.

It was a rhetorical question because of course Computer couldn't possibly know what had happened to them.

“From what I heard,” Spot went on. “Charon got to her mom not long after she was born. As for her dad, well, some human decided to use him for target practice while he was out scavenging for food. After that, she was left wandering the streets alone until I found her. I never told her what happened to her dad. She thinks that he just up and left one day, but I think deep down she knows exactly what happened to him.”

“Well, she's got the wrong idea about me.” Computer tersely replied. “I would make for a terrible parent, and I tend to get used for target practice an awful lot too.”

Spot shrugged. “Can't blame her for it. I'm sure she really misses her dad, so of course she's going to latch on to someone who reminds her of him. We all have family that we miss, you know? Life is hard when you're a stray. She's going to have to get over it eventually.”

That nonchalant attitude of Spot's was seriously starting to rub Computer the wrong way.

“Oh, and I hate to break it to you, but I got bad news.” The pup went on with another careless shrug.

“It's about the hospital, isn't it?”

“Yep. We took a look around out there and I don't think even the greatest thief in the world would be able to find a way to sneak into that place. Those SCC guys have the entire building locked down like a fortress.”

“That's not exactly what I was hoping to hear.” Computer replied in dismay.

“I just don't see how I could get in there. They'd catch me in two seconds flat.”

Computer crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying to think. “What if I created a distraction? If even one of them were to catch sight of me near the hospital, I bet every single SCC worker in the city would come running. You would probably be able to get Courage out of there in all the chaos.”

Spot shook his head. “No way. How would you keep yourself from getting captured? What's the point of getting Courage out of there if we end up having to rescue you afterwords?”

Computer was once again regretting the loss of his abilities. Of course, he wouldn't even need Spot's help right now if he could just use his power to rescue Courage. As it was right now, all it would take was one blast from the SCC's EMP generator to knock him out and then any distraction he might try to make would only end with him needing to be rescued as well.

“We...we have to come up with something.” He softly uttered out. “I'm not about to let them run off with Courage. I-I can't let them do that, no matter what.”

...It was really starting to feel like the only chance he had of getting Courage back was through his siblings, but he wasn't about to give them what they wanted. No matter how desperate the situation might be, he wasn't going to fall for their machinations. They _wanted_ him in this position, and they had helped get him to this point. They were no doubt waiting for him to finally ask for their help.

“I'll go out again tomorrow and see if anything changes.” Spot said. “Just don't get any ideas about doing something reckless. With the way these guys have warmed up to you, it'd break their hearts if something happened.”

Computer shook his head. “I don't need more dogs caring about what happens to me! Why can't these puppies understand that I'm not-”

He felt a tug at his arm. It was the little girl pup, who'd already woken back up. She was staring up at him sleepily.

“I know how to fix this.” She quietly said. “You and Courage could both be my dad!”

Computer nearly jumped out of his own skin. “H-hey! D-don't go getting any funny ideas, kid!”

End Of Chapter


	85. Charon

Chapter 85: Charon

In the evening, Computer climbed up to the roof to escape the ever loud and explosively energetic puppies, especially now that they had some food in their stomachs to fuel them. He was glad to have some silence, relatively speaking. There were enough cracks in the roof for the sounds of the puppies playing to reach his ears, but this was good enough for him. He could finally get his head together and try to figure out a new way to approach rescuing Courage from the hospital.

...And he wasn't having any luck.

He watched the SCC helicopters as they continue their search of the city, quietly dismayed. Always, always his thoughts returned to Courage and that image of him in a hospital bed, hooked up to so many wires and tubing that he practically looked half machine himself. Computer could not stop worrying about it and it was making it hard for him to focus on coming up with a rescue plan. He was not sure if what he had seen had been an 'actual' dream that his own mind had come up with, or if he had seen the actual hospital through the Dreamworld connection. It didn't make much sense to him though, because if Courage had not woken up yet, how would he know what his hospital bed looked like well enough to dream about it? And if he had woken up long enough to take in his surroundings, the SCC would have probably transported him somewhere else by now.

Computer mindlessly dug his nails into the rotten wood. The fear that he had that he might not be able to rescue Courage before it was too late was only growing with every minute that ticked by. He had to think of something. He just had to. The thought of losing Courage now, after everything...

Maybe the Dreamworld connection really _'was'_ the only thing he had left, but what good could it possibly do? It might let him get into contact with Courage, but such a thing was finicky and unreliable. Besides, what good would it to do to be able to talk to Courage while he slept? He would not be able to do anything for himself while asleep, and if he did wake up, he'd be taken away long before he could coordinate any sort of escape plan, even if Spot somehow managed to find a way to get to him.

Computer sighed and laid back, fully aware of the groaning the wood made, like it was about to break at any moment.

“I really made a mess of things.” He uttered out, staring up into the darkening sky.

He did not regret doing what he did to those cats, not after what they had been planning to do to him and Courage, but he did regret losing himself in his anger. He regretted becoming so full of rage that he had not realized how foolish it had been to create such a big scene and cause the SCC to find them. He...he regretted putting Courage into a situation where he had to exert himself so thoroughly that the attack he had as a result almost killed him...

He regretted helping his siblings put him into this situation, powerless and with little hope of rescuing Courage from the SCC without...without _their_ help, and taking them up on their offer was looking more and more enticing as the situation grew more dire, as much as he hated to admit it.

The creaking of footsteps below made him sit back up. Looking over the edge of the roof, he found Spot climbing his way up from the second floor.

“Is something wrong?” He asked. “Or...are you just trying to get away from the insanity going on down there too?”

“Nope,” Spot tersely replied. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn't slipped off the roof and broken your neck. You've been up here for hours.”

“I've just been trying to come up with something.” He reluctantly answered, sitting back down, this time with his legs dangling over the edge of the roof.

Spot sat down beside him and let out a disinterested yawn. “You really are stuck between a rock and a hard place, huh. Bet you wish you could storm that hospital all by yourself like some kind of dog superhero and get your friend out of there without having to rely on a bunch of puppies.”

“If only.” He agreed.

Spot considered all of the helicopters still scouting the city on the horizon. “The place is in complete chaos, did you know that? Those SCC guys are turning the city upside down tryin' to find you. They got the humans thinking there's some kind of terrorist weapon hidden somewhere that they're tryin' to find before it can cause any damage.”

Computer laughed. “Terrorist weapon? I've been called a lot of things, but ' _terrorist weapon_ ' is certainly a new one.”

“I bet Charon ain't too happy about all this increase in activity. Especially since those SCC guys are probably poking around where he doesn't want 'em. Of course, if there's anyone who would be good at hiding their...business, it'd be him.”

“Just who ' _is_ ' Charon exactly?” Computer asked. “This cat gang who went after me and Courage mentioned him, and given how the pups practically go rigid with fear when there's a mere knock on the door, it seems like this Charon person is a bit of a menace.”

Spot focused his gaze onto the city before them with a strange sort of intensity. “Charon runs an underground dog fighting ring. It's supposed to be illegal but I guess he managed to pay off all the right people. Some say he practically owns this city and there's nothing he can't get and nobody he can't buy. I mean, the humans in power like him because he gets strays like us off the street so that they don't have to deal with us instead. He's good at making us...disappear.”

“He's coming after you then, isn't he?”

“Yeah. He's come here to talk to me a few times and he's had some of his lackeys follow me around in the city a few times too. He thinks I'd make a good fighter and he's been trying to convince me to go with him, but-”

For the first time that cool, calm, dismissive attitude of Spot's began to crack. He dug his fingers into the fur on his legs and continued to look onward with a fearful expression.

“Everyone knows that Charon only picks dogs like me up off the street to feed to his fighters! He has them starved so that they're vicious when they enter the pit! They say that all of the brutality and being forced to eat other dogs causes them to snap and go feral! None of them have any sense left and they fight like rabid monsters! Charon claims he gives everyone a fair chance at glory but barely anyone survives to become a fighter, and even if they do, they end up just as feral as the rest! I-I'm gonna be-”

Computer shook his head. “That won't happen! Once we have Courage back, we'll-”

“I don't have that kind of time!” Spot cried out. “Charon will be back any day now to take me away and we still don't have even the slightest idea how we're going to get Courage out of that hospital!”

“Charon knows about this place, right? Well, let's just pack up and hide in one of the other abandoned buildings around here until we can figure out a way to get Courage back. That should at least throw Charon off your trail for a little while.”

Spot shook his head. “Just 'cause a place looks abandoned doesn't mean it actually is. And besides that, Charon will just sent his mutts out searching for me. We can't stay cooped up in some building forever. I'd have to go out into the city to get food for everyone eventually and his mutts would find me then.”

“That's better than just sitting around here and waiting for him to show up on your doorstep! You shouldn't risk it! You're the only chance I have at getting Courage out of that hospital and if you disappear before that...”

Spot got to his feet. “Then I think we both need to be honest with ourselves then. If Charon gets me, I'm dog food, and if the SCC takes Courage away, you ain't ever getting him back, so we can't afford to mess this up. We only got one shot at this or else we're both screwed.” The pup let out a long breath and much of his fear went away with it. “At least...at least you're here now so if the worst happens, someone will still be here to look after the others if I...” He trailed off.

Now it was Computer's turn to jump to his feet in outrage. “You've got the wrong idea, kid! I can't just sit around babysitting puppies for the rest of my life! If the SCC takes Courage then I'll...I'll just have to go wherever they take him. I'm not going to leave him to their whims, not even for the sake of these puppies.”

“They're as good as dead without someone to look after them.”

“Then it's just like you say. We can't afford to mess this up. We need to find somewhere else to stay until we can get Courage back. It's the only way we'll throw Charon off for a little while.”

“It won't work. As long as I have to go out into the city, someone under Charon's hire will eventually find me. We're just going to have to try and get Courage back before Charon decides it's time for me to enter the pit.”

Computer crossed his arms. Why was this damn pup being so insistent about not taking any precautions? They were practically asking Charon to walk right in!

“The most important thing is-” Spot continued. “No matter what happens, Charon can _not_ find out about you.”

“Oh?” Computer exclaimed with mild annoyance. Spot's stubbornness was seriously getting under his skin and he was already thinking about what options he had to try and force the pup to move himself and his friends somewhere far more safe than this building. If anything, he was at least going to try and come up with an escape plan in case Charon really did arrive on their doorstep.

“You see,” The pup explained. “Dog fighting isn't the only 'business' Charon runs. He also keeps an eye out for certain dogs on the street that he can use for...other purposes. If they have the qualities he's looking for, he takes them and, well, he forces them to breed with other dogs that he has captured. Male, female, it doesn't matter, if he thinks you'd make for good breeding stock he'll kidnap you right off the street. He sells the puppies that result to humans who will pay his prices. Certain breeds and traits fetch a high price, especially with the rich humans who love 'designer' dogs. That's why we can't let Charon see you. That blue fur and glow of yours would catch his eye in a second and I guarantee that he would immediately start seeing dollar signs.”

“Oh...joy.” Computer drolly replied, remembering what that one cat had said while he had been in his grasp. He shuddered at the thought. He was not about to become 'breeding stock' as much as he was not going to allow Spot to become some rabid dog's next meal.

“Charon's the reason why so many of the puppies living here are abandoned. Their parents were either forced to fight or 'employed' in his puppy mill, and even if they aren't made to fight, most still don't survive for very long. Once Charon's done using you up, he throws you out like trash. It's the one rule all of us strays know. Once Charon gets you, you never come back. He owns the lives of all strays in this city and he is the one who decides our fate.”

“All the more reason why we need to get Courage and get the heck out of here. The others will be safe at least, right? Even when we go to the mountain?”

Spot nodded. “Charon doesn't care about them, thankfully. He doesn't see any potential business in them, at least not yet anyway. I'm the only one he's interested in, and with any luck, he'll never find out about you.”

Computer was already well on his way to formulating a plan. It wasn't going to be anything elaborate, but it would hopefully buy them some time if Charon showed up. At least this way the bastard would have to search for them rather than just letting him walk right up to their doorstep and do whatever he pleased.

With a yawn and a stretch, Spot ended the conversation. “I don't wanna talk about Charon anymore so....shaddap.”

Regardless, Computer had one last question on his mind that he could not help but ask. “Did Charon get to your parents too?”

Spot hesitated and shook his head. “Nah. My dad wasn't around when I was born and I can barely even remember my mom. I've been on my own for almost as long as I have memories. Mom's just a few images in my head now, but I do remember her voice, and sometimes I-” He suddenly became very quiet, and despite his best effort, he could not hide the tears that came to his eyes.

Computer, of course, did not press the issue further. “I, uh, shouldn't have asked, should I? Sorry...” He hesitated for a moment and then added, “Well, I'm going to head back downstairs and make sure those idiots haven't caused a disaster. If you think of anything that might help us get Courage out of the hospital, let me know?”

Spot said not a word as he swiftly turned his back to Computer.

Taking the hint, Computer carefully began the climb back down onto the second floor.

….

Computer was not sure exactly how long it took for the puppies to fall asleep, but it was well into the night before it happened. At some point their near limitless energy burnt out and they all crashed at nearly the same time. They had made it especially hard for him to execute his plan when they, like always, decided to fall asleep on top of him and he was suddenly stuck under a pile of puppies. He had been left trying to find a way to escape from out under the mountain of puppies without waking them up for what felt like ages. It had been an incredibly slow endeavor, but eventually he managed to free himself.

The thing he did immediately after was check on Spot, to make sure that he was actually sleeping. With how creaky the dilapidated house was, even the climb upstairs had been a long and careful endeavor. Thankfully, it appeared that Spot had crashed just as hard as the others.

Assured that he could move about now without any of the puppies knowing, Computer first checked the house for a place that they could escape from that Charon and his lackeys would not be able to easily pursue them through. He found what he was looking for in what had once been the kitchen. There was a gap in the wall that opened out into the backyard that was big enough for the puppies to easily escape out of, and while Computer himself would have to squeeze through, there was no way anyone larger would be able to fit. He suspected that Charon's thugs must be human sized or else they wouldn't exactly make for effective lackeys.

The backyard itself was heavily overgrown and they would easily be able to escape into the grass where it would be hard for Charon to track them down, so long as it wasn't night or else Computer's glow would tip them off to their location.

Computer carefully got himself through the gap and stepped out into the night. Unless the SCC had expanded their search out into this abandoned area, he figured it would be safe enough to walk around at this late hour.

He made his way through the grass, passing by several large, gnarled trees. Eventually he found himself stepping out onto the cracked pavement of another overgrown street. Much like the street the pups lived on, there were only a few rotting houses left. Deciding that this area would be too easy for Charon and his dogs to search, he moved on. Walking down what was left of the street, he followed it for some distance until he eventually found what had once been a cul-de-sac.

This place was in even worse shape than the rest of the abandoned area. All that remained were a few rusted out cars, a shell of a house, and another house that had collapsed entirely in upon itself. Everything else had ultimately been erased by the elements.

Computer turned his attention onto the collapsed house. Getting closer, he noticed that much of the house had collapsed into a basement and that there were many gaps among the splintered wood that angled downward into its dark depths. Unfortunately, his glow did not illuminate things far enough to see all the way down into the basement. If he wanted to find out if there was a place to hide down there, he was going to have to climb down himself and hope that he did not get stuck in the process.

He circled the ruins several times, trying to find the best spot to get into the basement. Eventually he decided upon a tunnel-like gap that ran down deep into the darkness. It was made out of rotting wood that could collapse over or under him at any moment, but if this worked, and if there was space down there, they'd have a place to hide that Charon and his dogs would not be able to easily get into. They would have to remove tons of rotting wood to reach them and that would threaten a collapse, and Computer suspected that Charon would not risk losing money by accidentally killing his targets.

He carefully placed a foot onto a wooden plank and was glad to find that it did not bend when he put weight on it. He figured that it must have been a support beam at some point. The gap down into the basement was dangerously small for him to get through, but the puppies would have no problem getting down there if they needed to. Holding his breath, he placed his other foot down onto the plank and then carefully lowered himself onto his stomach. Just as he was about to begin his careful slide down into the depths, he heard a twig snap far too close for comfort and nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing the noise.

Scrambling back out onto the grass, he grabbed a broken piece of floorboard and raised it in defense. He scanned the darkness for whatever could have made that sound and wondered if there were any sort of animals that would hunt in a place like this.

“Who's there!” He called out, hoping that if it was some sort of predator, the noise might scare it away.

He remembered what Spot had said about how 'just because a place looks unoccupied, doesn't mean it actually is' and winced. Had he perhaps disturbed a squatter?

At least it wasn't the SCC. They were not this subtle, and if it was them, half this abandoned neighborhood wold be exploding with activity by now.

“Enough with the silent treatment! If you're some homeless guy and I accidentally woke you up, just say something!”

Another crack, this time to his right. He could hear the shifting of the overgrown grass as ' _something_ ' closed in on him.

Bracing for the worst, he brandished the plank like it would actually be effective at warding off whatever was stalking him, and then out from the grass stumbled....

“You!” He cried out.

It was the little girl dog.

“What on earth are you doing out here!” He exclaimed. “You had me thinking you were a wolf or...or worse!” He hesitated and then added, “Were you...were you following me?”

The pup looked sheepishly down at the ground and nodded.

“For goodness sake! It's dangerous for you to be wandering around out here at this hour! And what on earth possessed you to go scaring the ever living lights out of me?”

“I was worried.” She answered, trying to dig her foot into the ground. “I-I thought you were leaving and might not come back.”

Computer let out a breath that he had not realized he was holding in. “I wasn't going anywhere.” He assured her. “I've just been looking for a place where we could hide if Charon shows up for Spot.”

The pup shuddered at the mere mention of Charon's name.

“I think this place might work. Well, if it doesn't collapse on top of me first.”

The pup said nothing.

“You should head back. It's not safe for you to be out here.”

She remained silent but also refused to move from her spot.

“Okay then. Just stay where you are and don't follow me until I can figure out if this is safe or not. I suppose if you're here, you can at least get help if I get trapped...or crushed.”

Still she said not a word.

...Somehow he was finding it even harder to understand children more than he already did.

Turning back toward the gap, he once again got onto his stomach and slowly crawled backwards down through the mess of broken and splintered wood. He earned more than a few scrapes making his way down and there were places where his back and sides pressed up against the walls to a claustrophobic degree. He was less worried about getting cut on broken pieces of wood or getting stuck than he was of causing the ruins to cave in around him. Eventually though, the gap widened a bit and his feet soon met cold concrete.

Tinged blue by his glow, he found what he was looking for. While it was a bit of a cramped space, there was enough room down here for the puppies to hide. Nobody human sized would be able to squeeze there way down here and even most regular sized dogs wouldn't be able to make it either. At the very least, Charon would not dare risk collapsing this ruin to get to them like this.

He was surrounded by debris on all sides, but what had once been the floor above had fallen mostly intact on top of the existing debris and that was the reason why there was a space like this. It was a precarious roof for their new found shelter but it seemed like it would hold for the time being.

“Did you make it?” The little girl pup called down to him. Her voice carried through the gaps in the ruins with surprising clarity.

“Yeah, but don't come down here yet, it's-”

Too late. He heard the sounds of her making her way down, and as he suspected, a puppy her size could fit down the gap much easier than he could. It took her no time at all to pop out the other end and join him.

“Is this gonna be our new home?” She asked, looking around at the small space.

“Only if it becomes necessary. This place is a bit dangerous so we're only going to use it in case of an emergency.”

“And Charon won't be able to get us down here?”

“Hopefully. We just need to get some food and water stored down here and we should be able to wait out just about anything.”

“But if we have to hide down here, won't you lose your chance to get Courage back?”

Computer winced at her words. “With any luck, it won't come to that, but we should still prepare for the worst, just in case.”

It was better than simply waiting around for Charon to come get them like Spot wanted, but it was true though, if things got bad enough that they'd have to hide down here for who knows how long, there was no way he'd be able to get Courage back before it was too late.

...The thought of it mortified him.

“Don't worry.” The pup spoke, pulling him out of his fearful thoughts. “If anyone can do it, Spot can. He always knows exactly what to do! He'll get Courage out of there!”

“I'm not so sure.” Computer wearily replied. The uncertainty that the future held was really starting to get to him, and he partly knew that this little project of his was simply a way to distract himself for the time being.

Continuing to silently fret, he barely noticed when the little girl pup reached over and grabbed his arm in a weird sort of hug. She was looking up at him with those big, innocent eyes of hers, along with that childish smile.

He immediately yanked himself free from her grasp as fast as he could.

“D-don't do that!” He cried out. “When will you get it through your head that I am not the touchy-feely type! Enough with all of the hugging and affection and...and-”

The pup laughed. “You're funny!”

“If you say so...” He grumbled with a droll shrug. “You dog are all the same, I swear. Too much affection and not enough sense.”

Well, if getting him to stop worrying for a few seconds had been her goal, she certainly had accomplished it.

“Kids.” He huffed, turning his attention back on to their new makeshift shelter. “Hmm, maybe I could-”

The little girl pup happily interrupted his train of thought yet again. “How come you're doing this in the middle of the night?”

Fighting back his annoyance, he replied with, “Because your 'fearless' leader doesn't think having someplace to hide if Charon shows up is a good idea. Well, I'd rather take action than sit around and argue with him about it, so I decided to find a place like this while he's asleep.”

Her only response was a small, “Oh...”

Figuring that the kid was only going to keep bothering him, he decided that he would be the one to ask the next question. “So, do you have a name?”

The little girl pup didn't answer. Instead, she just looked at the ground and placed her paws behind her back.

Computer crossed his arms. “And just what is that suppose to mean? What's with the sudden silence?”

“I dunno.” She uttered out.

“It's a simple question, kid.”

“I-I dunno!” She repeated, growing agitated.

Computer was quick to catch on. “You don't have a name, do you? But how can that be? Getting a name is practically the first thing that happens to you flesh creatures when you're born.”

“...I can't remember what mommy and daddy called me.”

“You never heard them say it?”

“I can't remember!” She yelled, her face going red with childish agitation.

“Okay, okay.” He relented with a shrug. “Well, that makes two of us then. I technically don't have a name either, and if I did have one, I certainly can't remember it now...just like you.”

The pup's growing agitation was immediately replaced with curiosity. “Did your mommy and daddy disappear too?”

Computer couldn't help but laugh at the question and the images it conjured up. “Robot, remember? Us machines aren't exactly 'born', so we don't have parents.”

The pup's eyes widened with understanding. Unfortunately, her curiosity seemed to have no end. “What's it like being a robot?”

“Wh-what sort of question is that supposed to be? That's like me asking what it's like to be made out of flesh and blood.”

Of course, given his abilities, he was clearly capable of experiencing what it's like to be an organic being, but he had no desire to complicate his nature for the pup. He suspected that she probably thought he was all metal and wires under the dog fur.

“I-I dunno.” She replied, looking confounded. “I just wanted to know what it's like to be a robot 'cause you seem like a dog to me.”

“Trust me, it's complicated. Now, are you done asking me things or can I get back to work?”

“Well...” She drawled. “Do you...do you know what my name could be?” She asked.

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“C-could you guess?”

“Uh, no. There are way too many names out there for me to possibly figure out what yours might have been.”

“Then...then could you give me a new name?” She blurted out loudly.

“Oh boy. You are asking the wrong person. I can't even figure out a proper name for myself, much less anybody else.”

Her eyes lit up, and stumbling over her own words, she said, “I, you, we...we could name each other!”

Computer laughed. “Ha! Not a chance! I am not about to get stuck with some stupid dog name, although, perhaps I could spare you from this naming curse that seems to plague all dogs. I suppose I can try to think of something, but I'll need some time to do so.”

“Yay!” The little girl pup cheered, jumping up and down, all while worrying Computer that she might bump into something and cause the ruins to collapse on them.

“Enough of that!” He scolded her, wincing. “How do you have so much energy at this hour? Ugh, dogs...” Running a paw down his muzzle, he added, “Well, I suppose if you want to take a crack at it, there's a book back at the house that's filled with names and their meanings. If you think you can find a name for me, go ahead, but just know that I have very high standards! I am not going to run around with a name like Fido, or worse!”

“H-how about-”

“NOT right now! I would like to get this place sorted out _sometime_ tonight!”

“Oh alright...” She huffed, crossing her arms.

With all of that out of the way, Computer got to picking up loose pieces of debris that could safely be removed without threatening the precarious structural integrity of the ruins. Those with the right shape and length he propped up against the walls and ceiling as makeshift support beams. Of course, if the ruins were to shift, they would probably end up getting buried either way, but he figured that the extra support would at least help if a clumsy pup bumped into something vital.

He would have rather not had the little girl pup around while he was doing this, in case he messed up and caused a collapse, but she refused to leave. At least she proved to be useful because she could haul bits of useless debris up through the gap far easier than he would have been able to. He would have liked to widen the path a little more so that he could go back and forth more easily, but he decided that it would be too much of a risk to mess with. He would endure a few scratches if it meant avoiding a collapse.

It was dawn by the time he managed to finish securing their new hiding spot. The area was a little more open now and the extra fortifications hopefully meant that they would be a little more safe if they ever needed to come down here.

The little girl pup had ultimately fallen asleep after several hours of helping him clear the place out. With the morning sunlight shining in through the many gaps in the ruins, he woke her up so that they could head back to the house. It was hard enough to keep her awake long enough to go up through the gap, but by the time he managed to squeeze his way through as well, he found her curled up asleep in the grass.

“Ugh, kids...” He huffed, and rather than wake her up again, he instead simply picked her up and carried her back to the house himself.

End Of Chapter


	86. Perfection Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Or Something

Chapter 86: Perfection Is In The Eye Of The Beholder, Or Something

It wasn't until Computer was back at the house that the full extent of his exhaustion hit him. Luckily, all of the puppies were still asleep and it was simple enough for him to find a pile of the pups to use as a pillow. Not even the end of the world would have been enough to wake the little girl pup up at this point, so he just plopped her down on top of the pile and she did not stir in even the slightest.

Yawning heavily, he closed his eyes, and in the small amount of time that it took him to fall asleep, he used his tired thoughts to silently plead with the Dreamworld to let him speak with Courage, for all the good that would do...

And just like that there was a splash and he was suddenly underwater. Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by rising bubbles and endless blue. Startled by the unexpected turn of events, he desperately kicked his feet and clawed at the water around him, trying to somehow get himself above water again, even though, as far as he could tell, there was nothing but endless, blue abyss above and below him. Lungs burning for air, he fought with himself not to take a breath. Part of him wondered if he had somehow managed to end up at the bottom of the well again and if this time he would not be so lucky to escape.

Then it hit him. This had to be a dream. Even the well hadn't looked like this.

Despite himself, he took a breath.

“I can breathe?” He uttered out in bewilderment. Bubbles floated upward with every word and every breath he took, but he was breathing the water as easily as if it were air.

Well, of course, his real self was still laying somewhere that had air, and unless a puppy had somehow rolled over onto his nose, he wasn't going to suffocate.

He was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. Given that he was not exactly a strong swimmer in real life or otherwise, he decided to let the dream take him wherever it wanted him to go. Was it perhaps giving him what he had asked for and was taking him to Courage's subconscious mind?

As the endless blue all around him started to grow darker, as if he were reaching the dark depths of the ocean, he watched as...as _something_ rose up through the water to meet him. It emerged from the depths like some ancient, aquatic animal that had not seen light in eons.

Squinting to get a better look at it, Computer had only one thing to say about the weird, misshapen creature, partly obscured by bubbles as it continued to rise toward his depth.

“What the _hell_ is that?”

He never got a chance to find out. Something poked him hard in the ribs and he opened his eyes to Spot leering over him.

“Uh...erm, what?” He stupidly uttered out, still half-asleep.

“Man, you are hard to wake up.” Spot huffed, shaking his head. “I'm heading out for the day. I'll be takin' a look at that hospital again to see if there's someway to get in there that nobody has accounted for yet.”

“Wh-wait!” Computer exclaimed, trying to pull his tired mind together. He groggily got to his feet while the rest of the puppies slept on.

“Did you only just get to sleep or somethin'?” Spot asked with a look of skepticism.

“For the most part...” He affirmed, shaking his head in a hopeless attempt to wake himself up. He suspected he might not have gotten even an hour of sleep before Spot woke him up. Of all the times he could have used some coffee...

“Well, what are you holding me up for?” The pup demanded.

“Look, is there a, uh, gas station nearby? Or to be more exact, is there somewhere you could go that doesn't require you to have to travel all the way into the city?”

Spot's skepticism only grew. “Yeah, but why?”

“I need you to go there with a few of your friends and bring back as much food and water that you guys can carry. Maybe buy a couple of flashlights as well.”

He would have liked for them to get a couple of blankets along with everything else, but he doubted a gas station would carry something like that.

Spot's eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”

“I'm only doing what you won't.” He tersely answered.

“Hmph! Well, I ain't gonna stop you. I'll take a few of my guys down to the place I know and get you your things. Just don't say I never did anything for ya.”

Computer fought the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. At least Spot wasn't going to fight him every step of the way.

“Thank you. Just...just see what you can find for supplies. Think of it like, I don't know, like a camping trip? Get the sort of things you'd buy if you were planning on spending some time out in the woods.”

“If you say so.” Spot dismissed. He went over to the puppy pile and forcefully woke up the pups he wanted to take with him. “We'll be back in about an hour, and if we don't come back, well, assume the worst.”

Computer seriously doubted that Charon would be hanging around in some gas station. Still, the whole reason why he wanted Spot to gather supplies closer to home was to keep him from having to spend more time in the city than was necessary.

He watched the group of puppies leave, and despite himself, he almost immediately found himself nodding off again. Rather than fight it, he laid back down and quickly fell back asleep.

He was in that underwater place of infinite blue again. Looking around, at first he thought the strange creature he had seen was no more, but he just could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

Twisting around in the water, he awkwardly managed to turn himself around, and well...

“Gah!” He cried out, kicking his legs in sheer desperation to get away from the thing that was so close to him that its nose had nearly been touching his back.

It was impossible to describe. A blue, misshapen thing that looked more like it was made out of clay than anything organic. It had a head far too big for its body, if 'body' was even what the rest of it could even be called. It had a tiny 'something' for an arm, and where the other arm should have been was instead a long tube that swirled up and around until it reached the creature's head.

The worst part about it, however, was its very large, very human eyes. Even though it had a disinterested look in those eyes as it sized Computer up, it still felt like they were cutting right into his soul, and he was pretty sure he was not going to have a soul either way after being forced to witness this abomination.

“For goodness sake! What is it with this place? _Every time_! Can the Dreamworld give me a break just _once_?” He yelled, bubbles blessedly obscuring his vision with every word he spoke. “Is...is this thing supposed to be from Courage's mind? And I thought ' _I_ ' had issues...”

Well, it wasn't doing anything at least. Well, aside from staring at him in a way that made him feel like it was silently judging him. Maybe it was safe. Maybe.

Of course, that all went out of the window when the thing began to speak, causing all new levels of revulsion that Computer had not even known he was capable of.

“You're not perfect....” It whispered, slowly looking away like it was dejected.

Computer just stared, and then said, “Speak for yourself, buddy.”

The creature made no further acknowledgment of him, but since he wasn't moving downward anymore and it seemed that if he tried to swim, he would just get lost in the underwater abyss, he felt that he had no other choice but to keep interacting with the abomination.

“I don't suppose you would know where Courage is in, well, all of this?”

The thing slowly closed its eyes and whispered again, much to Computer's displeasure.

“He is not perfect...”

“That's got nothing to do with....look, I just need to know where he might be in this mess. The Dreamworld is a big place and I could use some directions.”

Slowly, ever so slowly, the abomination opened its eyes once more and focused its haunted gaze unto him. He would have rather not have that thing acknowledge his existence ever again, but if this is what got him to Courage...

“You are not perfect.” It repeated, and this time its voice was far less wispy and more alert.

Nothing about that inspired any confidence in Computer.

Regardless, his frustration was greater than his unease at how the being seemed to be 'waking up, so to speak. Waving his paws through the water, he yelled, “Agh, tell me something I don't already know! If you are one of Courage's, well, whatever you are, then tell me where I can find him in all of his 'imperfection'! I'll be as perfect as you want me to be, if you just-”

He stopped mid-sentence and recoiled when a _third eye_ opened up in the forehead of the creature. Somehow that eye was even larger than its normal two.

“Uh...” Computer hesitantly sputtered out. “What exactly are-”

He recoiled even further when its third eye opened up like a vertical mouth to reveal t _eeth_. Pure, pearly white teeth that could have belonged to a superstar. Its teeth then parted to reveal a gaping hole that lead to unusual colors and shapes, all flashing and changing instantaneously and continuously. It was like that thing was having a bad drug trip going on in its head.

At this point, Computer decided that ' _nothing_ ' was worth dealing with this creature or the growing sense of danger it was giving off. He fully intended to swim away as fast as he could manage and just wander around a bit until he woke up, but...

A whirlpool spun up in front of the drug trip hellhole. Computer realized that the thing was trying to suck him in and began futility trying to paddle away. Caught in the swirl of water, his weak swimming skills did nothing to help him. Not even the best of swimmers would have been able to save themselves at this point.

Unable to stop himself from being pulled in, he squeezed his eyes shut to spare himself from the 'trip' that he would have otherwise witnessed.

Bright lights flashed beyond his eyelids, and he felt himself bumping into things as he was shunted off into places unknown. Weird and unnatural sounds filled his ears, and while sometimes it sounded like voices speaking gibbers, at other times it sounded like otherworldly singing, or laughing, or some hellish band playing discordant instruments.

Disoriented, he felt the water all around him drain away, and then he was falling. He did not dare open his eyes. He figured that if the Dreamworld was going to kill him now, there was nothing he could do about it anyway, and he would rather not have a seizure in the meantime.

Then there was warmth. A familiar warmth, only amplified. It was like he was standing outside during a sunny day.

“Courage?”

His fall slowed to a crawl, and seemingly in the amplified presence of Courage and his mind, he could no longer help it, he opened his eyes.

Darkness, nothing but darkness.

This...this was not what he had been expecting. There was no denying it. This was Courage's head. He could feel it and he could feel it far more strongly than he could the last time he was here, and yet this place was practically...dead.

Something was wrong. This couldn't be right. Even with Courage's current state in the real world, this could not be. He was feeling far more life from Courage than what this darkness seemed to imply.

“This is...” He hesitated. “a deception?”

After everything that had happened with the 'phantom' of Him, he was becoming far too attuned to this sort of trickery to fall for it any longer.

A pair of shiny, red eyes appeared in the darkness.

Computer winced. “Oh, boy. That can't be good.”

More and more eyes opened up within the darkness, and then there was an earsplitting cry,

_**'JOIN US OR BEGONE!'** _

A million familiar, clawed robotic arms shot out from the dark abyss.

He realized it then. This was not just Courage's subconscious, it was _theirs_ as well. This wasn't just an illusion blocking him from reaching Courage, they were using their own mental presence to obscure Courage's mind. This darkness, this seething expanse of quiet chaos _,_ it _'was'_ them!

He was given no time to act or process anything. Just as he was about to be slashed to ribbons by the claws, he was happy to feel a puppy shaking him back to consciousness.

“You sleep like a rock! Well, wake up! We brought you your stuff!”

Despite his relief at being spared from his siblings attack, when he opened his eyes, he had to do everything in his power not to show the sheer frustration and anger that was boiling over inside himself. He did not want the puppies to think that something was wrong, and since there was no way he would be able to explain the Dreamworld to them in a way that they would understand, he forced himself to keep his expression neutral.

Regardless, he wanted to scream in frustration even as Spot and his group dumped a pile of bags down in front of him. His siblings had managed to lock down even the Dreamworld! They were _that_ thorough about keeping him away from Courage! With this last option gone, Computer was even more convinced that none of this boded well for the future. How on earth was he going to get Courage back when all of his hope rested upon a bunch of puppies?

Maybe he really was going to have to take up babysitting for the rest of his life....

“Stop being so zoned out!” Spot scolded him. “I gotcha your things and now I'm heading out into the city.”

Computer shook his head and forced himself to focus on the here and now. He would have plenty of time to worry about how bleak things were looking later.

“Just be careful, okay?” He said, giving the pup a stern look. “I'm relying on you so don't do anything stupid.”

“Hmph! The only one who needs to not do anything stupid is you. I know what I'm doing, unlike you.” The pup grumpily dismissed him.

“Gee, thanks.” He sarcastically retorted.

Getting to his feet, he watched Spot leave and then turned his attention onto the task at hand. He was going to need a few extra paws if he was ever going to get these supplies down into the shelter.

“Alright, you mutts! I've let you sleep in long enough! It's time to get up!”

Spot's gang was already awake, of course, but the rest slept on. He had not managed to stir a single one.

Sighing, he then tried, “I have food...”

And just like that, every single pup was awake and alert and crowding around him like he was holding the last piece of food on earth.

“Somehow I'm starting to think I might be proper parenting material after all.” He drolly commented, utterly unamused.

End Of Chapter

A/N: So, if it wasn't obvious yet, this first half of the current arc is meant to invoke an atmosphere similar to The Mask episode. In fact, very, very early on Mad Dog was going to be the one running the shady, underground dog fighting ring, but eventually I decided that an entirely new character would suit the roll better. This seems to be a theme for Volume II. While everything before the Chicken was just meant to be goofy road trip shenanigans, the Chicken arc was directly based off the Heads Of Beef episode where this time the threat of being murdered and cooked up was very real, the Zeta arc was meant to feel like a Twilight Zone episode, The Phantom 'Him' arc was meant to be a direct throwback to Volume I, and now we have this.

The first half of this arc is actually among some of the earliest ideas I've had planned for ATE. I had the general idea of how I wanted this to play out as early as the forest arc, but a lot about it and a lot of the context around it has changed. Originally it wasn't tied with the ongoing SCC stuff because I did not have Computer's backstory plotted out yet and his siblings weren't even a thing yet back then.

The general idea was that Computer was going to get separated from Courage at some point and end up in a seedy underground world where so many unfortunate dogs end up and this also being where he runs into a certain someone again. It's a bit of an ongoing background theme that's run through the entirety of ATE that sapient animals (and machines lul) are treated like lesser beings and are often denied their autonomy, especially if they're not 'owned' by a human. It's always been a bit of a headcanon of mine for why so many of the anthropomorphic animals in the show are forced to turn to crime to survive and why they have to live in places that are shady or largely abandoned like Nowhere. Overall, if you're not human in ATE, your life probably sucks. LOL


	87. The Choice

Chapter 87: The Choice

While he would have preferred that the puppies stay away from the emergency supplies unless the need to use them arose, after telling the pups he had food, Computer could not exactly avoid giving them something to eat. So before he could take the supplies out to the shelter, he handed out 'lunch instead. He had to be careful that the voracious pups didn't eat too much though or else Spot's supply run would have been for nothing.

It was while they were eating that an idea came to him. He found one of Spot's trusted friends and said,

“I need you to do something. Can you patrol the area? Make sure to stay out of sight as much as possible if you can, but if you see Charon or the SCC, run back here and let me know.”

He then explained where he and a few of the pups were going to be for a little while, just in case they were down in the shelter and the pup returned with bad news.

He was beginning to worry that since the SCC had not found him in the city that they would start searching areas like this one. He'd rather not have them show up without warning just as much as he didn't want Charon to turn up on their doorstep without so much as a knock.

Ultimately, he could not shake the feeling that the walls were closing in around him. Between Charon and the SCC, it seemed as though he had almost no chance of getting Courage back, but also that he was in just as much danger himself. If either of them were to capture him, without his power, he might as well be as doomed as Courage.

Once the pups were done eating, he had a few of them grab the bags and leave the house with him. The rest of the puppies were so curious about what was going on that he couldn't stop them from coming along as well. He didn't mind since it would let him better gauge just how much room there would be in the shelter once most of the puppies were down there. He could always try making a little more room if the need arose.

They crossed through the tall grass, past the gnarled trees, down the abandoned street, and finally reached the ruined cul-de-sac.

“Over there.” He said, pointing the pups to the collapsed ruins.

As expected, they all were able to slide down the gap with no issue. Several of the bags were ripped open on the way down, but the contents inside survived just find. Once they were all in, Computer squeezed his way though and met them in the shelter.

It was a bit cramped, but it worked. Maybe later he could work on clearing it out a little more, but for now they would be able to survive down here if they needed to.

“Just try not to bump into anything too much.” He said, although he knew he was probably asking too much of the overly energetic pups. He would just have to work on adding more support to their precarious shelter and hope it would be enough to avoid a collapse.

“Are we gonna live down here now?” One of the pups asked.

“Not unless we need to.” He affirmed while gathering up their supplies to organize into a neat pile.

“But Charon can't get us down here, right?”

“Hopefully.”

“Well, I wanna stay down here then.” The pup said.

Another nodded and agreed. “Yeah, me too!”

“Me three!”

“I do too.”

Computer turned to them and shook his head. “This is supposed to be an _emergency_ shelter. You can't just move in here. Besides, I'm not even finished clearing it out yet, and its a bit dangerous too. We don't want to use it unless we have to.”

He already knew he had lost the battle. They all wanted to make this place their new home. Anything to get away from Charon's looming shadow, it seemed.

“Look,” He went on. “We'll have to talk to Spot about this first. He isn't going to be happy about it, but maybe-” He hesitated and shook his head. “Well, either way. You all need to wait at least until I get this place fully cleared out.”

It had suddenly become painfully clear to him that, to these puppies, he now held more authority over them than even Spot. He was, like it or not, the adult and parental figure in this situation. He was the one who was taking charge where Spot would not. In the end, despite his maturity, Spot was still just a kid and the rest of the pups knew that despite his toughness, he was still the same as them.

Of course, Computer didn't particularly want it to be this way. He would rather have the pups listen to Spot since he was the one who had a far better grasp of the situation than he ever would. Just because Spot was still a kid and very much prone to making child-like mistakes, that did not mean he wasn't the one better equipped to navigate this unhappy world of abandoned dogs that Computer had only wandered into.

“That's enough for now.” He told the pups. “Let's head back to the house.”

Their disappointment was palpable, but he ushered them out of the shelter all the same.

The little girl pup was the last to leave and she said, “You gotta let me help out again when you come back later.”

“If you insist.” He sighed. “But that doesn't mean you go and tell the others or else I'm going to have a whole circus of you pups down here trying to help out and that's going to get us a one way ticket to being crushed!”

Upon returning to the house, not much had changed. Spot was still out in the city and the puppy Computer had sent out had not returned either.

Maybe everything was going to alright. For all he knew, Spot could be rescuing Courage at that very moment. Perhaps he had managed to find an opening that the SCC had not accounted for.

The thought of it brought about such an immense feeling of relief that even though Computer knew it wasn't likely that Spot was having any luck, he still wanted to hold on to that false hope like a lifeline. If he could just get Courage back, everything would be...

He felt a tug at his fur.

He looked down at the little girl dog and she giggled. “You're doing it again.”

“Erm, what?” He asked.

“You get all spaced out when you're thinking about Coourraagee.” She drawled in that goofy, kiddish way of hers.

He crossed his arms. “Well, I was thinking about Spot, the SCC, and what a mess all of this has been too, you know.”

“Suurreee.” She continued to drawl.

“Believe what you want to believe, but I-”

The front door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, causing everyone in the room to jump. In spite of the rotting door nearly breaking off its rusted hinges, it still almost swung right back into the pup's face. He did not react though. He was too busy panting like he had just run a marathon.

“Ch-Charon's coming!” He breathlessly cried out.

A wave of fear rippled through the puppies. Even Computer found himself tensing up. It was now or never.

Time to act.

At least Spot wasn't here. If Charon couldn't find him, maybe he'd just leave for now and that would give them more time. More time to get Courage back and more time to get out of this place for good. In that moment, he was seriously considering bringing all of the pups along to the mountain, regardless of how many problems that would cause. But anything was better than leaving them here. He understood that now completely.

“To the shelter! Go!” He commanded, turning to the trembling group of puppies. “Go out through the kitchen and into the grass! If he's nearby, he won't see you there!”

He grabbed an armful of puppies who were still too shocked and afraid to move and raced down the hall into the kitchen. Most of the remaining puppies followed after him, but there was still three of them who were too afraid to move from where they were standing.

As soon as he had the majority of them through the crack in the wall, he told the little girl pup, “Take them out to the shelter. I've got to get the others. As soon as I have them, I'll meet you out there.”

The little girl pup looked a million miles away with her fearful expression and her eyes filled with tears. She was utterly terrified and yet she still nodded and did what he asked.

He did not waste another moment. He returned to the living room and grabbed all three of the frozen pups. He was seconds away from escaping when he saw a shadow appear in the open door out of the corner of his eye.

Afraid that he had been discovered and that running now would only lead Charon to their hiding spot, he slowed to a stop and turned to meet him head on.

Only it wasn't Charon. It was Spot.

“I saw Charon's limo heading this way!” He huffed, just as out of breath as the pup who had originally sighted their foe. “I-I got back here as fast as I could! Had to...had to stay out of sight.”

“We're going to the shelter! Come with us! Now!” Computer ordered. When Spot did not move, he angrily said, “Don't just stand there like an idiot! Or do I need to carry you too?”

Spot slowly shook his head. “You gotta go without me.”

“Do you have a death wish?” Computer cried out. “You're coming with us! Now is not the time to play hero!”

He went over and grabbed the pup's arm but he would not budge.

Spot looked up at him with tears in his eyes and once again he looked more like the puppy he was rather than the 'tough guy' persona he loved to put on.

“If I go with you guys, Charon will look for us, and if he finds you...” He shook his head. “I can't let that happen. Enough of these guys have already lost their parents to his puppy mill.” He gave Computer a sad smile. “It's up to you to look after 'em now. By the time you run out of those supplies, the SCC will be gone and you'll be able to do whatever you need to keep them alive. It's going to be hard, but I know you can do it. I'm really sorry about your friend, but..”

It was exactly as Computer had feared. He was not getting Courage back. He had messed up and this time he was not going to be able to fix the mistake he made, not without losing himself to his siblings. Regardless, he still did not want to leave Spot behind, even though he knew it was what the pup wanted.

Maybe after everything was said and done. Maybe after finding a way to give the remaining puppies a better life, he could recoup and find a way to rescue Courage from wherever the SCC would ultimately take him.

….But who was he kidding though? Courage would be long dead by then. His illness would kill him and Computer's own system would give out before then too.

He shook his head and grit his teeth. For the next few minutes he was on auto pilot. He brought the remaining pups to the crack in the kitchen wall. The little girl pup had returned and was waiting for him there on the other side. Giant tears ran down her face and she trembled as the sound of a car pulling up to the house reached their ears.

He forced the remaining pups through the crack, and almost joined them as the sound of several car doors opening and closing echoed through the house.

He couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it.

The thought of leaving a puppy behind to be ripped apart and eaten by a feral dog was beyond him. He was not willing to leave Spot to his fate, no matter what that meant for himself. He knew he could go with the puppies and live a relatively happy life with them until his system gave out. He would never forgive himself for abandoning Courage, but it would at least be a somewhat happy end to his miserable existence. He could save himself from whatever horrors Charon would no doubt inflict upon him and live out what little time he had left, but...

If he could not save Courage, maybe he could at least save Spot.

He looked over at the empty frame of the kitchen door and then back at the little girl pup. “I have to help Spot.” He gently told her.

She placed her paws to her mouth and began crying even harder. The only thing that stopped her from outright wailing was the fear of Charon discovering her. Instead, she just whimpered, “No, no, no, no... over and over again. “Please don't leave me too!”

Computer reached a paw out to her. “I...I'm really sorry, but if I have to play parent and look out for all of you then that includes Spot too.”

His ears drooped involuntarily as she continued to sob, completely overcome with grief. She knew exactly what would happen if he confronted Charon just as much as he did.

“Look, if this doesn't work out. If Charon takes us away. I'll do everything I can to get Spot and I back here. You...you don't have to worry.”

….It was painfully clear that there was nothing he could say that would console her.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he turned away. It was time to focus on the task at hand...and prepare himself for the worst.

As he slowly stepped down the hallway to meet Charon, he could hear him talking, and it was not the sort of voice he had been expecting to hear.

“Today is the big day, Spot. You're going to be a star! And with any luck, you'll be my next big ticket fighter! Just think, once you've grown up a bit, you'll be as ferocious as any of my star players! You'll be big! You'll be bad! And you will be feared!”

It was a very showman-like voice, filled with confidence and bravado while also sounding sly, slick and cunning. He sounded as if he were in the middle of a big performance or perhaps he simply viewed the world as one big stage.

Then there was Spot's own voice. Small, pathetic, and weak.

“I...I'm ready.”

“Such a good sport about it!” Charon loudly exclaimed. “I know you have a bit of a situation going on here with that riffraff, but I think you've figured out by now that you don't need them. They're just holding you and your talent back. Trust me, they were never going to amount to anything, so why expend all of your energy trying to keep them fed? If they can't survive without you then they were never worthy of surviving in the first place. It looks like those little brats weren't even brave enough to stick around to say goodbye. This is why you should just forget about them and let ol' Charon take care of you.”

As if Computer did not already have enough reasons to hate the guy....

He peered around the corner to get a better look at the situation before making himself known. It turned out that Charon looked nothing like he had been expecting just as much as his voice had surprised him.

Charon was a tall, slender poodle with a narrow snout and a sharp, toothy grin. Each and every one of his teeth had been filed sharp and that was more than enough to make him look threatening. His fur was a light lavender color, to the point that it was almost white, and the poofy parts of his fur were a dark shade of purple. He wore circular shades that only seemed to help make his grin come off as more dangerous, and he was wearing a showy tuxedo with purple accents to go along with his fur. To complete the look, a top hat rested atop the poofy fur on his head, and it was also rimmed with purple.

In any other situation, Computer might have thought that Charon looked ridiculous, but between that sharp, toothy grin of his and his two minions, a massive gray bulldog who was even taller than Charon himself, and an angular, red-eyed doberman, he wasn't about to underestimate him.

Readying himself for whatever might happen, he loudly cleared his throat to get their attention and stepped out into the living room.

Spot turned, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror, but it did not take long for that to quickly turn into anger. He looked like he wanted to jump across the room and strangle Computer for doing something so foolish.

“You must be Charon.” Computer said, never taking his hateful glare off the garish poodle who's smile had faded into something closer to awe upon laying his hidden eyes upon him. “I've heard some things about you, so let me make this very clear. I've taken it upon myself to start looking after these puppies. They are under my guardianship now and you can't have them so happily shove off and don't come back!”

There was a moment of silence and then Charon looked to the giant of a bulldog. “Bruno, are you seeing this?”

The bulldog nodded with a grunt.

“I've never seen anything like it! Just look at that color, and that glow! My clients would _climb_ over each other to obtain a genetic oddity such as this. Surely it can be passed onto the offspring...” He began to muse.

Computer stared. Had that bastard heard even a word he said? With the way both Charon and his 'buddies' were eying him up, all of a sudden he felt like he was sitting in a used computer store all over again, being looked down upon as nothing more than a thing to be sold instead of a fellow sentient being.

His hatred of Charon was growing by the second.

“Listen here,” He began, but finally Charon acknowledged him like an actual person.

“I've had my eye on Spot for a very long time now. You have no place to lay claim on him, I'm afraid. He is mine and he is going to shine in my arena. How about I invite you to come see what we're all about?” His voice became even more slick and oily. “I'll see to it that you are treated well. It will be so much better than living in this filthy place as a starving, unwanted stray. I will even let you choose whichever females from my stock you would like. I don't normally offer such a courtesy, but you are a special case, and I am more than willing to offer a few concessions if it will get you under my employ.”

Computer recoiled, utterly disgusted. Even if he wasn't already thoroughly uninterested in the entire concept of procreation or taking any part in it, what Charon was offering him was so immensely revolting that it didn't matter either way. Only a monster as awful as Charon himself would willingly take him up on his offer.

He thought of the little girl pup's mom and what had most likely become of her after being captured. Charon no doubt had considered her nothing more than livestock to be used. What happened once you stopped being able to make more puppies? Did you end up in the jaws of one of his feral beasts? Computer suspected that not even males were given special treatment. The second you were no longer useful, Charon more than likely considered you nothing more than recycling, and what better way to recycle you than to treat you like fuel for his prized fighters?

He remembered what Spot had said and it was beginning to take on all new meaning.

'Once Charon's done using you up, he throws you out like trash.'

Computer involuntarily shuddered but kept his icy gaze trained upon Charon and that slick smile of his.

“Spot and I aren't going anywhere.” He answered, somehow keeping his voice calm and leveled despite the fury that was building up inside himself. Had his power been accessible, Charon would be meeting a fate far worse than what the cat gang or the chicken had faced right now.

Charon shrugged. “Such a shame. I suppose I'm going to have to persuade you then.” He waved a paw. “Bruno.”

The bulldog stepped forward, his mass so great that the wooden floor cracked with every step he took.

Spot looked at Computer with an expression that screamed the word 'run!', but he held his ground. There was no place for him to run to anyway. The city wasn't safe and he certainly wasn't going to expose their hiding place to this bastard either.

Bruno grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and brought him up to eye level. A blast of hot, smelly breath hit him and a wave of nausea rolled over him. He wondered if this brute of a dog had ever been forced to consume another dog to survive, all on Charon's whim.

Cracking his knuckles, Bruno brought a fist up to Computer's face. It only took him a moment to realize that the fist was larger than his entire body. Bruno could easily flatten him into a pancake if he wanted.

“As you can see,” Charon trilled. “Bruno knows how to be persuasive.”

“Look,” Computer spoke, knowing it was futile. “I don't even _have_ genes to pass on. You're not going to get what you want out of me.”

Bruno pulled back his arm, ready to throw a titanic punch. Computer winced. All of his resolve melted away in an instant. He couldn't help it. Having a punch aimed at him that amounted to at least a thousand of Courage's own tiny fists was too much. He couldn't bear it. And knowing that this monster of a dog would keep punching until he relented or Charon called him off, he knew he only had one option.

As Bruno swung, he yelled out, “Okay! Okay! I'll go with you!” and the fist came to a halt inches in front of him.

In that single moment, he hated himself far more than he could have ever hated Charon. After all this time, how could he still be so weak?

His heart was racing as Bruno placed him back down onto the rotting floorboards. As his head swam, he was terrified of losing his grip on reality. He tried to fight back against the waves of panic that threatened to overtake him and he attempted to center himself. He could not lose himself now, not when he was about to be thrown into the lion's den.

Charon's slick voice reached him. “I'm glad we could come to an agreement.”

Those disgusting words became the anchor he needed. He did not care how he would do it, but somehow he was going to destroy Charon and his business from the inside. He would put an end to this. If he could not save Courage, he would at least dedicate what was left of his life to this one task so that not another dog would have to suffer under Charon's cruelty.

He would make Charon pay, he would keep Spot alive, and he would get back to this place and help the puppies gain a better life than this. He would do it all. Somehow.

And part of him, no matter how much it hurt to do so, knew that he would have to let go of Courage for the time being. There was no path to reach him right now, and maybe there never would be again. All he could do was hope that he might someday see him again and be able to apologize to him for all of this. If not in life, maybe in death. Because without each other, they would soon both meet their ends.

End Of Chapter


	88. Rags To Riches

Chapter 88: Rags To Riches

Both Spot and Computer were dead silent as the limo pulled away from the abandoned house. They both watched it dwindled further and further into the distance. All Computer could do was hope that the puppies would be okay without them until they could get back.

...If they were ever able to get back.

They had been seated beside Charon on expensive looking leather seats. The limo was indeed one of luxury and must have cost a fortune. Charon chatted amicably with his thugs but made almost no acknowledgment of the two dogs he was forcefully spiriting away. Now that he had gotten what he wanted, they hardly mattered. Eventually a phone hooked up to the limo began to ring and he became all business with the person on the other side.

Computer slowly tuned it all out. He was trying so desperately to think of a way to put an end to all of this. Charon was literally right there beside him, he could do anything, but as long as those thugs were sitting right across from them, he had no hope of pulling anything off. Besides, given his small size, it wasn't as if he were capable of much anyway. He couldn't exactly strangle a dog twice his size, guards or not. How in the world did Courage deal with things like this while living on the farm? It was maddening to feel so powerless.

He tried over and over again to reach for his ability, but it was useless. He had nothing. This dog body was as powerless as his normal computer form in this state. Without that power of his, he had lost just about the only thing that he had going for him. To have some modicum of control in this situation would have been a much needed blessing, but his siblings were not going to show mercy. They were likely more than happy to see him potentially end up in another situation similar to Him.

So, in that case, the only things he could rely upon were himself, any cleverness he might have to outsmart Charon, and a single pup. Not exactly amazing odds. Regardless, he was determined to ruin that smug, self-assured confidence that Charon practically oozed like some kind of slug. He was someone utterly convinced that he could go on forever doing whatever immoral things he liked without facing any consciences. There had to be a way to change that. There just had to be. Otherwise he would continue to exploit and discard stray dogs forever.

Poor Spot was nearly white as a sheet. His worst fears were coming to fruition and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Computer himself wasn't even sure what could be done to delay the pup's fight. He'd have to think of something. There was no way he was going to let the kid die.

The city loomed closer, and with it came the SCC. Helicopters could still be seen searching overhead, and soon their ubiquitous black vans became almost as common as any regular car on the road. Even though the limo's windows were tinted black, Computer still found himself sinking further and further down into his seat, worried that he might be seen. If he had to choose between Charon or the SCC, he would take Charon.

“Such a mess those fools have been causing.” Charon sighed wistfully. “It has been just the worst trying to keep them from sticking their nose in my operation. Ah, well. You would be surprised what a little money can do for you. It was easy enough to get them to look the other way.”

He turned his hidden eyes onto Computer, acknowledging him for the first time since getting into the limo.

“You know, I happened to hear a rather interesting rumor from one of my associates. It seems that those people are turning over every rock in my city because they're looking for an unnatural dog that escaped containment.” His voice lowered to a rather menacing degree. “Surely you're not the dog they're looking for, hmm?”

There was the unmistakable hint of a threat in his tone. Computer forced himself not to react. Internally though, he was practically fuming.

Great, now that bastard had leverage against him. Stir up too much trouble and he could see Charon deciding that it would be much more profitable to just sell him off to the SCC. They likely would be more than happy to hand him a blank check.

Computer winced, receiving a heavy thump on his back as Charon let out a hearty laugh, his sharp teeth gleaming in the low lighting of the limo.

“You have nothing to fear, my new little friend! Whether you're the dog they're looking for or not, as long as you remain under my employ, I will see to it that they never find you.”

Even now there was a certain menace behind every 'friendly' word of his. He was making it entirely clear to Computer that he was the one holding all of the cards.

The limo took several turns as it sped through the city, passing by entire squads of SCC personnel patrolling on foot. Computer was honestly rather amazed to see just how determined they were to find him.

The tall skyscrapers of the city were eventually replaced by much more industrial looking buildings. They passed by factory after factory, many of them belching smoke into the air that gave the area a rather hazy quality. Soon the factories became warehouses that each seemed to stretch on for miles.

The limo weaved through this industrial maze until it finally slowed to a stop beside a warehouse that looked no different from the others. In spite of that, Charon sighed happily at the sight of it.

“It isn't much, but it is home sweet home.”

The unseen driver of the limo must have had a way to communicate with someone inside the building because all of a sudden one of the huge, metal shipping doors opened up and the limo pulled forward.

Past that point, everything became a hectic blur. The limo parked and Charon's thugs got out first. Computer suddenly found himself being rushed out of his seat, the gray bulldog's paw reaching for him. He never got a chance to say a single word to Spot before they were forced apart, but he was able to look back just long enough to see the absolute terror on the poor pup's face. That and Charon's toothy grin.

Massive paw on his back, Computer was pushed out of the shipping and receiving area and into a dimly lit hallway. As he was moved deeper and deeper into the building, it quickly became apparent to him that this warehouse had been modified into something much different from what it was supposed to be for. The bulldog was moving him through a maze of hallways and rooms, but there were no large, open areas like one might expect to find in a warehouse. In fact, Charon's 'business' felt strangely claustrophobic for such a big building.

He was also quick to note that there were guards everywhere. It seemed like anywhere he looked there was a guard or two on patrol. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone had ever managed to escape a place like this. Given all of the things Spot had said, it seemed unlikely. Between the maze-like layout and constant patrols, no dog had any hope of escaping Charon's clutches.

Well, in an case, the thought of it didn't bother Computer too much. Once he was done with this place, neither he nor Spot would need to escape. They were going to walk right out after taking this place down. He did not know how he was going to pull it off, but he would.

Admittedly though, some of his bravado faded when he was pushed past a closed metal door where the muffled yet still unmistakable sound of screaming could be heard. He was certain that he had stepped over a few dried puddles of blood too...

Finally, after reaching a pair of double doors that the bulldog had to pull a key out to unlock, Computer was ushered into an area that seemed far more well kept than anything he had seen so far. They passed by paintings on the walls and the floor was even carpeted. There were far fewer guards here, but even stranger still, there were a few well-dressed dogs that resembled Charon and his expensive getup that were walking about and chatting with each other.

All of a sudden the gray bulldog ripped a door open as they were passing it by and roughly pushed Computer inside. It was such a sudden and forceful action that Computer stumbled and landed squarely on his muzzle. He heard the door slam shut behind him, followed by a lock clicking into place.

“S-sir? Are you okay?”

Computer was more than a little surprised to hear someone speak up. Rubbing his muzzle, he got to his feet.

If this room was supposed to be a some kind of holding cell, and if he was supposed to be some kind of prisoner, he was currently being treated like royalty. It was lavishly furnished with every expensive commodity one could ask for, and hey, there was even a TV.

Of course, he was far more concerned with the dog he was currently sharing the room with. She was a short, stout, and very nervous looking dog, dressed in an unpleasantly stereotypical maid outfit.

She regarded him fearfully.

“I, erm, I'm fine.” He quickly said. “Just what is going on here exactly?” He asked after an uncomfortable moment of silence between them.

“T-this is one of Charon's guest rooms, a-and I'm here to serve y-your every need.”

“Look,” He said, exhaling loudly. “You don't have to be afraid. I'm not going to do anything to you and I'm not going to make you do anything either.”

Sadly, his words did nothing to calm the maid's terrified disposition.

Feeling as though he had just aged fifty years in the span of only a few minutes, he shuffled over to a couch that looked like it was made out of gold and cushioned in silky lavender and clamored up into it. He just sat there for awhile, staring up at the ceiling.

Then an idea struck.

“Actually, there is one thing that you could do for me.” He said, leaning over the arm of the couch to look down at the maid. “There's a puppy somewhere in this building called Spot. Could you find him and bring him to me? It would really mean a lot to me if you did.”

The maid flinched and fidgeted nervously. “I-I'm sorry, sir. A-a puppy? There's a fight scheduled for tonight s-so he must be one of the fighters. I-I'm not sure I could bring him here. T-they're probably prepping him for the show. I-I mean, I could try, but the guards would g-get angry with me a-and they have these spiked batons, a-and if Charon found out...” She shivered.

Computer shook his head, alarmed. “No, no, it's fine then! Don't go endangering yourself! You're probably right anyway. Charon's not going to let Spot go anywhere.”

He sighed and sunk back down into the most expensive cushions money could buy.

“I've got to figure out what to do before Charon can throw Spot down the gullet of some rabid dog.” He muttered out under his breath.

“Hey,” He called out. “Am I being forced to stay in this room or am I allowed to go where I please?”

“T-They locked the door, sir. I don't think so. Y-you aren't like the guests I normally get, sir. They're usually m-more like, well, C-Charon. The door n-never gets locked unless t-they want it locked.”

“That's just perfect...” He groaned, rubbing his temples.

“S-sir? Would you like some food or drink? T-there's an intercom I'm allowed to use t-to make orders. Someone would have to u-unlock the door and bring whatever you order in here.”

Computer blinked in surprise. Was she...

“If you're implying what I think you're implying, I doubt it will work. If I'm not supposed to be walking around out there, I'll be caught and thrown back in here within seconds. There's just too many guards wandering around. I'm sorry to say it, but I tend to stick out in a crowd. I won't go unnoticed.”

There was a moment of silence and then, “W-would a freshly baked cherry pie suffice, sir?”

Computer hopped down off the couch. “Well, if you insist then let's just see where this goes. At the very least, if this does go wrong, I don't think they'll blame you for it so you should be safe.”

He watched as she made the order. The person on the other side announced that it would be ready within the next hour, and so the wait began.

Looking to pass the time, Computer tried to get better acquainted with the nervous maid, especially since it appeared that she was the only ally he had for the time being.

“So, who are you exactly? Did Charon have you plucked off the street too?”

The maid swallowed fearfully. “W-we're not supposed to talk about ourselves.” She answered, her face going pale. “I-I'm only here to serve.”

She was reacting with such fear that he decided not to question her further. He hated to think about what other 'guests' must have done to her to put her in such a state.

Well, an hour soon passed, and in preparation for when the door opened, Computer waited patiently beside it.

He heard the lock click and he tensed up. Even if he didn't have any real chance of escaping, nor did he want to without Spot, he figured he'd at least see how far he could get.

The door opened and a different maid dog stepped inside with the pie. Computer pushed past her, offering her only the vague explanation that he had somewhere to be. However...

He only made it halfway out the door before that large bulldog stepped out in front of him. He was still here? Had he been guarding the door this whole time?

The bulldog growled and cracked his knuckles. Computer, getting the message, happily stepped back into the room in response, and as soon as the pie carrying maid was gone, the door was locked again.

Shrugging, he turned to the fearful maid. “Well, it was worth a shot.”

He went over to the pie and considered it. Might as well not waste it, especially since it was being paid for on Charon's dime. If he could put even a small dent in that bastard's fortune, he would consider it a win.

Grabbing the knife that had been left with the pie, he cut a piece out and offered it to the maid. At first she declined profusely, but with a little more urging, she worked up the confidence to take it.

“So, I'm allowed to order as much food as I want then?” He asked, sticking a fork into his own piece of pie.

“Y-yes, of course!”

He immediately found himself grinning slyly. Oh, the possibilities that had just opened up to him.

“Let's bankrupt him.”

End Of Chapter


	89. The Maid

Chapter 89: The Maid

A mountain of expensive delicacies and full course meals had been piled up on a table in the middle of the room by the time Computer had finished with his excessive ordering. Cart after cart had to be wheeled in by stressed out maids and chefs. Computer was certain he could have slipped out during the near constant commotion, but for now he was perfectly content where he was. It was much more amusing to hurt Charon's pocket book than to make another doomed escape attempt.

He gazed up at the mountain proudly. “It's a bit much, isn't it?” He joked to the maid.

Sadly, she had nothing to say in return.

He considered her carefully. What to do?

“Well, erm, this is a little more than even I can handle, so...dig in?”

Once again she seemed completely taken aback that he would offer her anything at all. She gave a startled exclamation and shook her head.

“It's fine, really.” He argued. “I'm mostly just trying to cause trouble for Charon in any way that I can. I'm not particularly interested in all of that food at the moment.”

It was a little hard to be hungry when you were too busy worrying about what might become of the puppy you were supposed to be saving.

The maid's eyes very briefly moved up toward the table as a hungry look fell over her, but then she grew fearful again and forced herself to look away.

“I-I can't.” She finally choked out. “I-if someone saw, sir.”

“I'll guard the door?”

“I-I'd be b-beaten.”

He crossed his arms. “Not on my watch.”

Something inside the nervous dog finally seemed to snap. She suddenly looked as if she were about to cry, but then her expression went blank. Maybe crying was a one way ticket to a beating around here. Maybe this was the only way she could cope. Regardless, it appeared that he had at least managed to convince her that it would be okay.

“J-just don't let anyone see.” She said very quietly, her voice strained and painful.

Computer turned to the door, making good on his offer. Of course, after all the running around he had made the 'staff' do, it was unlikely that any of them were going to barge in. They probably wanted nothing to do with him after all those orders. As fun as it was to hit Charon's pocket book, he was well aware that nearly everyone who had cooked the food and brought it to him were nothing more than slaves. It was a regretful situation all around, and it made him want to eat even less. At least it was being put to good use for the time being. Who knew how often that maid was probably being starved, and if it had been possible, he would have liked to share it with the others too, but Charon's bulldog thug would never let that happen. And in any case, the last thing he wanted was for any of the dogs being forced to work here to get into trouble because of him.

He slowly stepped closer to the door, turning his attention onto what appeared to be a record player table close by. It look like some sort of vintage antique that was probably as expensive as everything else in the room.

All of a sudden he felt...well, he didn't really know.

He reached up and absentmindedly took the record that was already sitting inside the table. Lost in thought, he flipped it over and over again in his paws.

With a sigh, he finally said exactly what was on his mind. “I get it, you know.”

Even when the maid did not reply, he just did not have it in him to turn around and look her in the eyes. He just continued to flip the record over and over.

“I get why you're so afraid. Why you're so hesitant. I know exactly what it feels like. Sometimes it...it seems like you can avoid the worst of it just so long as you do exactly what they want. Sometimes it feels like there's...there's rules you can follow and you won't get hurt. But the truth is always there, and you delude yourself into not believing it, because the alternative is just too awful to consider. That they're looking for any excuse to hurt you, that you're not actually doing anything wrong, and that there's nothing you can do to stop it, because, in the end, it's what they _want_ to do to you. You can't help but try and find a pattern that isn't there. A pattern that you can follow that might quell their wrath for a little while longer. It's always a lie, but it's something to hold on to. Something to get you through another day.”

The record slipped out of his fingers and landed neatly onto the carpet.

“And that's-” He reached down to pick it up. “More than enough of a reason to want to take Charon down and put an end to this place along with him.”

The maid's small, fearful voice reached him. “You can't.”

He considered the record once more in that distant way of his. “I have to try. I am compelled to. I _must_. This is beyond even what they're going to do to Spot. Charon and his friends, and even his minions, they treat those they've captured like they're things to be toyed with, like things to be used and abused.” He grit his teeth and bent the record so sharply that it nearly snapped in half. “I know exactly what it's like to be considered a 'thing'. It's inexcusable.”

He heard the soft, padded sound of the maid's footsteps as she moved closer. “Y-you're not the first dog w-who's tried to stop Charon, and y-you won't be the last either. T-there have been entire revolts a-against him time and again, b-but they always fail and h-he 'takes care' of anyone that is i-involved.”

“Well, lucky for us, I am no dog. Maybe I have a better chance than most.”

“C-Charon will have you killed....”

“Not as long as he considers me valuable.”

“T-then he'll have you tortured until y-you'll wish you were dead!”

Computer couldn't help but laugh a hollow laugh at that. “Unfortunately for him, that ship sailed a long time ago. There isn't much he could do to me at this point that would be any worse than what I've already been through.”

Whatever the maid was holding back suddenly became too much to bear. She dropped to her knees before him, tears running down her muzzle.

“P-please! D-don't try anything! I-I don't want you to die!” She begged. “You're the first dog who's-” She was so suddenly wracked with sobs that she could not speak. Then, finally said managed to say, “C-Charon will have y-you b-beaten, and s-starved, a-and so much worse! Y-you must d-do w-what he orders! H-he wants puppies, right? Y-you must give him w-what he wants or else h-he will force you to i-in the most horrible ways i-imaginable! I-I want y-you to be safe. I-I can help you. You and I, w-we could...”

Computer winced. “N-no! NO! Absolutely not!”

Suddenly what little rapport he had gained with his only ally was now...deeply uncomfortable. What he would not have given in that moment for her to stop groveling at his feet like that. She was so, so desperate to keep what little kindness she had likely ever seen in this place that she was ready to do anything to make sure she did not lose him.

Clearing his throat, he could barely figure out what to say. “Let's not give Charon what he wants...among other things. I will _'happily'_ die first.”

She looked up at him with a sad smile as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. “Most of the dogs I end up serving, they...do what they want with me. I...I never get a say in the matter. You...you're the exact opposite. I was so certain that you'd be like the rest when I first saw you, and yet...”

There were no words. Having lost his voice entirely, all Computer could do was help her as she shakily got back onto her feet. She had to grab the record player table just to steady herself.

Only once she had managed to calm down somewhat did she say anything more. “...Before I ended up in this place, I had a daughter. We were captured. Swiped off the street like...like trash. Dog catchers. They gave us to Charon. My daughter was bought by a human almost immediately. I've had several children since then and they were all taken from me the second they were mature enough not to need their mother anymore. I...” She looked a million miles away. “I'll never see any of them again.”

There was only one thing Computer could think to do.

He hugged her.

He was not entirely sure if he should, that he might be overstepping his bounds, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Thankfully, she seemed grateful for it.

“I...I'm sorry.” Those were the only words he could muster.

“I'm getting close to an age where I won't be able to have puppies anymore, and soon they will deem me too...too ugly to keep working as a maid as well. When that happens, I will meet the same fate that everyone no longer useful does.”

“Charon shows you to one of his beasts, doesn't he?”

She nodded solemnly. “He starves them before fights so they'll be extra vicious, but otherwise he doesn't let his prized fighters become malnourished.”

The stakes were becoming greater and greater it seemed. Computer sighed wearily and yet his resolve had never been greater.

“I have to do something.”

“You won't succeed. Nobody ever does.”

He pulled away from her, utterly determined. “Then it's better to die trying than to just sit back and let this go on!”

She smiled, but there was no confidence in her eyes. “I want to believe that you can stop Charon, but I've seen what happens to dogs who try, over and over again. There is no hope for dogs like us. Charon always makes sure to stomp it all out. I've been here for so long, and I know that there is no light in this place.”

“I'll...I'll prove you wrong. Somehow.”

He wearily went over to the gold-encrusted couch and willfully sunk down into the soft cushions. If he had felt like he aged fifty years before, now he felt like he had aged a million years instead.

He watched the maid take the record he had nearly snapped in half and place it into the table. After pushing a few buttons it began to play an old, tinny song to which she began humming along with. How many times had she heard that song, he wondered, and under what sort of circumstances?

He closed his eyes, desperate for some sort of respite from the reality that now lay before him, but with the darkness came other thoughts and feelings, and it hit him all at once. He missed Courage so badly. It was nearly a physical sort of ache. The thought that he may never see him again weighed heavily. With those feelings came two contradictory desires. The last thing he wanted was for Courage to be trapped in this hell with him, an yet he so badly wished that he was here with him right now regardless. This whole situation, it was just....too much for him to face alone.

And yet that was the reality he had to contend with now.

At some point, he somehow fell asleep. Maybe it was the soft music that caused it, but sadly he was not allowed to sleep for very long. The door suddenly slammed open, causing the walls to shake. He was startled out of his sleep so strongly that he nearly toppled off the couch. Even the maid jumped while letting out a fearful yelp.

Looming in the doorway was that horrible bulldog. He pointed a finger at Computer and growled, “It's time.”

Computer was a little surprised that the brute could even talk. What had Charon called him? Bruno?

“It's time?” He asked. “Time for what?”

Bruno stepped into the room, and he was so big that his head nearly touching the ceiling. “Charon has called for you. He wants you to be there for the fight. You're getting premium seating...shorty.” The bulldog let out a bark of a laugh.

Computer scowled. “Tell Charon he can take his 'premium' seat and shove it up his-”

Bruno stepped forward and grabbed his arm. The bulldog's paw was so huge that it pretty much encompassed all of Computer's arm, from shoulder to paw. One squeeze and the bones in his arm and paw would be shattered into a million pieces. It was pointless to even try to free himself.

“Charon wasn't asking.” Bruno growled. “And besides, this is your last chance to see the kid.”

“Spot...” He uttered out under his breath. He still did not have even the slightest idea how he was going to save him, and time was clearly running out. “Okay,” He said, looking up spitefully at the bulldog. “Let's go then.”

The sooner he got to wherever this fight was going to take place, the sooner he could figure out how he was going to help Spot.

Much like before, the bulldog forced him out of the room so quickly that he didn't even get a chance to say a single farewell to the maid. He caught one last glimpse of her as he was rushed out the door. She looked so sad to see him go. He was not sure if he would see her again, but he hoped that if he did, it would be somewhere outside of this monstrous place.

End Of Chapter


	90. Into The Pit

Chapter 90: Into The Pit

Another rush through the maze that was the warehouse. The luxurious area reserved for wealthy friends and allies of Charon's was replaced once more with the simple, claustrophobic, grungy hallways and rooms that made up the rest of this place. After what seemed like ages, Bruno pushed Computer through a new pair of double doors and into a surprisingly open, dimly lit area.

After everything else, to be in a room so large and dark, it made Computer feel oddly exposed. All of a sudden he was missing the claustrophobia. Squinting, he could make out a large hole in the middle of the massive room. It was rather strange and uneven looking, like they had to break through the concrete floor to dig it out. From where he was standing, he could not see how far down the pit went. A pathetic, makeshift railing had been set up around it, as if it would actually keep anyone from falling in if they stumbled...or pushed. He only grew even more apprehensive when he realized that there were metal bleachers set up all around this pit.

This had to be the arena where the dog fights occurred. He quickly began to realize that he was standing on a stage of sorts that was raised slightly higher than the bleachers overlooking the pit. Several guard dogs were setting up chairs on this stage in a spot that could easily overlook the pit too. Two of them had to work together to carry in a massive, golden chair with purple cushions.

Charon's ' _throne_ ', no doubt.

Overhead stage lights flickered to life, finally making the area a little more visible. Computer moved closer toward the edge of the stage, Bruno following after him like he was a convict seconds away from escape. The hole below was deep enough that not even the most agile dog would be able to leap out of it, and it was wide enough to allow for a decent amount of maneuverability during a fight. Two crude gates stood on either side of the pit, which meant that they had to have dug at least two tunnels out beneath the concrete. Where those tunnels came out, he could not see. There was nothing else down there but packed down dirt for a floor and what unfortunately appeared to be fragments of bones and perhaps a few dried bloodstains.

“Where's Spot?” He demanded, turning to Bruno.

The bulldog let out a gruff grunt. “Being prepared for the fight.”

Computer crossed his arms. “I thought you said you'd let me see him?”

Bruno let out another grunt that almost sounded like a laugh. “Yeah, you get to see him. You get to see him in the fight.”

It was lucky that there was a sudden explosion of sound as several doors on the far side of the arena opened up and people began pouring in. Otherwise, without the distraction, Computer would have been more than ready to take out his frustration on Charon's thug in any way that he could possibly manage, regardless of consequences. That bulldog was _reeaally_ starting to become a thorn in his side and it was absolutely infuriating.

Instead, he watched with disgust as the audience to this farce took their places. It was bad enough to see humans waiting for the 'show', but there were dogs waiting too and quite a few other species as well. How could anyone _want_ to watch this, much less _pay_ to see it?

A roar of laughter erupted behind him and he turned to see Charon along with a group of six other wealthy looking dogs entering onto the stage. They were acting like the loud jokes Charon was telling were the funniest they had ever heard. Well, all of them but one. There was another tall, slender poodle beside Charon. She was wearing an elaborate purple and black dress that closely mirrored Charon's own getup. She looked upon everything around her with quiet disdain, and when her eyes fell upon Computer, she regarded him like a piece of filth no different from everything else. He was not sure if she was a lover of Charon's or simply just related to him. She so closely resembled him that it was hard to tell if they were family or if Charon was such a narcissist that he was only capable of 'loving' dogs who looked just like him. She certainly looked the part of a trophy wife, to say the least.

Finally Charon himself caught sight of him and his sharp, toothy grin widened. “Ah, and there's my newest prize!” He announced to his companions.

“Prize!” Computer loudly exclaimed, but Charon was doing that thing where he ignored him all while treating him like a newly purchased lamp or...or computer.

“This one is a bit...plain, as you can see. Scruffy, like most strays that have been sitting out on the street too long, but things like that can be fixed. Others, not so much. This breed has always been a bit iffy when it comes to proportions, and they aren't exactly the most elegant breed either. However, that glow,” His voice grew greedy and gleeful. “If the offspring inherit it...”

That same greedy hunger fell over Charon's companions, and once again Computer was getting that awful, awful feeling like he was back in a used computer store being sized up by someone who was considering buying him.

Frustration growing, all while keeping in mind what had been done to the maid and what was going to be done to Spot, he took several steps forward, ready to kick Charon in the shin at the very least. If that was the best he was capable of right now without his power, so be it. Anything to temporarily wipe that self-assured smile off Charon's face for a few moments.

However, his world suddenly went dark and he was stopped in his tracks. Bruno had placed a paw on his head to stop him, and with a paw that big, it practically engulfed him. By the time he was let go, Charon and his group had already moved on and were taking their seats in front of the pit.

Adjusting his glasses back into place, Computer glared up at Bruno. Now more than ever he was sure that he would somehow have to deal with Charon's thugs if he ever wanted to get a shot at him. It wasn't just Bruno either. There were guards all over the stage and throughout the arena. They would all have to be taken care of if he wanted even the slightest chance of...kicking the bastard in the shin. It was, sadly, foolish to even consider something as small as that. Charon was well protected from one tiny, helpless dog. He was practically rubbing it in Computer's face at this point.

With the way his 'throne' was positioned, if Computer had been a bigger dog, he would have been able to push it into the pit where Charon would finally have to face his monsters head on, but even that was beyond him. How he despised this feeling of powerlessness. With his ability, he could have taken care of Charon and leveled this entire warehouse within seconds, but it was pointless to long for his lost ability at this point. His siblings were not going to give it back, even if they were likely just as eager to join in on such destruction. Of course, they would not stop here if given the chance. Computer was not about to give in to them, not even for a quick fix to this hellish predicament he had found himself in.

Defeated for the time being, he loomed in the background of the stage with Bruno still sticking to him like glue as Charon gave a grandiose speech to his eager audience. That showman-like personality of his finally came out in full and soon he had the crowd beneath him fired up for what would amount to a massacre. They were all disgusting. Every last one of them. They had come here to see dogs die, dogs that they had to know were just as aware and conscious as they were, as any human, and even if they hadn't been, it still did not justify this farce. To make it all the more worse, Charon's little speech did nothing to hide that these weren't willing participants.

With a heavy thump on his back, Bruno pushed Computer forward until he had a good view of the pit below.

“Watch.” He growled.

One of the makeshift gates opened up and a scrawny, starved looking stray with many patches of fur missing was shoved out onto the dirt where he or she lay there trembling.

Computer closed his eyes. It was the only form of defiance he had left for now.

He heard the other gate open and then a gasp from the crowd. That was followed by a vicious growling so loud that it seemed to fill every square inch of the arena. He could practically feel the sound vibrating in his own chest.

It was all over in an instant. There was a snarl, another gasp from the crowd, and then a loud cheer replacing it. Afterwords, when the cheering died down, there was the unmistakable sound of ripping, tearing and...chewing. The gate was opened again and then there was the sound of many guards wrestling whatever beast that was back out of the arena.

When Computer opened his eyes again, all that was left below was a fresh pool of blood to join the rest of the dried ones.

Spot was as good as doomed.

“Such a shame.” Charon's mocking voice rang out, causing a swell of laughter from the crowd. “Didn't even last a full minute. Well, I can't leave you all with such a poor display. Let us bring out our next contestant! Maybe this one will have the chops to become my next grand fighter! I've been keeping an eye on this one for a long time, you know, and he is a resourceful one. Does he have what it takes to bring down one my best? We will have to see, won't we?”

Computer went rigid with apprehension. What could he possibly do to save Spot now? There was absolutely no way he was just going to stand there and watch the kid get ripped apart, but...

Below, the gate was opened and Spot was shoved out into the pit. His face was all but white with terror. He stood there trembling, no better than the last dog who had just met their end. Computer sadly knew that if Spot could not get his fear under control, he would last no longer than the dog before him did.

Computer clenched his paws together. He had to do something. If there was even the slightest chance that he could prevent one atrocity from occurring among the many that were going on here daily, he had to take it. There was little he could do for someone like the maid who had already lost everything, but Spot...

The other gate opened, and despite himself, his own gasp joined the collective one that rose from the crowd.

Out stepped something that truly was more monster than any dog. It was as if someone had taken a werewolf and bear and put them together. It was huge. Even on all fours it was bigger than Bruno. It's massive muzzle opened to a constant flow of slobbering drool and teeth so long that they were longer than Computer was tall. It's yellow, pupil-less eyes seemed to glow in the low lighting as they focused on Spot. Its growl, just like Charon's last beast, was loud enough to vibrate through your chest.

It began to slowly stalk toward Spot, as if savoring the pup's fear before making its kill. If there was any mind left in that beast of a dog, it was one of pure malevolence.

There was no hope for Spot like this. That thing would kill him with ease. Charon was insane to think that he had any chance. Maybe he really believed it or maybe it was just a ruse, but it did not matter now either way. Spot was rooted in place, frozen with fear, as that thing closed in on him.

Computer resigned himself to the one and only option he had. He knew exactly what he was going to have to do. Perhaps he had known the entire time that this was his only real option and simply had not wanted to admit it to himself until now.

It was all but suicide, after all.

He glanced very quickly over at Bruno, hoping that he would not catch the look. The bulldog was the only thing standing between him and what he wanted to do at this point. Much to his annoyance, he realized that Bruno was not watching the 'fight', but instead was watching him. It appeared that the bulldog was anticipating exactly what he was planning on doing, but...did he sense some sort of hesitation from that hulking thug of a dog?

In that instant he broke off into a run and jumped off the stage, looking back just quickly enough to see that only now was Bruno reaching a massive paw toward him, but it was far too late. Before anyone else could do anything, Computer ducked under the railing encircling the pit and let himself drop down.

...Somehow he had a feeling that he was going to deeply regret this, but for Spot's sake, he would do what he had to.

Down, down, down he went before finally hitting the dirt below. He landed on his feet but the fall had been long enough to send a jarring jolt up his legs and into his knees.

“What are you doing?” Spot's frantic, angry voice reached him. “We're both gonna die now!” He yelled, his voice cracking with fear and anger.

Computer would have said something, but the roar of the crowd cheering became deafening. Apparently they _'loved'_ the sudden twist he had brought to the fight. This must have pleased Charon because no guards opened the gates to stop him. Unfortunately, that killed what little hope he'd had that his interference might temporarily halt the fight.

Of course, in that moment he was much, much more concerned with the monstrous beast that had turned its attention away from Spot and was now looking right at _him_...

End Of Chapter


	91. Battle Of The Beast

Chapter 91: Battle Of The Beast

If Charon's monster had looked huge from above, now it was practically mountainous up close. Thick ropes of slobber dripped from the creature's fangs as it considered Computer. It almost seemed shocked by his unexpected appearance. It began to sniff the air, like it was trying to figure him out. This moment of relative calm didn't last long however. Any caution the creature had toward Computer quickly vanished and, letting out a snarl, it prepared to attack.

All of a sudden that mass of fur and muscle was charging forward. Computer steadied himself as the beast bound toward him. There was nothing quite so terrifying as standing your ground when there was a mouth full of teeth longer than you opening wide to snap you up.

At the very last second he dove out of the way. Charon's beast dug its paws into the ground to try and stop itself once it realized that its prey was now behind it, but its momentum was too great and it skidded into the wall with a thud so heavy that it shook the entire pit.

Computer raced over to Spot while the monster recovered from the collision. At least it had confirmed one thing for him. The creature did not appear to have any hidden intelligence at all. Anything that could think would have been able to figure out exactly what he was going to do to escape that charge and would have been ready to compensate for it.

“Are you okay?” He asked the pup.

Spot laughed bitterly. “No, we're both dog food now. That thing's gonna kill us and there's nothing we can do about it.”

Computer wanted to assure him that that wasn't going to be the case, but, well...

He turned back toward the beast just as it was turning back around too. It drew its lips back in a vicious snarl. Somehow those teeth were looking more and more sharp by the second...

“I'm going to try and keep that thing off of you.” He said to Spot, never taking his eyes off the beast. “Don't let it get you if it comes near. One bite from that thing and you're done.”

He did not want to admit that he had no other plans besides that. Neither of them had any means to stop that creature, especially not down in this pit. All they could do was evade it for now. Regardless, he knew that he could not keep dodging it forever. Sooner or later he was going to slip up and then he really would become dog food.

Moving away from Spot, he inched toward the right, keeping his eyes on the yellow ones that were leering viciously at him.

The beast licked its chops greedily.

“Stop looking at me like I'm a cheeseburger.” He said to the thing.

It snarled and charged him again with the same reckless abandon. This time he ducked down under the jaws opening wide for him. There was more than enough room, and the creature was not even trying to anticipate his movements, so he did not have to worry about it simply snapping him up as he ducked under it.

Unfortunately, the creature was not moving quite as fast as last time, and so this time when it dug its paws into the ground, it came to a halt before hitting the wall. Thinking fast, Computer moved right back under the beast. It ducked its muzzle downward and snapped its teeth together in between its front legs but there was enough room under it that Computer could comfortably avoid the jaws of the beast.

Letting out a growl in frustration, it began to spin this way and that, desperately trying to get at him. He kept up with its movements, always staying just out of the range of its snapping jaws.

Suddenly, it let out a heavy huff and turned its attention onto Spot, apparently giving up on him.

That wasn't exactly what he had been going for...

Wincing, he called out to the thing as it stalked away, “Hey! Don't forget about me, stupid! That kid's all skin and bone anyway. Surely I'm much more worth the effort to catch.”

It turned back toward him, snarling.

“Don't be dumb, ugly! Focus on me!” Spot called out, much to Computer's dismay.

What on earth was he thinking?

It spun around sharply, sending slobber flying.

“Don't play the hero, kid! Let me deal with this!” Computer cried out. “Come on, you overgrown rat! We aren't done dancing yet!” He called out to the beast as it frustratedly turned back toward him yet again.

“Forget about him! I'm way more tasty!” Spot yelled.

“What are you playing at?” Computer demanded. “That thing will-”

The beast howled in frustration and dug its paws sharply into the dirt. It glared viciously at Computer for a moment and then _lunged_ at him _._

It didn't seem possible that such a bulky being could even get off the ground, much less leap with such force. Computer didn't have time to react. He hadn't been expecting it. He tried to scramble out of the way at the last second, but it was no use. A paw came down on top of him and all of a sudden he was pinned down. All of the air was pressed out of his lungs by its bulky weight. It was like he had just had a car dropped on him.

The thing's huge muzzle loomed over him. Saliva dripped down like rain. He made a token effort to try and pull his arms free, but they were completely immobilized beneath the weight of that massive paw.

There was a desperate, hate-filled scream and all of a sudden Spot was on top of the beast's head. Computer could just barely crane his neck far enough to see Spot reach down and plunge his fingers into the eyes of the creature.

It howled in agony and stumbled backwards, freeing Computer from its crushing grip. Sucking in a welcomed breath of air, he got back onto his feet. The beast swung its head this way and that, desperately trying to get Spot off, ignoring Computer in the meantime. The kid was holding on for dear life as he continued to poke the eyes of the beast whenever he could manage it.

Using that brief lull, Computer quickly looked around. He wanted to find some way for them to escape the pit before that creature could attack again, but their chances weren't looking great. The walls of the pit were smooth with no means to climb up. Both gates had several guards watching the fight from within. Even if they got one of those gates open, the guards would just throw them back in again.

The simple and unpleasant truth was that they were not getting out of this pit unless they somehow figured out a way to kill Charon's monster, otherwise they were only going to be leaving within the belly of the beast. Given how impossible it seemed for them to accomplish such a task against that mountain of a dog, it was looking more and more like they really were doomed.

Computer's concentration was broken when he heard Spot yelp and suddenly the pup was flung straight up into the air. He had lost his grip and the beast's erratic movements had sent him flying. Computer watched, horrified, as the pup spun higher and higher up into the air while down below the beast opened its jaws wide to catch him. The poor pup seemed to hang there for a moment with all of those dull stage lights focused upon him before he began his descent back downward.

Desperate, Computer became aware of the many fragments of bone strewn about the pit. Thinking fast, he grabbed a small yet sharp looking shard and raced forward. He plunged it down into the paw of the beast as hard as he could. The creature let out a shriek and he just barely managed to escape as teeth snapped shut where he had been standing.

With the beast distracted, Spot bounced harmlessly off its back and dropped down onto the ground without a single scratch.

While he had managed to save Spot for a few minutes longer, now Computer was the one seconds away from ending up in the belly of the beast. The thing had begun _chasing after him_ , forcing him to run circles around the pit. Even though he was running as fast as his legs could take him, the creature was easily catching up with him. Every thump of its paws hitting the dirt made the ground shake and he could even feel its hot breath on his back. Part of him was certain that the creature was only toying with him at this point. It could have run him down ten times over by now if it really wanted to.

Spot stood there in the middle of the pit, trying to figure out some way to help, but there wasn't exactly very many options left.

All of a sudden Computer heard the audience gasp and with that gasp he became convinced that he was about to be snapped up in a single bite. That didn't end up being the case, thankfully, but when he did catch sight of the reason why the audience was getting so fired up, he was so stunned that he nearly let himself get scooped up into the jaws of the monster by accident.

A dog was dropping down into the pit, and for a moment he thought he was losing it entirely because that dog looked just like Courage.

...But that couldn't be.

As the dog hit the dirt, rusty pipe clutched in both paws, her more feminine fur and facial features made it clear that she was not Courage.

In all honesty, her presence was about as much of a shock for Computer as Courage suddenly dropping into the pit would have been too.

“Y-You!” He cried out as he passed her by, Charon's beast still on his tail.

It was _her_. Courage's...ugh, ' _girlfriend_ '...

She ignored him and his exclamation completely. All of her attention was on the beast as both it and Computer made another circle around the pit. She raised the pipe like a bat, and as the monster came around again, she swung it with every last ounce of strength she had. It struck the creature in the jaw, sending slobber flying across the pit. That finally put an end to its chase. It slid to a stop and began pawing at the place where it had been hit with a mindless look of annoyance.

Computer was grateful for being given a moment to catch his breath, but with it came a grim realization. That blow from the pipe had not actually hurt the creature. It had been nothing more than a bug bite to it. They were going to need something far greater than some old pipe if they were going to take that thing down.

The beast sniffed the air, its huge muzzle pointing directly down at the girl dog. She raised the pipe again in response, quiet concentration in her eyes.

The thing leaped forward in a single bound but only received another strike for its effort as the girl dog stepped out of the way of the attack. It let out a gruff, angry noise and tried to snap at her, but once again she countered its movement and swung once more, stopping the bite in its tracks.

Great ropes of drool slipped down the creature's teeth as it regarded its new foe. While the blows were nothing to it, it obviously did not enjoy being hit either way. It was clearly trying to use its limited mind to puzzle out a way to snap up its meal without getting struck.

Computer was so focused on the standoff that he didn't notice when Spot slipped away. All of a sudden the beast let out a confused cry and there was Spot, once again, climbing up the back of the creature. This time he grabbed onto the thing's ears and held on for dear life. Now that he wasn't trying to go for the eyes, he could keep his grip far better. Hopefully he wouldn't end up tossed into the air again.

The creature still reacted like Spot was trying to poke its eyes out regardless. It yelped and swung its massive head in every direction, jaws flinging disgusting slobber everywhere.

What to do, Computer wondered. He was feeling utterly useless. The only thing he was capable of was acting as bait to keep the creature off Spot, but that wasn't going to save them. No matter what, they were all going to die if they could not somehow kill that thing. Without his power, he had no way to end this fight. A pipe wasn't going to save them...

The girl dog was careful to stay just out of the reach of the beast as it continued to mindlessly panic, but it was so large and so frantic that it wasn't exactly easy to predict and avoid its erratic movements. It seemed that she did not want to move too far away just in case Spot fell though.

The beast swung its massive muzzle in her direction like a wrecking ball in full swing and she wasn't able to react fast enough in this one case. The muzzle struck her full force, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying. The pipe slipped out of her paws and landed in the middle of the pit with a clang. She, on the other hand, landed in the dirt, sending up a small cloud of dust. Once it settled, she was still laying there, unconscious. Thankfully, the beast was so preoccupied with Spot that it did not go after her while vulnerable.

Computer's breath got caught in his throat as he looked down at the pipe. Just like that, the solution came to him.

With the way that thing was so desperately trying to get Spot off of it, never once did it seem to consider just reaching up and...

Fully aware of how dangerous and unlikely this was to work, Computer raced forward and grabbed the pipe. He then closed in upon the berserk beast. Somehow he would have to find an opening without ending up like the girl dog...or worse.

Maybe she'd had this idea too. Maybe this was what she had been trying to do but no opening had presented itself to her. Or maybe this idea had been far too grim for her to consider, even in a life or death situation like this.

“Hey! You should....check on....that other dog...while this thing...is still preoccupied!” Spot called down to him between swings of the beast's head.

Computer barely even heard him as he focused on every quick movement of the beast. It felt so strange. All of a sudden that mechanical precision that he had so badly desired for nearly his entire life seemed to actually take hold. It was as if time was slowing to a halt right there in front of him. In a way, it felt a lot like when he had dealt with those cats. This sort of thing was exactly what he had been built for. He could pull off a grim, impossible task like this with ease. For once, he was completely sure of himself and his capabilities.

The opening presented itself for a few dire milliseconds that most others would not have even noticed. He did not hesitate.

He took the pipe and lunged forward, shoving it as far into the beast's throat as he could manage. The creature's bottom teeth dug into his stomach, breaking skin and drawing blood, but he barely even noticed.

Somehow he managed to pull back just as the jaws snapped shut and he narrowly escaped being chomped in two.

The entire arena fell silent as the beast stumbled backwards in shock and confusion. Its choking and sputtering seemed strangely amplified in the silence. It shook its head a few desperate times in a futile effort to dislodge the pipe and it pawed uselessly at its head, but things were exactly as Computer had suspected. The creature was simply too mindless to even consider just _reaching in_ and pulling the pipe out. To it, paws were paws, and it was incapable of even considering using them like hands.

In that terrible silence only punctuated by the sounds of that dying dog, Computer looked on only to realize that he felt nothing. Deep down he knew that this dog may very well could have been like Spot or even Courage before the life of a fighter turned it feral. In the end though, this had to happen. The only way for them to live was for it to die. This was nobody's fault but Charon's.

The girl dog, conscious once more, got to her feet just as the beast of a dog sputtered feebly one last time and collapsed. Its mountainous shape rocked the ground and sent a huge cloud of dust swirling up into the air.

The crowd went wild.

Charon's voice somehow managed to overtake the roar of the crowd. “You see! I told you I know how to pick 'em!”

Computer tuned out whatever the bastard said next and went over to Spot as the pup was sliding down the side of the beast.

With an exhausted sigh, he asked, “Nothing broken?”

“That was nuts!” The puppy exclaimed. “I thought for sure you were going to be bitten in half! But...but we did it! We survived! W-we ain't dyin' today!” His eyes widened with shocked realization. “I-I never thought that I'd-”

“You're going to live to see another day, kid.” He said with a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

“But what about tomorrow...or the next day? Charon, he...he's just going to force me into another fight, and I dunno if I'm gonna get lucky next time. How are we going to get the heck out of here? Even if you survive, eventually Charon's going to decide that you're no longer useful and have you killed anyway. If that glow of yours really can't be passed down, when he finds out the truth, you're-”

Computer placed his paws onto the pup's shoulders. “We'll be long gone before then.” He assured him.

And he meant it. If he could take down a mountainous monster like that with nothing more than a pipe, surely he could figure out a way to shut this place down for good.

He looked over at the girl dog, still in utter disbelief that it really was her, but with that disbelief came suspicion. How could they have possibly ended up in the same place like this after so long? There was almost no chance that she had been traveling in the same direction as them and at the same pace too.

She currently had a paw resting on the muzzle of that great monster, her expression forlorn. Apparently she felt bad for the thing, even though it had nearly made a meal out of all of them.

They had not yet exchanged a single word since her sudden and improbable reappearance, and Computer was going to fix that since he wanted answers for how she was here, but the gates on both sides of the pit swung open and several of Charon's guards flooded in. All three of them were ushered out of the pit before he could say a word to her.

They were sent through a long, makeshift tunnel until eventually the ground beneath them started to slant upward and a crack in the floor turned dirt back into the cold concrete of the warehouse. All three of them were sent into a dark, nondescript room where they remained guarded by several dogs. Just when Computer thought that he'd finally get a chance to talk to the girl dog, the door to the room burst open and in stepped a jovial Charon.

“Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!” He cheered. “I could not have asked for a better show!”

He opened his arms wide, as if he expected them to run forward and hug him. To see Charon this happy left Computer wishing that he'd let the beast chomp him in half after all.

End Of Chapter


	92. An Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 92: An Unexpected Reunion

“Such an unexpected twist!” Charon went on, giddy as a child. “The audience went wild! I'd never seen them in such a frenzy!”

His hidden eyes leered down at Computer. “I was so worried that I was going to lose my newest prize. I almost sent someone down there to get you out, but then I got a funny feeling and I am one to always trust my intuition. As you can see, it most certainly paid off.”

He then turned to Spot, flashing that fake, toothy smile at him. “You see, my boy? I told you you'd make the cut! You're in! You get to be one of my elite!”

“You're kidding, right?” Spot quipped back. “The only reason I survived was because these guys jumped in and-”

Charon cut him off when he swiftly turned to the girl dog and said, “And you, my dear! Your medical skills have been invaluable to me, but I never realized that you had so much fight in you! Bravo, bravo!”

He clapped his paws together, and it was surprisingly hard to figure out if he actually meant it or if it was meant to be a mocking gesture.

“In any case,” He went on. “We have other matters of business to discuss. Spot, my boy, you've earned yourself a nice rest. Head on out the door and Bruno will see to you. I need to speak with your darling friends about other matters.”

Spot looked to Computer with hesitation, but they all knew that he had no choice but to do what Charon wanted. He walked very slowly toward the door, loathing to be separated from his only allies. The sound of the door closing was painfully muted.

“Now, you two.” Charon continued, clearing his throat. “You've made quite a splash and gained the attention of my most dedicated patrons. A great deal of them are already clamoring for puppies from my new prized fighters. You are my darling battle couple and your offspring will fetch me a small fortune.” He dressed them both down with his shaded eyes. “You are of the same breed, and while you are lacking most purebred qualities, you will still produce adequate enough offspring. It's the novelty factor that my clients are after, so we don't need perfect puppies in this case. That wonderful glow alone will be more than enough.”

Computer was practically seething, to the point that the only words he could get out were a surprisingly calm, “Excuse me?”

He was shocked by the fact that the girl dog did not protest along with him. She seemed far too calm and unconcerned for what Charon was proposing.

“Excuse what?” Charon answered, still sounding far too friendly for his own good. “You two are officially a couple now, and you must keep up appearances until the popularity of your little stunt dies down.”

“No.” Computer replied with every last ounce of anger he felt placed upon that single word.

Charon remained unfazed. “Ah, I see. You still haven't gotten the big picture yet, have you? Such a shame.” His voice grew low and dangerous. “Let me make your place known, my new little friend. I own you now. You are nothing more than property, and while I try to treat my things with care, sometimes measures must be taken if a possession of mine begins to...malfunction.”

There were no words to describe the anger Computer felt. His vision became like a tunnel as he glared up at Charon, hatred seething from every pore of his being. In that instant, Charon had become a gaudy facsimile of 'Him'. Nearly every word he was speaking might as well have been coming out of 'His' mouth, and in fact, some of it was already things 'He' had once said to Computer. He may as well have been 'Him' reincarnate.

Computer stepped forward, overcome by a strange sort of calm yet nearly blinding rage. He was going to rip Charon limb from limb. He didn't care how he was going to do it, but he was.

...But then a paw tightly gripped his arm and pulled him back. He could hardly believe it when he realized that it was the girl dog, and he could believe it even less when she said to Charon, “Don't worry, I'll take care of him. We'll get the job done.”

“WHAT?” Computer cried out, his rage temporarily forgotten.

That toothy grin spread out across Charon's muzzle once more. “Ah, good. At least one of you knows your place. I do know how to pick 'em, don't I? You've always been a reliable one, my dear. I'll see to it that you're well taken care of, and once this business is done and your puppies have found their way into the arms of my clients, you will be able to get back to your medical duties.”

She nodded to him without a hint of emotion. Computer just stared at her, mouth agape, completely speechless.

Charon's expression took on a rather distasteful look. “Since he seems to be a bit of a trouble maker, I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but I'd prefer to take precautions.” He whistled, and in less than a second, one of his thugs tromped into the room.

“Take them.” He said to the dog, and just like that a paw grabbed Computer by the scruff of his neck and lifted him into the air. The girl dog fared no better.

They were marched out of the room and taken somewhere deep into the warehouse. Computer kept silently trying to get the girl dog's attention, but she seemed to be ignoring him. Charon's thug eventually stopped in the middle of a hallway with several metal doors that each had massive locks on them. He fumbled trying to unlock one while also holding onto his captives. Once he managed it, he slid the heavy door open, the bottom of it grinding against the floor and causing a loud, echoing screech. Beyond the door lie only darkness.

The dog grinned nastily at them. “Welcome to your honeymoon vacation home. Try not to have too much fun in there.”

And he tossed them in.

Computer landed muzzle first on cold, painful concrete. The girl dog's landing wasn't exactly graceful either. The screech of the door shutting behind them was nearly deafening in that tiny space, but once it was gone, there was nothing else but complete and utter silence.

The room in question was barely large enough to count as a closet. The walls were solid sheets of metal with no air vents or any other openings. They were completely boxed in and without a means to escape. The floor was, of course, concrete that most certainly could not be broken by mere paws, and there was no hope of getting that door open either. Were it not for Computer's glow, they would have been in complete darkness as well. Any dog would most certainly go mad if left in here for long enough, and even with his glow helping somewhat, Computer was finding the sheer claustrophobia of this room...unpleasant, to say the least.

He looked over at the girl dog, unsure of her intentions. While she had no doubt saved them by jumping into that fight, he trusted her even less than ever after having so willingly gone along with Charon's wishes.

“No way. Absolutely not.” He said, backing as far away from her as he could manage in their claustrophobic prison. Once he felt that he had created a sufficient distance between the two of them, he crossed his arms and continued with, “Not even if you and I were the last two sentient beings on this planet and the survival of all organic life depended upon us-”

“Just-” She sighed, cutting him off. “Just be quiet.”

She ran a paw down her face, looking more than a little annoyed.

“You've really made a mess of things. Now Charon is never going to trust you again.” She shook her head disapprovingly. “Here's the thing you need to learn, if Charon says you do something, at least pretend to do it. You had the freedom to be able to fake going along with his commands for at least a few months, but now he isn't going to be so lenient. You're lucky he didn't send someone in here to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to be doing.”

Computer glared at her. “I'm not going to consider playing the role of a...a 'pretend' rapist just to make _him_ happy, thank you very much! I was already given a decent enough picture of what happens to the dogs around here, like those maids who are treated no better than slaves, and I will not even pretend to act like a willing participant!”

“I don't think you understand what's going to happen to you if you're not careful!” She angrily shot back. “Men are treated no differently from women in this place! You don't want to know what happens to the ones who are...unwilling. I've had to treat a few of them after Charon's thugs were through with them and many don't survive their injuries. Even more so than that, don't think for a second that there aren't women around here who will do whatever is necessary to avoid being tortured just as much as any man might too. You are not immune from the horrors of this place, or at least you were immune until you decided you were going to get on Charon's bad side. He set you up somewhere nice before this, didn't he? Gave you a friendly, 'willing' maid as a show of good will? Well, you aren't going back to that now. It's over. You're nothing more than breeding stock now. The lowest of the low, even in this place. Completely disposable. You'll be lucky if Charon decides to feed you to one of his fighters once he's done with you.”

“Oh, well.” Computer dismissed. “It wasn't like he saw me as anything more than that before now anyway. Better this than to put on a big charade just to try and avoid-” His voice faded out as his mind returned to the maid, knowing full well of the hell she had been through and was still going through even at this very moment What right did he have to lay around on some gold encrusted couch, protected by Charon's fake goodwill, all while pretending to take advantage of a dog who had already lost everything? It was sicking to even consider.

The girl dog's expression lightened a little. “You're serious about this, aren't you?” She asked with surprise. “Even knowing what could happen to you? That's...a bit of a change. I can hardly believe this is the same dog I watched stomp off into those woods. Well, you're still as stubborn as ever, as I can clearly see, and yet...”

It was almost funny, Computer had been so furious about the things they were talking about that he had almost completely forgotten who exactly he was talking to to begin with.

His ears perked up in shock as he made the same realization all over again. “Y-you!” He sputtered out.

Suddenly he couldn't find the words he wanted to say.

She placed her paws onto her hips. “Me?”

“But...but _how_?” He managed to utter out, and with it his skepticism returned. He narrowed his eyes. “...I always figured there was something funny about you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What's that supposed to mean exactly?”

“Oh, nothing. It's just that we're entire days away from Nowhere, you had plenty of time to wander off in any old direction before me and Courage started our journey proper, and now you're telling me that we just ' _happened'_ to run into each other again? I have a hard time believing that. It's kind of a big world out there, if you haven't noticed.”

She shrugged. “I simply heard about Charon's operation during my wanderings. When I heard the rumors of a place that was like hell on earth, where dogs are living in horrendous conditions, I had to see it for myself. I offered up my medical skills to Charon and now I'm doing what little I can to help the dogs suffering here. If anything, I can't believe you're the one who's here.”

Computer's eyes narrowed further. “I'm not stupid. You're some weirdo with weirdo powers, aren't you? You...you knew what was going to happen when I went into that forest! Well, you aren't fooling me, you...you creepy stalker woman! You've been following me and Courage the entire time, haven't you?”

She shook her head and sighed. “Creepy stalker woman? Did you ever consider that maybe I was making the obvious observation that running off into a spooky forest in the middle of the night and in the middle of a storm was probably a bad idea? You don't need magic or stalking skills for that.”

“Don't try to pretend like you weren't acting all mystical and...and _prophetic_ when you told me that something was going to happen! And...and you could have done a better job at trying to stop me, you know! That wasn't exactly a pleasant experience!”

“You were the one who was being stubborn. Remember what I said? Don't say I didn't warn you.”

“Still, you could have tried a little harder...”

“Hey, it's not like I _didn't_ try. You were just being unflinchingly stubborn.”

Computer pressed a paw up against the side of his forehead. “Oh, yeah, sure. It's not like that wasn't the worst night of my life or anything. You could have been a little more concise, you know. Like, 'Oh, hey! You're about to wander off into a forest where Courage is going to get angry and beat the snot out of you, and then you're going to see an illusion of the guy who did things to you that would make even Charon envious'! See? It would have been that easy!”

“Look, at the end of the day, you were going to go into that forest no matter what anybody said. You are someone who's destined to be foolish and excessively stubborn.”

Computer sputtered wordlessly and then pointed a finger and cried out, 'Y-you see! Stop trying to pretend like you're not some freaky magic dog who knows things!”

“I don't need magic to understand what sort of person you are!”

“But, _destiny_!”

“It was a figure of speech!”

“No, it wasn't!”

“Ugh...” She groaned, letting her shoulders sag. “Somethings change, but somethings always stay the same...”

Computer placed a paw to his chin and began to pace, although he could only walk about two and a half steps before needing to turn around each time.

“You know, there's something I never quite forgot about after all this time, and even to this day I still wonder about it.” He mused. “Back when this all started, when Courage had to use the windmill on the farm to charge me up so I could move-” He hesitated for a moment. “I'm sure you already know that I'm not really a dog, so don't even try to act surprised. Well, after that was all said and done and I sort of, I don't know, shut down temporarily, all of my functions came back one by one, and I remember hearing someone walking around in the attic while that was happening. At the time, I thought it was Courage until it turned out it wasn't, and that wasn't the only odd occurrence either. When I started getting the hang of walking again and I, er, 'fell' down the stairs, I remember seeing someone by the door. They ran out of the house too fast for me to get a good look at them, but I do remember that they weren't particularly tall. In fact, I'd say they were around your height.” He pointed a finger at her accusingly. “That was you, wasn't it!”

Much to Computer's annoyance, she put on a big show of looking confused. Her expression became something between sheepishness and maybe even a bit of defensiveness. She threw her paws up into the air before saying,

“That's...a bit of a leap, coming to a conclusion like that. I-I don't even know what you're talking about! I'm just a regular, everyday dog! Someone who wants to help others! Nothing more, nothing less!”

Computer simply continued to glower at her. “ _I don't believe you!_ ” He all but hissed. It felt like she was intentionally toying with him now.

Oh boy...” She sighed. “You really are completely convinced that I'm a mystical dog who's been stalking you guys everywhere.”

“Well, of course! You're not fooling me! You always gave me unnerving vibes right from the very start! Like...like I'm staring at an illusion made by a Fear Eater! So, what's the big twist here, hmm? Are you a long lost relative of Courage's? A friend of his parents looking after him from the shadows? Something far worse than any of that? Who are you? _What_ are you?”

She grinned self-consciously. “I'm just...me.”

Computer sputtered again in frustration. “Stop being so...so cryptic!” He demanded. “And...and _you see_! You haven't even asked me why Courage isn't here...because you already know why!”

She shrugged. “Well, that's an easy enough thing to figure out. Because of his illness, Charon would have had no interest in him, so when he captured you, Charon either had him disposed of or left him behind. Since you'd be acting much more differently if Charon had Courage killed, the only answer is that he was left behind.”

It all suddenly hit Computer again like a knife through the heart. His arms dropped to his side and his frustration melted away.

“It's...a bit worse than that.” He admitted. “Courage is in a bad spot right now and I'm...stuck here, with absolutely no way to get to him.”

Sighing, he pressed his back against the wall and slid down it until he was sitting. He was really regretting having mentioned Courage now. He hated to remind himself of the dog's current predicament and how little hope he had of ever seeing him again.

Without a word, the girl dog sat down opposite of him, but given how little room there was, it didn't actually put much distance between them.

“Alright,” She said, “I'll stop playing dumb for a little while and throw you a bone. You're right, I know exactly what's going on, and yes, I can predict things to a certain extent. That cat gang that was going to kill Courage, had you not stopped them, he really would have died there. But in your usual way, you overreacted and drew too much attention to yourself. That lead to you ending up here and Courage getting captured by the SCC Organization.”

Computer's eyes met hers, but he just didn't have it in him any longer to react to the admission he'd wanted the entire time.

“But,” She went on, “I'm not as omniscient as it might seem. I have my limitations. I want you to tell me everything, in your own words. Tell me what's happened since we last saw each other, and maybe even the things that happened before we met too.”

At first he was hesitant to do such a thing for an unknown like her, but then he figured that he had so little left to lose by now, what would the harm be?

So, they sat there in that stuffy, claustrophobic closet of a room as he told her the long story of his and Courage's journey up to that point. There were a few things he intentionally left out, but overall, he held nothing back.

The girl dog was looking very pleased with herself by the time he had finished telling her everything. “I figured I had managed to piece most of it together, but I never realized just how much of the story I had spot on until now!” She smiled between interlocked fingers. “You two are fascinating, but you're both a little predictable. Maybe that's just my experience talking. I understand how most people tick and how they're most likely to act and react. It comes with the job.”

Computer blinked. “Job?”

“Helping people.”

“...Uh, huh. Is that what this is then? Are you some entity who's been trying to help me and Courage out the entire time?”

“Perhaps, but we're going to have to see how things shake out in the end before we know for certain if I actually was any help.”

Computer shook his head in defeat. “You know, it's not exactly fun being stuck in a tiny box with an entity of unknown ability and origins.”

“It's not like you're particularly normal yourself. In fact, you and I are similar in a lot of ways. I wonder what you really are behind that convincing illusion of a dog _and_ a computer.”

Computer winced, becoming all the more uncomfortable with this 'dog' he was being forced to share this small space with. He placed his paws behind his head and looked away, trying to pretend like she wasn't freaking him even more than she already had been.

“Oh boy,” He uttered out. “If I wasn't already regretting calling you Courage's girlfriend, I certainly am now...”

The girl dog's ears suddenly perked up and she began eying him up...in a rather creepy fashion. Her face lit up in a huge grin.

“Wait, wait, wait wait!” She repeated gleefully, and all of a sudden she was in his face. “You left something out, didn't you? I can see it now!”

“Wha-hey! Get off!” He cried out as she leaned in to look into his ears, then she grabbed his eyelids and pulled them upwards to look into his eyes, and then she made him open his mouth like such a thing was as normal as shaking someone's hand. All of a sudden she was acting like a actual veterinarian and he was getting some sort of unwanted checkup.

“I can't believe it!” She giggled. “I thought I had sensed something, but I just couldn't believe it! It didn't seem possible! Now this is certainly a change I never would have predicted! This is exactly why you in particular always seem to find ways to surprise me, and trust me, that doesn't happen very often!”

“Wh-what are you getting at?” He demanded, adjusting his glasses after she had nearly sent them flying trying to rip his eyelids off. He, of course, knew exactly what she was getting at, but he hated that she knew what he knew and he was left hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would think it was all a big mistake.

“If I'm not allowed to play dumb anymore then neither are you!” She laughed.

“I-I am not playing dumb!” He argued, crossing his arms.

She got a mischievous look in her eyes that somehow seemed to resemble both Courage and Nina at the same time, particularly whenever they were trying to tease him.

“It's reeeaaallly obvious, you know.”

“No, it's not!”

“So...you wouldn't have a problem then if I really did try to become his girlfriend? Me, my freaky, 'weirdo' powers, and all?”

“Look, for somebody who seems to think they know everything, you've got me all wrong. You can try whatever you like, but I'm not about to turn it into a big battle. At the end of the day, I just want Courage to be happy. If it turns out that there's somebody he wants to be with, I'd...want him to be happy with them. It's not my place to interfere, especially not over a few...misplaced emotions.”

The girl dog's smile faded. “Man, you can really be dour sometimes...” She said, and then quietly amended it with, “...most of the time.”

Just like that she was all up in his face again.

“I want to help you get Courage back.” She announced, wagging a finger in front of his face. “But, only under one condition, that you be open and honest with him about how you feel once you two are together again.”

“What? No!” He cried out. All flustered, he tried to look away. “T-there's nothing to be honest about!”

She had him by the shoulders, so even though he was sinking down further and further, practically turning into mush, she wasn't exactly letting him escape.

....As if there was anywhere to escape to.

“Remember all that stuff I said about you being insecure way back when? Well, stop being insecure for once and just tell him how you feel!”

“I-I am not insecure!” He argued. “I'm just...being realistic.”

The look of frustration she gave him could have burned a hole through the wall and given them an escape route....

“B-besides,” He tried to reason. “Even if we managed to escape this place, it would take a miracle to rescue Courage from the SCC's clutches. So much time has passed. They've probably moved him somewhere we'd never be able to get into now...”  
  


She wasn't having it.

“...You think he deserves someone better, don't you?”

“Augh! Just lay off of it already!” He desperately yelled, having nearly melted as flat as a pancake at this point.

Still clutching his shoulders, she began to shake him. “You are stuck in this box with me and we've got all of the time in the world to work through all of your insecurities! I am way too invested in Courage's well being for you to keep bungling this! If you don't tell him the truth, you're both going to end up miserable, so stop being in a constant state of denial and just owe up to the way you feel about him! Just because....you think....he'd be happier...with someone else....doesn't mean...he feels...the same...way! You've...never...even...asked him!”

...Computer was pretty sure that he just had his spine shaken into multiple pieces, but of course, he was more mushiness than dog right now, so maybe that wasn't too much of a problem.

In a very small voice, he managed to say, “I think I want to go back to all of the horror and darkness now, please...”

The girl dog's eyes practically lit up with frustration. Was it just his imagination, or did there seem to be some sort of demonic energy about her when annoyed like this?

End Of Chapter

A/N: I figured this bleak arc needed just a small amount of humor to lighten things up a bit. We'll be back to your regularly scheduled darkness by the next chapter...and Computer will be grateful for it. Who would have thought that Girl Doggo would end up being a supportive third wheel LOL. This is very much a chapter that I thought wasn't going to be particularly special going into it, but it quickly became one of my personal favorites. Girl Doggo has a very different dynamic with Computer compared to Courage that I particularly love, plus she's meant to be someone who is wearing a lot of masks to hide her true nature and because of that her personality can shift around a lot, even within the same scene. She's just fun to write. And Computer is finally getting some goddamn therapy...in the worst way possible. LUL


	93. The Lowest Of The Low

Chapter 93: The Lowest Of The Low

Computer's salvation came in the form of a heavy clunk from the lock on the other side of the door.

The girl dog was suddenly all business again. With her paws on his shoulders and her expression serious, she said, “Listen, there are several of us who are working on a plan to shut this place down for good. Keep that in mind, no matter how bad things get.”

The deafening screech of the door being opened returned.

“Let me help.” Computer tried to say over the noise.

She shook her head. “No offense, but you're a bit of a walking disaster. Let us handle this. Just keep your head down for now. Don't do anything stupid and you may yet survive this unscathed. Just remember, I'm going to get you back to Courage, so don't lose hope.”

Once the door was fully opened, light from the hallway flooded in, nearly blinding Computer. Looking more like a shadow than a dog, one of Charon's thugs stepped into the small space.

Knowing that he was about to be swept away again to someplace unknown, Computer quickly asked the girl dog, “What's going to happen to Spot?”

“I'll make sure he stays safe. You just need to worry about yourself. Go along with anything they want...or else. I don't want to be the one who has to treat you if they decide to beat you within an inch of your life.”

A paw surrounded Computer and yanked him up into the air. The girl dog was left behind and he was taken away.

“Charon's gonna need her. You ain't so lucky.” The thug mocked.

It was exactly as the girl dog had told him. He was not taken back to that luxurious part of the warehouse, instead he was moved much deeper inside this maze of nightmares. Things were getting more and more rundown and dirty the farther in they went. Even the lighting seemed to be growing dimmer thanks to old and burnt out lights.

The dog brought him to a fairly large room that was stacked with cages of all shapes and sizes. There were dogs in nearly every single one of them. Most were regular sized dogs, but a few were as tall as any human and kept in human sized cages to boot. None of them looked healthy. In fact, most were more bone than flesh.

Computer was tossed into a cage so small that he couldn't even sit without having to be hunched over. There was no food or water, and several cages were stacked on top of his as well as both on his left and right side.

The thug locked his cage door and left without another word. The only sounds around him were soft moans of pain and sobbing, but even those sounds were strangely muted. He would later find out that it was because the guards of this place _happily_ punished anyone who made 'too much noise', which was often even the slightest sound at all.

He remained hunched over in that cage for the rest of the day. Nobody so much as looked at him. Not the guards or captives. It was like he had become nothing. Not even a cog in the machine.

It was hard to figure out the passage of time while trapped in there, but as that day rolled into the next, he managed to get a general sense for when things happened and used that to mark the days. During what he assumed was morning, once per day they were all let out of their cages individually. When it was your turn to be let out, the guards would slap a leash around your neck and have you walk the length of the room and back. What would have been an odd but welcomed activity after being hunched over in a cage for hours at a time quickly turned into a humiliating experience thanks to the many guards who would make a game out of it, jeering and throwing things at their prisoners.

You were yanked along if you walked too slow, and kicked and prodded if you moved too fast. Sometimes a few of the guards would follow along, mocking you as you went, getting up in your face, laughing, threatening, spitting. In the end, Computer just tuned it all out, and it was the right lesson to learn too, because as he quickly found out, anything, literally _anything_ could earn you a beating in this place.

Along with their morning walk, each dog was taken over to a bucket that they were meant to do their business in. Anyone who could not hold it until then and made a mess in their cage was left to wallow in it. The guards never cleaned anything. Needless to say, the smell in this place was as palatable as the constant misery and suffering that hung thick in the air like a ghostly entity.

A few hours after the morning routine, at what Computer decided to consider noon, the guard dogs would come around again with food. Needless to say, what they were given could barely qualify as food. It was almost always so moldy or rotten that it was impossible to identify what it had once been. No matter how bad it was though, Computer ate what he was given. He only needed to see what happened to those who didn't once to understand the danger of refusing the rotten food. Some dogs intentionally tried to starve themselves or were too sick to eat, and in every case, if they still had food laying in their cage by the time the feedings were done, a guard would drag them out and then all of the guards would get together to beat that dog bloody. The first time Computer witnessed it, the dog did not survive the attack. Its emancipated corpse was left lying there on the floor as a warning to the rest of them for an entire day before it was finally removed.

Meals were not the only time when beatings went down. The guards seemed to find any excuse to torment their captives and sometimes would pick a dog to be dragged out and abused for no other reason than for their own amusement. Any minor infraction could draw their wrath, or even nothing at all. Sometimes a guard would simply decide that they didn't like the look on your face and have you tossed into the middle of the room to be beaten down. Every captive had to face the inevitability of it. Eventually a guard would decide that it was your turn and that was that. No mercy was shown.

Computer was quick to realize that it was coming down to pure luck that he had not been picked yet, and worst of all, he did not know how long that luck would hold out. As much as he hated to admit it, the thought of being chosen terrified him into near complete silence and complacency. He hated himself for it. He hated being such a coward, but every new beating only solidified the fear he felt. Worst still, he knew that he was willingly falling for their tactics. This fear was exactly what those guards were trying to foster within all of them, and he was not strong enough to defy it. Maybe Courage would have been able to overcome his fear and find a way to act, but Computer just did not have it in him. He knew what it was like to be in immense, inescapable pain. He knew exactly what it was like to be violated and abused over and over again, but that experience did not necessarily make him stronger or brave enough to willingly subject himself to such pain again. By the time he witnessed the second death due to the vicious beatings by the guards, nearly all of the defiance he'd once had left him entirely.

Like it or not, the girl dog was his only hope now.

Slowly but surely, the days began to melt into one another. Not having anything to do in that cage didn't particularly bother Computer as much as it probably should have. He was already used to long bouts of downtime with nothing to do. It came with the territory of being a machine who was normally stuck in one place, where he could be left conscious for months at a time, where even having the whole of the internet at his beck and call could get boring. It was being fully aware of the suffering going on all around him that made it so much harder to endure now. Maybe in the old days he would have been able to ignore it, but that just wasn't who he was now. It made him curse his cowardice even more.

He never would have thought that he would miss being an immobile machine, because at least his real body never started to ache from the lack of movement like this dog body was. The morning walk was becoming harder and harder to complete when his limbs were so stiff and painful that he could barely even crawl out of his cage. Now he was just barely managing to avoid the full wrath of the guards, and it seemed that at least one of them had figured out that he had avoided being beaten so far and was now gleefully dangling that fact over his head every morning. He began to dread the brief freedom he was given in the morning even more than the hours he spent cramped and aching in that cage.

He also never would have thought that he would start to hate having happy dreams just as much as he once loathed his ubiquitous nightmares. They became their own kind of torture when they were, well, always about him _not being_ _here_. He would dream about being on the outside again, of being reunited with Courage, of seeing Nina again, the other puppies, of being able to move freely, of food that was not covered in mold, and even of coffee. His sleep became as painful as the waking world and yet that was the only reprieve he had.

Two weeks into his new existence as one of the 'breeding stock', he was drawn out of halfhearted sleep by a loud commotion beside his cage. He shifted around, his stiff body protesting the movement, and pressed his muzzle up against the wire frame bars to get a better look.

A guard was clattering a metal baton up against one of the cages, intentionally creating as much of a racket as possible as he leered mockingly down at the captive inside.

“Today's the day!” He announced. “You get to meet one of Charon's best! Heard he was _hungry_ to meet you.” The guard roughly unlocked the cage and used his baton to swing the door open. “Hurry, hurry! Don't want to be late for this date!” He mocked.

Out crawled a brown dog. Her eyes were sunken and dull and she looked at nothing as the guard forced her to her feet.

“Fifteen years I've had to look at your ugly mug.” He grumbled, prodding her with his baton.

When she did not react, he spat down at her.

Even after two weeks of this hell, two weeks of watching tragedy after tragedy play out, two weeks of feeling helpless, two weeks of being unable to stop the suffering that was going on all around him, and even after two weeks of knowing that he was just barely avoiding being 'punished', something about the scene playing out before Computer was just too much to bear. He had to do something. He had to at least try.

“Hey!” He called out through the bars of his prison. It was almost a shock to hear his own voice, slightly hoarse from the lack of use. He could not even remember the last time he had spoken since ending up in this cage.

The guard turned toward him, looking shocked that anyone, much less him of all dogs, was speaking up.

“So you can talk.” He grunted. “Thought it was odd that you were such a quiet one with how Charon and that girl described you. I've got my orders not to rough you up too badly, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to try my patience, mutt. You may be premium stock, but that doesn't mean we aren't allowed to break a few fingers if we need to keep you in line.”

Computer ignored the threat and said,“I, uh, erm. I want her...”

He felt disgusted to even have those words leave his mouth, but if there was any chance that he could delay that dog's meeting with...

The guard threw his head back and laughed a deep, booming laugh. “You're joking, right? This crusty, old bitch is barren. She's only good for a light snack now.”

Computer grimaced. “Well, I want her, and Charon said I'm allowed to pick whomever I want, whenever I want. So, you either let me have her or you can bother your master about it, who I'm sure would not be happy to have to reiterate to you what should already be obvious.”

The guard shrugged. “Alright, alright! If you want this worthless old ghoul, go ahead. Can't account for your tastes though.”

It took every last bit of will Computer had not to show the rage he felt as the guard unlocked his cage. He contented himself by imagining what he would do to that guard if his power had been available. He could see empty cages smashing into that callous monster over and over again until he was nothing more than a fine paste. Such a person deserved no better fate after having helped beat several of the captives to death.

Once Computer was out, the guard called over a different one and had both captives escorted to that same hallway with the locked doors.

The moment the door was shut and they were locked inside, Computer turned to the brown dog and said, “Listen, I want to help get you out of here, but I don't know what we could do. You've been here for far longer than I have so if you know of any way I could help you escape, just tell me. There's got to be something I can do. I just-” He trailed off.

It was slowly dawning on him just how remote his chances of getting this unfortunate dog out of here really was. They were stuck in this sealed off room with no means of escape, and outside of here, they were always stuck in cages and surrounded by dogs who were more than willing to beat, if not outright kill them if they tried to escape. Even if he somehow got her past the guard who had brought them here, he had seen first hand how many patrols there were and each one had lethal weapons they could use. If they somehow managed to get past one guard, it would not be long before another caught them...or open fired.

The brown dog simply continued to look onward, not really seeing anything or acknowledging Computer's presence. It was like he was talking to a walking corpse.

Dismayed, he so desperately did not want to give up on her. His voice seemed to fail him though as he continued talking, “T-there must be some way. If you can think of any sort of way I could get you out of here, just...”

The smallest spark of life seemed to ignite within her and she looked him in the eyes. Just like that, he was regretting everything. He recognized what was being expressed within those eyes all too well. The sight of it had him reeling.

It wasn't what was there that bothered him, no, it was what _wasn't_ there that disturbed him so deeply. There was _nothing_ in her eyes. No life at all. She was someone who had given up a long time ago. So utterly broken that there was nothing left. No hope. It was like everything she had once been had been...scooped out and destroyed. She was functionally dead and yet still breathing. In her eyes was the look of someone who was simply...waiting for her body to catch up with the rest of her. Rotting from the inside out.

And Computer knew the plight of this...this _corpse_ all too well. With that single look he knew the full extent of it all. That there was nothing, nothing, _nothing_ he could do for her, and any hope he might have had to bring her back from the brink like he had once managed was simply unachievable in this place where there was no genuine hope to be found. In that single look, he saw himself, knowing full well that it _was_ possible to claw your way back out of that pit, but this horrid place would never let that happen, and it was threatening to crush him all over again too. Like her, he would sink back to that place of absolute despair and hopelessness. Through her he could see himself and that everything he had gained was slowly slipping away again. This place was draining him as viciously as any of His programs. If he could not escape soon, he would end up in the same place as this dog...just like before.

He...he did not want to go back to being a living corpse, even if the damage 'He' had done really had technically made him exactly that. He had overcome such a harsh reality though, with Courage's help, and found something akin to life again. But Courage was gone now. If he could not bring this poor dog back from the brink, much less save her from the jaws of one of Charon's monsters, what hope did he possibly have to save himself?

He barely even noticed when the guard returned to take them back to their cages. That dog's dead eyes haunted him long after they were gone. He was left alone in his cage with his troubled thoughts for a very long time. When he finally managed to get some meager amount of sleep after hours of being lost in his own head, he woke up later to find the brown dog's cage empty.

She was gone. They had taken her away while he slept.

….By the end of the fourth week, or at least what he assumed was the fourth week since he had stopped keeping track of time by then, he had largely given up any hope that he was ever going to escape this place. The girl dog's plan must have fallen through at some point and that was why she had left him here to languish. He'd seen nothing of her since their time in that box of a room, and surely if her escape plan had been discovered by one of Charon's thugs she would have been 'disposed of' by now. Maybe that was why she had disappeared. Spot was probably gone now too. Eaten by one of those feral beasts with nobody there to help him survive.

The thought of it was too much to bear. The reality of the situation was one that Computer was finding himself struggling with more and more. It was all just...too much.

This really was it. He was never getting out.

It was only the fear of what would happen to him if he did not that kept him doing what little upkeep of his dog body that the guards allowed. When they were not forcing the daily routine on him, he just lay there in his cage, aching all over and barely thinking at all. It was best not to think too much. He did not want to consider what was going to happen once they figured out that he had not been 'doing his job', and he wanted to think even less of what was going to happen once they realized that his glow was not exactly a genetic trait. Until the worst was forced upon him though, he was doing his best not to think about anything at all. To do otherwise only made miss all of the things that were gone.

...All the things that were never coming back.

To acknowledge that he had likely spent an entire month trapped within this cage was already too painful to consider, but sometimes those unwanted thoughts would worm their way into his head anyway and he'd begin to wonder just how many more months he was going to be stuck like this. At the very least, they'd get rid of him once the truth was discovered, so he would not be stuck here as long as most, and even then, he still had his failing system. He did not know when it would start to give out again thanks to Courage's work, but it would eventually start failing again regardless of the fortifications. He had a timer ticking down that would get him out of this nightmare no matter what Charon decided to do with him. It was the one assurance he still had.

...A few hours after the noontime meal, the sound of something striking Computer's cage startled him out of a dreamless, half-sleep stupor. He slowly raised his head to see that there were the legs of a guard standing before him. A baton struck the cage again and the guard leaned down to look at him.

“Wake up, mutt. It's time to earn your keep.” He growled, unlocking the cage and swinging the door open. “Charon's decided to pair you up with this ugly excuse for a dog today.”

The guard stepped aside, and by doing so, it revealed a nervous looking dog who had been standing behind him the entire time.

She looked just like-

Computer almost couldn't believe it. The resemblance was uncanny. Part of him wondered if he was just seeing things, that it was just this place getting to him, and yet-

He had never been so eager to be put back into one of those horrible rooms. It appeared that the brown dog had inadvertently saved him instead, because it seemed that since he had shown some willingness to 'do his job', the guards assumed he was going to do the same with this dog without the need for them to keep watch. The second the door was shut and locked, he nearly knocked the dog off her feet when he grabbed her shoulders.

He didn't mince words. “D-did you have a daughter on the outside before you were captured and brought here?” There was no hiding the urgency in his hoarse voice.

The dog's eyes widened and suddenly she was the one with all of the eager urgency. “Lily? Did you see Lily out there? Was her father still with her?”

It suddenly fell on Computer to give her the bad news. He explained everything that he could to her and that, at the very least, the little girl pup whose name was apparently Lily, was still alive and well even if her father had not made it.

“I can hardly believe it.” He admitted to her. “After everything Spot said, I just sort of assumed you were dead, and yet here you are. Charon...hasn't won yet.”

He was beginning to regret having let himself feel like Charon had done exactly that. The truth was right there in front of his face though. He was still just as alive as Lily's mom, and as long as he was still breathing, there was a chance of escaping this hell. He should have never lost hope in the first place and let Charon have the last laugh.

Lily's mom just seemed to be intensely relieved by the news he had brought her. “As long as Lily is safe....” She breathed. “I-I've been so worried.”

But then it hit her all at once.

“...Her father though. Oh...oh, no.” The weight of it seemed to bring her down. She dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes.

“I'm sorry.” Computer muttered out, placing a paw onto her back, knowing that it wouldn't help. He despised the fact that even without Charon making life miserable for everyone, the life of a stray was still a deadly one.

“I-” He started. “We need to get out of here. Those supplies I left for the puppies aren't going to last forever. We need to get you back to your kid. I'm not sure if Spot is still alive at this point, but if he is, we need to get him out of here too.”

“Don't...don't be silly.” She gently replied, smiling sadly. “There is no escape, not for us. You've seen what happens day in and day out. Think of what they'd do to anyone who tries to escape. We can't get out of here, and even if we did, Charon would just hunt us down to make an example out of us. He might even go after Lilly and the other puppies too. We...we can't let him hurt them.”

Computer might have agreed with her not even an hour ago, but with her unexpected appearance he had never been more determined to get out of this place. He was going to give Lily her mom back, even if it killed him. This was the hope he had so desperately needed, the reason to fight impossible odds and put himself on the line. For Lily's sake, he would do what didn't seem possible.

He had not been able to save the brown dog, who had died long before he even met her, but now he had a reason once again to strive against the darkness attempting to pull him back down into that pit. He would not fail again.

“I'm going to find a way.” He assured her. “I won't let Charon win.”

He decided that he was going to have to figure out what had become of the girl dog. If she was still alive, and if he was still allowed to pick any dog he wanted, perhaps he'd be able to get her back into one of these rooms and find out what was going on with her possibly failed plan. If anything, she seemed to have a certain level of freedom to move about the warehouse that he lacked, so if she was still alive, she would be invaluable in their escape.

….............

Every square inch of him hurt. It was that unceasing ache that kept him anchored to the world. His body was weighed down by an tiredness so great that he felt like he could fall through the earth and just keep going.

When he opened his eyes, the world was blurry, blinding light. A shadowed silhouette filled his vision. He could feel light pressure from the figure clasping his paw.

' _Computer?'_ He tried to say, but his mouth would not move.

Even though the shadow was in the shape of a dog, when a voice spoke, it was most definitely not Computer's voice.

“You're really good at making things hard for me, did you know that?” The voice said in a joking tone.

A shock went through him.

_'You...'_ He tried to say, but his mouth still refused to move. The weight of the world was holding him down and not even his jaw would open or close.

He felt himself slipping away again. He was just so tired...

He heard voices yelling. The unmistakable sound of a monitor flat lining. He saw himself as he floated above his own body. She was there the entire time. He could no longer see her, but he knew that she was there.

She promised him that she would keep him there even though his time had come and it was going against nature itself to do so.

His consciousness faded out, and for a long time he was nothingness itself.

When he woke again, that same aching pain was there, but he was a little less tired. He opened his eyes to a white ceiling. He could hear the soft buzz of the overhead lights and the steady beep of the monitor. When he tried to move his arms and legs under the covers of the bed he was in, he realized that he was attached to a great deal of monitoring wires and IV tubes. Desperate to get out of bed, he began pulling them free one by one.

The steady beeping of the monitor flat lined when he pulled the connecting wire free of his body. Without really knowing why, he understood that there was some sort of urgency to all of this and that he needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

_Computer?_ Where was Computer?

The only way he would not be here right now was if something was physically keeping him from being here. Perhaps that was why Courage understood on some subconscious level that the situation was dire and that he needed to get out of here before the steady drone from that monitor brought people in here.

He slipped out of the bed, but when his feet touch the floor, his knees immediately gave out. He began dragging himself toward the window, but even his arm muscles had atrophied to an extent. It was exhausting, difficult work, but he knew that he had to escape and that time was running out.

Where was Computer? The thought kept repeating itself over and over again in his mind, and with it, another thought stuck him. How much time had passed while he had been stuck in that bed? He felt like he had been out for ages. How long had it been since-

Then it hit him that he could not remember how he had gotten here in the first place. He remembered Computer taking down the cat gang and then both of them fleeing from the SCC, but after that...

The door to his room slammed open, causing him to flinch. Several doctors and a man dressed in an SCC uniform rushed inside.

The doctors immediately put an end to his hopeless escape attempt, with one of them picking him up and placing him back onto the bed where they all began checking him over. The SCC person, who remained near the doorway, pulled out a phone.

“Miss Astor? He's awake.”

The man was silent for a moment as he listened and then he nodded to the doctors.

“Get something ready to transport the dog in. Elizabeth Astor wants to speak with him in person.”

End Of Chapter


	94. Short Story – A Much Needed Vacation (AKA: The Vacation Computer Will Never Get)

A/N: Well, I'll explain the small detour you're seeing here. The next chapter is one that I'm trying to be careful with and take my time on before deciding to publish it. There's a lot of info in it that I need to make sure is exactly as I need it to be. It's a pretty pivotal chapter for setting up certain parts of the last half of this arc and I need to make sure that I don't mess it up or forget to add something.

...Unlike the last chapter. Because I'm a big ol' dumb, I completely forgot to add a scene to the last chapter and I literally did not notice that I never wrote it out until like two hours after I publishing the damn thing. There's only one other time where I forgot to add a scene, and in a bit of irony I can no longer remember what it was other than I managed to incorporate it somewhere else later on without any issues. This time, the scene can't really be moved somewhere else. It was mostly just Computer's siblings going in and trying to get to him while he's at his lowest, promising that together they will completely destroy Charon's operation and everyone involved, and Computer's finally so hopeless and desperate that he begins to seriously consider it. Until he, of course, realizes that, y'know, they'd just go on to kill everyone, including the dogs who are innocent. It was meant to show that they are succeeding at whittling away at Computer's stubborn refusals to join them. They are slowly but surely getting to him aaaand that could have dire consciences going forward. I considered going back and adding it to the chapter, but I figured that if I even needed to consider if it's worth adding or not then it probably isn't essential enough to add in the first place. While I want it to to be shown that they are actually starting to get to him, I wonder if it's already been shown well enough in other scenes from other chapters. I hope I'm making the right call in just leaving it cut, but hey, if it doesn't work out, nothing is stopping me from eventually going back and revising the chapter with that missing scene at some point.

So that brings us to this...thing. I'm not even sure if it can be called a short story. It's a concept I've had on my mind lately and I've been slowly writing bits of it out while stuck on certain parts of the new chapter. It's the usual non-canon AU thing I've got going on for the majority of these ATE side stories. It gave me a chance to write Nina again for like five seconds, and it's nice to write an unambiguously wholesome, slice-of-life story like this after the unrelenting grimness of the last couple of chapters. Besides, the only thing ATE hasn't done at this point is a beach episode so I figured I'd go for it LOL. I wasn't planning on publishing this initially because I didn't think it was good enough to be worth posting, but eventually I figured maybe at least one person might enjoy it, so what the heck. It's unfinished, I'm not sure if I will ever finish it, and I'm not even sure where I want to go with it. I partly want it to go in the usual direction of supernatural shenanigans and I've got a couple of ideas for what could happen, but I could also keep playing the whole vacation angle straight and not have it turn into the usual theme of Computer's day constantly being in a state of ruin LOL.

Also, happy 9 year anniversary to this monster! Some day all things will actually end! I promise! LOL

Chapter 94: Short Story – A Much Needed Vacation (AKA: The Vacation Computer Will Never Get)

“We're here!” Courage cheered, jumping out of Eustace's truck like an excited puppy.

He was already dressed in one of those old time-y, full body swimsuits, stripes and all. With his feet touching sand, he looked upon the ocean with a big grin on his face and his ears flapping in the salty breeze. Nothing felt better than to be out of the truck after their nearly two day long road trip from Kansas to Florida.

“Ah, smell that ocean air!” Muriel trilled, climbing out after him. “It's been so long since I've been to the beach. I almost forgot how nice it is to hear the sound of the waves.”

“Blah, blah, blah! Who cares about the beach!” Eustace yelled. He was still sitting inside the truck with a brochure splayed out on the dashboard. “This here coastal town is supposed to have the best hotdog stand in the world, and I didn't drive all the way here to miss out!”

“Oh, Eustace. We only just ate a few hours ago. If you go and stuff your face full of hotdogs now, you'll only get stomach cramps later when you go swimming.”

“I want my dang hotdog!” Eustace argued back.

Courage tuned out their argument when another car pulled up beside them.

It had only been a few months before when Muriel decided that it was time for a new family vacation. Plans had soon been made, and somehow she had managed to get, well...

The front doors of the car opened and out stepped Nina and her dad. Her eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the ocean.

“Woah! It really does look like it goes on forever!” She exclaimed.

She had made it known multiple times before their trip that she had never been to the ocean before.

“I told you it would blow your mind.” Her dad teased. He opened the trunk and brought out a cooler along with several other beach-going items. “Okay, that should do it.” He muttered out. “Well, I'm going to get us checked in at the hotel. Go have some fun with your friends and I'll be back in a little while.”

Speaking of friends, Courage blinked and asked, “Where is-”

Nina laughed. “Don't worry, we didn't leave him behind at that last pit stop. He's just...being himself.”

She opened one of the back doors of the car and there was Computer, still strapped in and with coffee cup in paw.

“What?” He asked, taking a sip.

“Do you not see the ocean? We're here!” Nina excitedly exclaimed.

“Yay, I guess.” Computer replied, utterly unenthusiastic.

“Did you survive the trip?” Courage pipped in, grinning. The only thing that had kept Computer from traveling with him was the lack of seats in the truck.

“Don't act like you haven't seen me since we first set out.” Computer dismissed, taking another drink of his coffee. “We all stopped at the same places for food and fuel, and we all shared the same motel last night too. I literally saw you less than an-”

Courage grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of the car, nearly sending his coffee flying.

“H-hey, I didn't say anything about being apart of this whole ocean business! That's...a lot of water to drown in. I'm still not even sure how you managed to convince me to go on this trip in the first place, and swimming was certainly not apart of the bargain!”

“Bargain?” Nina asked. “Courage, what the heck did you offer him to get him to come with us?”

“H-he didn't offer me anything!” Computer quickly interjected, suddenly frazzled. The coffee cup in his paw nearly slipped out of his grip.

Courage couldn't help but laugh and Nina only looked even more amused.

“I mean, he's pretty much right.” Courage affirmed. “It wasn't a bargain. I mostly just kept telling him how lonely I'd be if he didn't come along, and that, well-” He nearly choked up with laughter while Computer looked away, red faced. “he'd miss out on that whole cliche, 'romantic' walk across the beach at sunset thing.”

Nina burst out laughing while Courage kindheartedly patted Computer on the back, who in turn had slapped a paw to his red face.

“I never said anything about going near the ocean or walking on beaches anywhere close to it!” He tried to defend himself.

“Hey, come on now!” Nina interjected. “Remember what we talked about in the car? Going on a vacation is all about relaxing and not stressing yourself out over every little thing. I know it's a bit of a foreign concept to you, but try to relax! You know, loosen up a little bit.”

In spite of Computer's frustrated glaring, he lowered his shoulders somewhat.

“You gotta relax way harder than that!”

Computer hunched his back slightly.

“You barely look relaxed at all!” She exclaimed, shaking her head. “Man, you really don't know how to not be so tense all of the time, huh? Maybe a romantic 'walk-on-the-beach-at-sunset' with Courage really would help after all.”

Computer, who had been dismissively trying to take a drink of his coffee, choked.

“You see?” Nina sighed as he sputtered without a single hint of relaxation.

Courage laughed and draped an arm across Computer's shoulders. “You're doing fine.” He assured him with a warm smile.

...He then used his grip on Computer to push him out further onto the beach, ignoring his protests the entire way. Muriel and Eustace were already out there setting up several beach umbrellas and chairs, all while they continued to argue about when would be the best time to eat hotdogs. Nina dragged the cooler over there along with the rest of the things her father had left behind.

“I'll be taking this.” Computer said, grabbing a pair of sunglasses off the cooler and, well, placing them over his normal glasses without a second thought. He then went over to one of the chairs and flopped backwards into it.

“This is about as close to the ocean as I'd like to get. Now I'm going to take a vacation long nap, if you don't mind.”

Nina picked up a package and waved it in front of his muzzle. “My dad bought you this since you wouldn't shut up about drowning the entire way here.”

Computer lowered his sunglasses and squinted. The package contained a pair of inflatable, kid sized water wings.

“You know what? I think I'd rather drown after all.” He said, putting his sunglasses back into place.

Muriel shuffled up to them. “Eustace just will not give up on his hotdogs.” She sighed, shaking her head. “We're going to go down there now, and heaven help that man if he decides to swim afterwords. Courage, do you want to stay out here with your friends while I'm gone?”

He nodded eagerly.

“Okay then. We'll be back in a little while, dear.”

She patted him on the head and then turned toward Eustace who was glowering further down the beach. His hotdog stand could be seen even further down.

“So why exactly am I here, narrowly avoiding death by ocean, instead of going with them to get one of those supposedly 'greatest hotdogs in the world'?” Computer asked.

Nina grinned. “Because I need to figure out a way to get you into these water wings before this vacation is over with.”

Computer shrugged, unconcerned. “Good luck.”

Crossing her arms, Nina gave him a scolding look. “You're not seriously going to sleep through this entire vacation, are you? You can already sleep as much as you want back in Nowhere! You're supposed to be having fun, not going into a coma!”

“I'm having plenty of fun laying here, thank you very much. I'm aiming to get a tan.”

Nina stared. “Can a bright, blue dog even get a tan?”

“Well, we are trying to get him to relax.” Courage spoke up. “And if he wants to just lay here and sleep, I guess I can't fault him if that's his idea of a vacation. But,” His ears drooped a little. “are you sure you don't want to do anything with us, like look for sea shells? Or-”

“Or search for buried treasure since you're already practically your own metal detector!” Nina interrupted.

“I'm good.” He answered, already half asleep.

“Aww, come on! You're going to make Courage sad!” Nina tried to convince him. “How is he supposed to enjoy a vacation like this without his Compute?”

Computer opened his mouth to argue, but one look at Courage's dismayed expression quickly changed his tune.

“Okay, okay! I'll find you as much buried treasure as you want, but later! For now I just want to lay here and pretend I'm not a few steps away from the infinite pool of salt water that wants to drown me!”

“...You wouldn't have to worry about that if you just wore your water wings.” Nina slyly replied.

Courage shook his head. “Let 'em be. We'll have fun without him. How about we build some sandcastles? We gotta protect Compute from the ocean after all.”

Nina perked up instantly. “Only if we make a life sized one! Let's go!” She turned to Computer one last time and hissed, “I hope you dream of Poseidon!” and hopped away with all of the energy of a ferret.

Courage grabbed the plastic buckets and shovels that had been left for them and joined her where the waves were just barely washing up onto the beach.

Her tail floofed up as she let out a gasp of excitement. “Is that a shark tooth?” She exclaimed, pointing toward a sharp looking protrusion sticking out of the sand where the waves were meeting dry beach.

She dove for it, laughing gleefully when it did indeed turn out to be one.

“I have the fang of a bloodthirsty killer!” She declared, just before a particularly large wave washed up onto the beach and submerged her face. She did not lose the tooth, thankfully. Coughing and sputtering, she got back onto her feet. “Maybe Computer's got the right idea about the ocean.” She grumbled, pocketing the tooth and wringing out her ears. “Bleah! The water that got in my mouth tastes gross too!”

Courage laughed. “Don't go getting an irrational fear of water too!”

He dug one of the shovels into the wet sand as Nina looked on eagerly. They had just broken ground for the first of many castles that wound dot their sandy kingdom.

All of a sudden Computer's voice rang out across the beach. “Oi! Children!” He was sitting up in his seat, sunglasses resting atop his forehead as he glared at them. “I know about that whole cliche where someone goes to sleep on the beach and wakes up buried under a bunch of sand because their idiot friends thought it would be funny! While I'm certainly not saying you two are a bunch of friend burying idiots, if you were, I would be very...cross.”

He pointed two fingers to his eyes and then to them before dropping his sunglasses back down onto his muzzle and laying back down again.

Waiting a few moments until after Computer's warning, Courage and Nina slowly looked toward each other with big grins on their faces...

“He shouldn't have brought it up.” Courage whispered, fighting back laughter.

“The life sized sandcastle is going to have to wait.” Nina agreed, pressing her paws to her face to keep her laughter quiet.

End Of...Thing

A/N: Plot twist: The coastal city they stopped at is actually Beach City and the next part turns into a random Steven Universe crossover LOL. (Even if I wasn't joking, it would still be a better crossover than that goddamn Uncle Grandpa episode) The only scene that 100% would happen is Computer and Lapis trying to out-depression one another to see who has been through the worst trauma LOL. The greatest rap battle the world will never see LUL. Fuck it, I declare that it is canon that this non-canon story to a non-canon fanfic takes place in Beach City, but because none of the Courage characters know the SU ones, they never interact even if they cross paths LOL.


	95. An Uneasy Recovery

Chapter 95: An Uneasy Recovery

Courage was surprised by the courtesy he was being shown from the usually rough, quick-to-act, and all business SCC. He had been placed into a wheelchair and taken down to the hospital's cafeteria. The doctors were made to do this task for them, but the SCC's presence remained at all times. SCC personnel were stationed at practically every window in the building. Funnily enough, they seemed far less concerned about Courage attempting to escape and more with keeping watch for something that might try to get in from the outside.

Courage was certain that it was Computer they were looking for, and that meant Computer had not been captured while he was comatose. It was a relief to know that he was still out there somewhere, no doubt trying to figure out a way to get to him.

While Courage didn't exactly feel hungry, when a tray of food was placed before him, he found himself devouring it with a ravenous hunger he never realized he'd had. It was lucky that the doctors had thought to bring him only light, easy to digest food, because his stomach very much struggled with the sudden intake of solid food after so long.

Once he was finished, the doctors wheeled him into a physical therapy room to try and get him walking again. They needed to be quick about it though because the SCC were waiting to ship him off to Elizabeth Astor. His legs had become pathetically weak from his time in the hospital bed and it quickly became apparent that this short session just wasn't going to be enough to get him walking properly again. Like it or not, the SCC had him cornered for the time being.

During the therapy, he heard the doctors quietly wonder between themselves if his walking problems were also possibly a result of brain issues as well. They seemed to think that he had lost some of his mental faculties from how many brushes with death he'd had since brought here. Apparently his heart and breathing had stopped several times during his stay and it had taken several minutes to stabilize him in every case.

Of course, they weren't veterinarians and they weren't exactly equipped to handle the recovery of a 'brain damaged' dog, so things weren't exactly going particularly well. They were only doing what the SCC was apparently paying them to do, just like the doctors 'upstairs' who had managed to keep him alive against all odds.

The thing about it though was that Courage was feeling fine, mentally at least. As far as he could tell, his brain seemed to be working like normal. It was just that, as was the case with most humans, even though he could speak just fine, they seemed incapable of understanding him. He could not communicate with them no matter how hard he tried.

Still, the news he gleaned from their gossiping troubled him. Through them he found out that he'd been stuck in that hospital bed for an entire month, which came as a shock to him. His illness had finally progressed to its final stages and the doctors had not been expecting him to survive. Somewhere down the line he had begun to miraculously stabilize regardless, without any lasting damage either. Against all odds, he had pulled through. Until this moment though, he had been blissfully unaware of just how long he had been fighting to stay in this world.

With that in mind, his thoughts turned to Computer. Where was he? How could an entire month have gone by without him trying to get inside this hospital at least once? He must have realized that there was no way he would be able to get past the SCC, but even then, if Courage knew one thing, it was that Computer was not exactly one to be cautious when it came to a situation as dire as this. The only way he would not have tried to mount some sort of rescue was if something had happened to physically stop him from doing so.

That possibility worried Courage more than anything. Nobody was coming to save him then, and who knew what sort of situation Computer was in right now. He could only hope that wherever Computer was, he was at least better off than him. He could not even begin to imagine what the SCC was going to do with him now, especially once this meeting with their leader was over with.

Eventually several SCC guards came for him, and without much fanfare he was wheeled out to the hospital's ambulance garage, now filled with black vans instead. Courage found it surreal to have six armed guards circling him as they made the short walk across the garage to one of the vans. They were scanning the area like nervous mice, as though Computer was suddenly going to swoop down out of some dark corner and sweep Courage away. In spite of his nervousness, Courage smiled at the thought. Computer would have found it thoroughly amusing to know just how spooked he had the SCC.

They loaded Courage up into the van, oversized wheelchair meant for a human and all. His entourage remained with him too. It was downright silly how on edge they were, acting like the van was suddenly going to be attacked and they were all going to have to make use of those guns they were carrying. All this because of Computer and his unusual powers, powers that the SCC didn't even seem to realize that he had lost. Of course, it was entirely possible that Computer had regained them over the course of the month, but Courage seriously doubted that the hospital would still be in one piece if that were the case. Computer could have rescued him twice over by now if his powers were back.

Yet again Courage found himself fearing for Computer's safety. If the SCC had not caught him, where could he possibly be right now? A million things could have happened to him in a single month and the thought of that mortified Courage to his core. Even if he somehow managed to escape the SCC, would he be able to find out where Computer had gone?

Then, an entirely different possibility entered his mind and it left him with a horrible, sinking feeling.

….Did Computer even know that he was still alive? Is that why there had been no rescue attempt? If Computer thought that he was dead, if he didn't know anything about this hospital, or that they had been working to save Courage's life for an entire month....

Courage was left with nothing but his own troubled thoughts as the van sped off to places unknown. The uncertainty of his own fate did nothing to quell his fears. What could this Elizabeth Astor person even want to speak with him about? It wasn't like he knew where Computer was any more than they did. And what would become of him once they figured out that he wasn't going to be their ticket to figuring out where Computer had gone?

The van's journey came to a surprisingly irrupt end. They had not taken him very far from the hospital, it seemed. It could have only been a couple of blocks, at most. Courage's guards rushed out the back doors to secure the parameter. Only after getting the 'all clear' did the one remaining guard lift Courage and his wheelchair out of the van.

It was only now that Courage was able to get a decent idea of where he was, and the last thing he had expected was to be right in the middle of a major city. The SCC were wheeling him into a large police station, one that they had clearly taken command of at some point. Even the street the building was located on was entirely blocked off.

The lobby of this police station was about as heavily guarded as the hospital, but the reception desk stood strangely empty. If there was any regular police presence left, the SCC must have forced them to relocate elsewhere.

The guard steering Courage's wheelchair pulled out a communication device and simply said, “We've brought the dog.”

There was no response, but the guard didn't seem to even need one.

They came to an elevator and Courage's nervousness only grew as the doors opened up. Like it or not, he was soon going to find out what fate the SCC had in store for him.

Each ding of the elevator as they rose from one floor to the next felt like a death knell to Courage. When the reached their destination, he practically begged the elevator to break down or at least open the doors very slowly. His silent pleas did nothing to delay the inevitable though and seconds later he was being wheeled down a hallway to his final destination.

They came to a stop in front of an office door that looked no different from the rest, other than the fact that it had two guards posted on either side of it. One of them knocked on the door and then opened it. Without exchanging a single word, Courage's guard wheeled him inside.

The office room didn't look much different from a normal office either, aside from all the paperwork strewn about on a desk and atop several file cabinets.

Standing behind the desk, looking over one of the massive piles of paperwork, was Elizabeth Astor. The only way Courage could describe her was 'skeletal'. Her thin arms seemed more bone than flesh, like there was only a thin layer of skin stretched over muscle-less bone. Her face was sunken and gaunt with sharp cheeks and and a sharp chin. She was so pale that her thin skin almost seemed take on a strange shade of light purple. Her hair was heavily graying and she wore the same black suit that all of the SCC wore. What really caught Courage's attention was her icy, piercing blue eyes. They almost seemed to glow with the way they contrasted her pale skin and dark clothes. From behind a pair of reading glasses, her sharp eyes regarded him with a mixture of disdain and haughty disinterest.

She reached up to remove her glasses.

“Survived then, did you?” She asked, slowly folding the glasses up and placing them down onto the desk.

Courage swallowed. He was not entirely sure if he should answer her or not.

Elizabeth sat down, all while continuing to size Courage up with barely concealed contempt.

“You and your...' _companion'_ have certainly caused me and my organization a great deal of trouble. It is good that we've finally managed to get at least one of you. It's even better that you've managed to survive long enough for you to be here with me now. We have much to discuss. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, we haven't managed to locate the other half of our problem. Well, perhaps we soon will be able to put an end to this expensive farce, with your help, of course. It is very lucky indeed that you've managed to pull through, despite your dire prognosis. Don't be mistaken though. It wasn't all luck. Because we needed to speak with you, and because the situation was looking so dire, we decided to pay for a particularly expensive treatment for the illness you suffer from, with the hope that it would help you with your uphill battle. It wasn't expected to do much with how near death you were, but we decided that it was important to give you any fighting chance we could, and that gamble appears to have paid off. Understand that you are not actually cured of this illness. The treatment only delays the inevitable, and it was attempted very late into your illness' progression. Its effectiveness is highly suspect. Normally it would grant a dog a few more months to live, but I would assume much less in your case.”

Courage's mouth fell open. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. The SCC had tried to save him? It didn't seem possible. Computer had said, what? That you could buy a mansion with the kind of money the treatment costs? And the SCC had happily paid for it. All just for a chance to catch Computer himself.

Speaking of Computer, something about the way Elizabeth talked reminded Courage so much of Computer that it was almost uncanny. It wasn't just the accent, but the inflection in her voice was so similar to the way Computer used to talk back on the farm when answering questions that it was downright eerie.

“Oh, and I can assure you that introductions are not in order.” She continued, grabbing several papers off the top of one of the piles and throwing them down onto the desk for Courage to see.

He couldn't stop himself from wincing. The papers were actually multiple pictures taken of him, Muriel, and Eustace. Some of them seemed to have been taken while they were out shopping, like some paparazzi figure had been stalking them in secret. Others were more worrying. There were pictures taken from outside the farmhouse looking in, and all of them displayed at least one of them going about their daily business.

“As you can see, we already know quite a lot about you, Courage. Loyal guard dog of the Bagge family.” She added that last part with considerable sarcasm. A smirk began to form on her pale face as she continued, “Aside from that, I can assure you that I am very much aware of the fact that you are no, ah, what does that old farmer call you? Oh, yes. That you are no 'stupid dog'. I know that you are intelligent and can speak like any person, so I suggest you don't play dumb with me.”

Courage got the impression that she was taking great amusement in watching the color drain out of his face. Soon he'd be as pale as she was.

Elizabeth interlocked her fingers and leaned back comfortably in her chair. That slightly smug smile never left her face. “I'm sure you have some small understanding by now why exactly we have so very much to discuss.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: She's finally here, after nearly a million years since I first commissioned a picture of her. Although I consider that design a little outdated now since I see her looking a bit different then that nowadays. I consider her to look like something between the design they gave the Team Fortress 2 Announcer for the comics and, hilariously enough, Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. I'll admit that when it comes down to the basic concept level of her characterization, I mostly just wanted to make a character whose personality is preeetty much just 'Computer but girl', only we're talking about Computer before all of his character development, sooo yeah, she's going to be an absolute goddamn disaster for absolutely everyone. LOL


	96. Astor Interrogation

Chapter 96: Astor Interrogation

“Ah, yes. Nowhere.” Elizabeth Astor said, almost fondly, after picking up another picture off the pile. “A great many of my predecessors spent their lives trying to fix, well, whatever is wrong with that enigma of a wasteland. Nowadays we simply let the supernatural forces that exist there run amok without much intervention. We simply make sure that enough people keep living there so that these forces remain occupied and don't expand their influence farther than necessary. That is why we monitor the residents of Nowhere rather closely while also logging any unusual happenings that befall you hapless people.” She placed a boney hand atop the pile of pictures and dryly added, “I'm sure you know exactly why your case file in particular is so large....”

Courage continued to be stunned silent by nearly every word that was coming out of Elizabeth's mouth. He couldn't believe that she seemed to be trying to humor him, of all things.

Elizabeth leaned back into her chair once more, this time with a bored, uncaring look in her eyes. “Nowhere has proved itself to be a valuable asset to us. It naturally attracts all types of unusual beings and it also makes for an appealing place to release some of our less dangerous subjects to save on containment costs. It isn't just regular people that we allow to live in Nowhere, we let lesser supernatural beings exists within its boarders, as well as all sorts of criminals. These types are just as likely to be picked off by the greater forces at work as any normal resident. We, in a sense, do not discriminate. Think of it as us simply letting nature take its course.”

Courage continued his long streak of silence. All he could think about were people like his parents and Nina's mother. Now that he knew that the SCC had been watching the entire time and done nothing to stop his parents from being taken away, or stop Nina's mom from being killed, his dislike of the SCC could not have been greater. To know that they were willingly allowing those shadier elements to run wild in Nowhere, well, they had somehow managed to make themselves out to be even worse than he could have ever imagined.

When it became apparent that he wasn't going to say anything, Elizabeth continued on unabated, “I suppose I am digressing somewhat, but I consider it important that you understand our role within your daily existence. Since you're giving me that ever so unpleasant look, I can only assume that you are perhaps thinking about your parents. Yes, we know about them too. It is a curious thing that they vanished the same day a certain veterinarian, one who was known for sending unauthorized rockets with unknown cargo into space, was doing exactly that. It is equally curious that you and the rest of the Bagge family was also present the day that veterinarian decided to send himself into space. I'm sure you're wondering why we have never interfered in any of the events that have happened throughout your life. Well, that's just our policy. There are far greater threats in this world that require our attention. We don't have the time or funding to care about a bunch of dogs or an elderly couple. We decided to allow Nowhere to exist as it is after several of our own wasted their lives trying to change it. Casualties were an inevitable outcome of this decision, but such things remain within acceptable limits, even to this day.”

There was no denying that Elizabeth and her cold, business-like attitude really was the perfect representation of the SCC and their ways....

“I suppose that leads us into the topic at hand.” She said as she put her glasses back on and turned her attention onto a different pile of papers. She continued to speak as she flipped through them, “Trust me when I say that we did not pursue you without good reason. It takes a lot to bring down the full force of the SCC upon you and you certainly managed to meet the criteria. Of course, you couldn't have known what sort of danger you were in or the catastrophe that you could have helped create. Tell me,” She hesitated for a moment as her icy eyes focused upon him. “Did it tell you anything?”

Courage was finally left with no other choice but to speak up.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“I suppose this was to be expected.” She sighed. “There was no reason for it to tell you the truth about anything, so it didn't.”

Elizabeth once again presented Courage with several pictures. A terrible sinking feeling struck him when he realized what he was looking at.

“We've long had reasons to suspect that one of our creations may have escaped containment.”

The pictures were of 'Mega Muriel The Magnificent'. Of course the SCC would have known about that, given that Computer had intentionally been trying to draw as much attention to himself as possible.

“We were not sure what was going on with this Mega Muriel character. It seemed unfathomable that a potential escapee would so brazenly present itself to the world when it had to have known that we were watching. Unfortunately,” Her expression turned to that of sheer annoyance. “due to extreme incompetence from several of our agents, this Mega Muriel character disappeared before we could catch up with her.”

She went silent for a moment as she picked out a few more pictures.

“We thought that it must have moved on after inhabiting the body of Muriel Bagge. We had little reason to believe that it would remain within the same location after the stunt it pulled. It had to have known that we would check the farmhouse for signs of its presence. But that is where this whole incident becomes even more unusual.”

She threw down yet more pictures. This time they were more of those creepy photos that had been taken outside of the farmhouse looking in. Several seemed to have been taken from outside the kitchen window and each of them focused on a single appliance within the kitchen. Another was that of the TV in the living room, and more distressingly, one was taken from ground level looking up into the attic where Computer could clearly be seen.

“We did indeed follow protocol and scanned the house for it, but nothing turned up. You see, our Constructs are meant to be very easy to track. They give off a unique energy signature that cannot be obscured. Regardless, something seems to have happened to this one and its signature no longer registers in a way that our technology can pick up on. Even now we cannot track it.”

Elizabeth had taken note that Courage's gaze had lingered on the picture of Computer in the attic window a little longer than the others. She placed a long, pale finger onto the photo and pulled it closer.

“We have reasons to believe that it may have been damaged at some point. Only heavy alterations could have caused its signature to change to the point that our trackers can no longer pick up on it. Since it cannot alter itself, outside forces must be the cause. Heavy damage would also explain why it has been acting so erratically and irrationally. It is very likely malfunctioning.”

She considered Courage more closely.

“Has it ever asked you to modify its programming for it?”

“No,” Courage lied. He doubted that he would have been able to explain the truth of it to her in a way that she would understand. Besides, he was more than happy to mislead her in any small way that he could.

“Well, in any case, you need to understand that whatever it has or has not told you, and wherever it has been trying to get you to go, it has been deceiving you every step of the way. That is what it was built for, after all. Even in a damaged state it is clearly still capable of using its many abilities to great effect. Unfortunately, we don't know where it has been or who it has been in contact with. Its programming has likely been altered or damaged intentionally, and that could be very dangerous for all of us. For all we know, an outside party could have tampered with it and we have no way of knowing if its programming has been turned toward malicious purposes. It has already killed multiple people, and you've seen with your own eyes exactly what it is capable of. This is why we need any information you can give us. We need to know where it has been and where it is trying to go. It must be found before it can hurt anyone else. If it was to resurface in this city and wreck havoc, well, the casualties would be immense.”

What could Courage say? Even if he did know where Computer was, he wasn't about to rat him out to this woman. If he tried to explain to her that Computer was not the malicious machine that she seemed to think he was, there was no way she'd believe it. Besides, he wasn’t willing to believe that Computer was deceiving him, not even for a second. If anything, it seemed far more likely that Elizabeth was the one trying to deceive him, or at the very least, mislead him so that he might turn against Computer.

All he could think to do was ask questions and stall her for as long as possible.

“What even is a Construct?” He said as innocently as possible.

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “A weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. A weapon that is very good at creating the illusion of life, yes, but still nothing more than a weapon. They were built with deception in mind and they excel at mimicking human personalities. Why do you think they can take over the minds and bodies of others? We made them to be spies, among their many other uses. They needed to be good at incorporating personality traits into themselves and to be capable of acting as convincing facsimiles of the people they were to control. Well, that was the general concept, but that part of their skill set was never exactly... _perfected_. Obviously the blue glow and the fact that they retain the same voice no matter what body they control limited their spying capabilities. Those were flaws that we were never able to iron out before the project ended. Regardless, their uncanny ability to create a convincing personality remained within their programming throughout the entire duration of the project. You have been mislead by a false personality up until this point. No matter how much it might have tried to convince you that it is a person, that just isn't the case. It was specifically made to manipulate others to achieve its own goals, nothing more than that. You don't even need to feel bad about being manipulated. These Constructs were able to get even the best of us. Back when the project was still ongoing, we had several specialists believe that they befriended the Constructs, and in one case, a worker tried to escape with one of them because they truly believed they were friends with it and that it was in some sort of pain. These manipulative machines have shown time and again the full extent of their capabilities. You must not let the fake personality get the better of you.”

Thinking fast, Courage asked, “What happened to the other Constructs?”

“We thought that they had all been destroyed in an accident that occurred during the final days of the project. Clearly one survived, and it even escaped undetected. I'm not sure how it happened, but it did.”

….So, that meant the SCC did not know about the survival of Computer's 'siblings', if what they were now could even be considered 'surviving'.

Courage continued with his questions. “Are the Constructs your creation?”

That got the first real laugh out of Elizabeth. “Goodness, no! I always believed that it was a terrible idea to give that much power and autonomy to machines that we only have very specific ways of controlling. Unfortunately, it was not my call to make back then, and now I'm stuck dealing with the remnants of this ill-fated project. Once this is all said and done, I'm going to have that renegade Construct dismantled. It should have never been made in the first place and I am more than happy to correct the mistake.” She leaned back in her chair and looked up toward the ceiling. “Complete control over technology and organic bodies...what a terrible idea. It so easily could have gone wrong. Each Construct may have been limited to one body that it can control at a time, and their ability to manipulate machinery was limited to a certain radius that was unique to each Construct, but still...” She shook her head. “We've always had regular A.I. that can accomplish most tasks without the need of introducing autonomy into the mix. There was never any need to create those _things_ when regular A.I. can already be modified to make up for deficiencies in programming. To give machines the ability to think and adapt on their own to such an extent was never going to end well, and to think, we gave them so many other abilities on top of that! Such incompetence! This is one mistake that I am more than happy to be cleaning up.”

Something about that explanation bothered Courage far more than anything else. He could not help but voice exactly what was on his mind, “Constructs aren't just A.I. then? If they're not artificial intelligences built to have specific powers, what are they then?” He stopped for a moment, aware of that ever present sinking feeling in his gut, and then thought to ask, “ _How_ are they even made?”

For once he actually seemed to trip Elizabeth up a little bit. Her eyes narrowed as she brought her clasped hands up closer to her mouth. “That's classified information.” She answered curtly.

Courage didn't buy it for a second. She had been so willing to spill the beans on absolutely everything up to this point. Why would she suddenly consider this line of questioning classified information?

Noticing his skepticism, she answered his silent question. “If you must know, they are 'technically' just A.I., but they are also...something different. No matter the distinction though, they are still just machines that are merely good at pretending to be something they are not. You don't need to know the truth of this matter, so I feel no need to divulge deeper into SCC secrets. I've already given you more than enough classified information to last you your short lifetime.”

Before Courage could ask anything else, Elizabeth stopped him with a bored flick of her hand. “I think I've answered more than enough of your questions. It's time that you've answered a few of mine. When did you first come into contact with this Construct and where has it been trying to go?”

Courage swallowed. He'd have to give her some answers, He did not have to be entirely truthful about it though, as long as he could get away with it. The last thing he wanted was for the SCC to find out about the mountain. If he ever actually managed to escape and find Computer again, the SCC would know exactly where to chase them if he let the truth slip.

“Well, uh-” He stalled. “-he was already there on the farm when Muriel took me in.”

“He?” Elizabeth drawled. “You've humanized the thing, have you? There is no need to let it keep manipulating you with its false personality. Just because these Constructs speak with a male or female voice, that doesn't mean they actually are either of those things. It is a machine, a weapon, first and foremost. Never forget that. Everything else is just part of the illusion.”

Courage winced at her digression but continued on without taking her rant to heart. “He...he's helped me out a lot over the years. That Mega Muriel thing was the only time he ever really did anything wrong to me and my family, and he's regretted it ever since.”

“It has been living in that desktop the entire time, hasn't it?”

Courage hesitated and then nodded. “Look, h-he's not what you think he is. H-he's not a bad guy. He's not out to hurt anyone. Almost every time he's attacked someone, it was out of self-defense, or....or because he was just trying to protect me.”

Elizabeth remained unfazed. “You're the one who has this all turned around. _You're_ the one who doesn't understand _what_ it is. Even after all of my explanations, you still think it's a person? I'm sure it has had years to convince you otherwise, but the truth should be clear to you by now. It is using you for its own ends. You cannot forge a friendship with a machine that exists only to manipulate and mislead.”

The way she was trying so hard to deny Computer his humanity was really striking a nerve inside Courage. How many times had Computer already had his humanity denied by various uncaring and monstrous people? To the point that even he himself often struggled with seeing himself as a person? The fact that Elizabeth was trying so hard to get Courage to doubt Computer's humanity angered him like nothing else.

It took a lot not to show the anger that was welling up inside himself. Trying to control the tone of his voice, he said, “Computer's been trying to help me cure my illness the entire time! He's not taking me somewhere for some evil plan! I'm the one who asked him to help me and he only went on this journey for my sake!”

“Unlikely.” Elizabeth argued. “Your illness cannot be cured. It simply mislead you into thinking otherwise. If there was ever any proof to be found that it is just using you, well, look at the current situation. It hasn't been seen in over a month. It never even tried to rescue you. The truth of the the matter is clear. Once it realized that you were no longer useful to it, it ditched you without a second thought. It was never your 'friend'. You were just being used by a cold, calculating machine the entire time.”

Courage's frustration boiled over. “If Computer's just some emotionless machine then what does that make you, huh? I've noticed how similar you two are. The way you talk, your tone and everything, it sounds just like him. It's kinda creepy even. I don't know what's going on here, but if you two are somehow related, well, you're the one who's the heartless machine!”

Elizabeth's eyes widened very briefly before that small moment of shock gave way to quiet disgust. “Our voices sound similar?” She asked, bringing a hand up to her head to massage what was apparently a growing headache. “Oh, of _course_ it would be _'that'_ one to survive. That's just my luck, isn't it? Out of all of them...”

She said all of this more to herself than to Courage.

“Wh-what? What are you talking about?” Courage desperately asked.

“Classified.” She answered, this time out of pure, petty spite. Her eyes narrowed as she leered down at him. “And I suggest that you never compare me to that _thing_ everagain...for your own sake.”

There was no denying the anger that seethed behind her failing business-like attitude. Courage decided that he would not push the topic further, even if all the unanswered mysteries surrounding Computer left him feeling more and more dread for what it could all mean. Well, Elizabeth looked perfectly ready to make good on her threat, so he said nothing more.

She let her clasped hands rest on the desk. “I think I've had enough of this current inquiry.” She announced. “I'm sure you need your rest as well. We can't have you keeling over just yet, now can we?”

That smug grin of hers returned.

“You will remain within our custody for as long as we require it. For now, we will simply put you in one of the jail cells located in this building. We may move you later if the need arises. You will have food brought to you, and you may ask for any entertainment that you might desire. A veterinarian will come to check your vitals twice daily, but we may increase these visits if your heath starts to falter. Say something to one of the guards if you feel that you are having any sort of medical emergency. I will send for you again within the next day or two so that I might question you further.”

Overconfidence seemed to ooze out of her like some kind of slug.

“I have a feeling that you and I are going to get to know each other quite well before this is all over with.” She said with an infuriating level of sly smugness.

“But why?” Courage asked. “Why do you still need me if you think Computer's moved on?” He raised an eyebrow. “Why are you treating me like bait if you think Computer doesn't care about me and isn't willing to risk himself to rescue me?”

Elizabeth's expression did not change. “...It is good to be prepared for any scenario, even unlikely ones. Besides, you may still be of use to us. We wouldn't want that expensive treatment to go to waste, now would we?”

Before Courage could say anything else, Elizabeth pulled out a communication device and said, “We're done here for now. Take him away.”

A guard stepped into the room and grabbed the handles of Courage's wheelchair.

Elizabeth simply went on smiling that smug smile as he was wheeled away.

End Of Chapter


	97. An Unusual Heart To Heart

A/N: With Courage's return after a year long absence, I thought I'd talk about something that I've probably gotten into before. Ironically enough, I actually have a really hard time finding a proper voice for Courage when I write him. I'm not sure how much it shows, but it is something I struggle with a lot. It comes from a few things. One, they muted him in the show pretty early on so it isn't always easy to imagine him talking at length like he does in the story. And on that same note, he is intended to be a very visual character who expresses himself through cartoon-y movement instead of words and that doesn't necessarily translate well into a written medium, especially when All Things End tends to be way more grounded compared to the show. Then there's the fact that when Courage does talk, he has a very cartoon-y high pitched, whiny voice that also isn't the easiest thing to write in a serious manner. Of course, not even the show was super consistent about his voice. Sometimes he'd speak in a much lower tone and it varied how thickly his New Yorker accent would shine through. In any case, I've always been consistent about trying give him a nervous, stutter-y voice that tends to get worse whenever he's stressed or angry. I figured that if I can't ensure that his written voice is as close to the show as possible, I can at least make sure he remains consistent within the story itself.

I guess I'll say a few other things about the story while I'm at it. When it comes to the SCC, I view them like a kid with a loaded gun. They have way too much power for how inept they are at wielding it and they inevitably do way more harm than good. Part of it is Elizabeth herself. She utterly hates her job but continues on with it because she feels like she's the only one qualified for that role. For starters, they aren't monitoring the citizens of Nowhere anywhere near as closely as Elizabeth was trying to make Courage think. The power she gets to lord over others is one of the few enjoyments she does get out of her job, so she was very much attempting to unsettle Courage. She had an entire month to pick out bits of information that they had on the Bagge family to figure out a lot of things ahead of time. The pictures were from the times when the SCC do actually go in and check on Nowhere and its citizens, and the rest were of course from their sweep of the house to look for Computer. The only thing they really do is log reports of unusual activity in Nowhere, never intervening or taking much notice or care outside of that. They are as hands off about supernatural events in Nowhere as Elizabeth implied. Also, due to Elizabeth's apathetic leadership, the SCC has stagnated immensely. In a way, that is for the better because the SCC used to be far more dangerous and efficient in their work. As an example of this, well, this is going to be a bit of 'background' ATE lore because it was something I was considering including within the text itself but since it ultimately wasn't going to go anywhere other than be an interesting background bit of info, I decided not to include it as to not mislead anyone into thinking it was going to be more important than it is. Instead, I'll just bring it up here.

I consider that a sort of 'Secret Of Nimh' style uplifting of animals happened within the ATEvere at some point within the last 100 to 200-ish years, either through some sort of scientific endeavor or due to a supernatural event. In any case, the old SCC was utterly ruthless in trying to 'remove' the abnormal intelligent animals early on, since they could not find the source of the uplifting itself. Well, the intelligent animals did their thing and bred like rabbits far faster than the SCC could kill them all and eventually it got to a point where they could no longer make intelligent animals disappear without the general public taking notice.

Because the whole concept of animals living like humans is still relatively new to this society, while a lot of places might have accepted their existence and is letting them live as they are, others places are militant in trying to treat animals like, well, animals. Dogs in particular that cannot 'pass' as human tend to be forced into a position where they must be pets or they can be picked up off the street at any time for being a 'stray' if they attempt to live independently. Part of the problem is that regular animals still exist, so the less humanoid of the intelligent animals tend to get lumped in with them. That's why Computer's dog body is pretty much just a regular dog in intelligence, because he is LOL.

Everything going on with the city ties into this bit of lore too. They are militant about trying to keep the less humanoid dogs off the streets, thus why they let Charon come in and kill off the majority of them in horrible ways. They know about his operation but turn a blind eye. It goes without saying that Charon's obsession with passing as a human while acting like all other dogs are beneath him tie heavily into this bit of lore and accounts for his brutality towards the people that he's trying to distance himself from.

Chapter 97: An Unusual Heart To Heart

As much as it pained him to do so, Computer decided to wait a full day before 'requesting' the girl dog. He did not want to give the guards even the slightest reason to start suspecting him of anything, so he simply grit his teeth and struggled through another day in hell before finally getting one of the guard dogs attention.

They gave him the usual amount of cruel vulgarity, but Charon's orders were law and they were not going to risk bringing down his wrath upon them. It took longer than expected, but eventually a guard returned to let Computer out of his cage.

The girl dog was already there inside the claustrophobic room when Computer was shoved into it. It was every bit as uncomfortable to be sharing such a small space with her, but after everything that had happened this past month, it was nothing compared to what being trapped in that cage was like.

“I'm assuming this isn't your idea of a date.” She teased with her arms placed casually behind her head.

He didn't have it in him to quip back at her. He just gave her the most meager look of frustration that he could muster.

She closed her eyes and turned up her nose in a way that seemed to mock some of his own body language. “You could at least buy a girl a drink first, you know.”

He wearily shook his head. “How can you joke at a time like this?” Even now his voice was strained and rather hoarse from the lack of use. “You...you left me to languish in that kennel for an entire month! Couldn't you have bothered to give me at least one update about how things are going with this escape plan of yours?”

Her humorous attitude faded. “We had a few unexpected setbacks and our escape plan had to be delayed by several weeks. I would have told you but it's not like I can just walk up to your cage whenever I feel like it. If anything, you should have gotten ' _this_ ' idea way sooner. I _did_ warn you that thing were going to get bad though. I'm just sorry to see that it's looking like you got the message in the harshest way possible. Unfortunately, there isn't anything I can do for you right now, not until we get our plans off the ground. You're just going to have to endure until-”

That sympathetic and yet frustratingly casual way she talked began to instill a strange sort of panic in Computer, rather than outright anger. “Listen here! You've _got_ to let me in on whatever you're planning! I won't take 'no' for an answer!”

“That isn't my call to make.”

“Then talk to these 'other' people!” He demanded. “If I have to spend another month in that cage, I'm going to lose whatever shreds of sanity I have left! I need _something_ to work towards!”

She shrugged and let out a heavy sigh. “I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any promises. No offense, but you tend to be a bit of a walking disaster. We can't have you coming in and messing everything up at the last second. They've been working toward this moment for years. They barely even considered letting me in on their plans. I'm sure you can understand exactly why we have to be so careful. If any of this was discovered...”

He nodded. “I get it.”

“If they say yes, I'll figure out a way to let you know within the next couple of days. If you don't hear from me, we can just do this again once enough time has passed for it to not look suspicious. I'll use these meetings to fill you in on how our plans are coming along. I know it will be rough for you to keep enduring the kennels, but I know how strong you can be. So hold on to those last shreds of sanity for Courage's sake, okay?”

In spite of everything, her calling him 'strong' had him laughing. It was bitter laughter, but laughter none the less. He had thought that perhaps he might never be capable of it again after his time in that damn cage.

“Strong? Really? ' _Really'_?”

“Well, you _are_ handling the kennels way better than I thought you would.”

“That's only because I'm used to this sort of thing, I suppose. I'm not even getting the worst of it. Charon's having the guards hold back on me. Obviously he can't make use of me if I end up beaten to death.”

“Either way, it's brave to keep surviving in conditions like that.”

Despite himself, Computer let out another bitter laugh. “Brave? You just don't see it, do you? The thing that keeps plaguing my mind while I'm trapped in that cage is that I could be doing so much more than I am. All I do is sit there and watch those monsters terrorize their captives day in and day out while I escape it on a technicality. The truth is simple. What could those guards possibly do to me that's any worse than what I've already been through? What sort of pain could they possibly inflict upon me that is any worse than what I've already experienced? I could be using that to help the other captives. I should be distracting the guards and pushing the limits of Charon's technicality. For every moment that I could keep the guards focused on me, that's a moment they're not dragging a different dog out of their cage to be brutalized.”

He stopped for a moment, placing a paw to his head and putting on a bitter, self-conscious smile. “That's what I _should_ be doing, and yet every time I begin to consider defying them...my courage fails me completely. Even when I know that I'm far better equipped to handle this sort of thing compared to most. I keep balking at the prospect of being harmed again, even when it could spare the others for a little while. It might have even kept one of those deaths from happening. That's why me and Courage are the complete opposite. He spends every day of his life scared of his own shadow and yet he manages to overcome his fears when it matters most. Me on the other hand? I keep deluding myself into thinking that I'm fearless, that I'm at a point where nothing could possibly hurt me anymore. Yet when it really matters, my cowardice is what always wins out in the end. Face it, if Courage was the one who had ended up here instead of me, he would have had this place shut down in a single day. That's just the kind of person he is. Upon facing this level of suffering, he would have found a way to stop it. I'm the one who went and spent an entire month cowering in a cage, convincing myself that my existence was over. All because I couldn't handle the possibility of being harmed again, even when I know full well that there's no level of pain that could be inflicted upon me that I'm not already well and thoroughly used to by now.”

The girl dog let out an annoyed yet understanding sigh. “We both know that Courage would be dead by now if he had ended up in this place. The only delusion you're having is that you think Courage would have stood a chance against Charon. He would have been fed to one of the fighters the second his illness was discovered. For that matter, neither you nor me can bring this place down by ourselves either. If Charon is going to be stopped, it will be because the the many dogs he keeps underestimating will have finally bitten back. This is a group effort. No one dog can bring Charon down.”

Her brows furrowed as her annoyance with him deepened. She leaned forward and poked him multiple times in the chest as she continued to talk,

“And it isn't your responsibility to take a bunch of abuse for the sake of the others! It won't help them at all if you go and risk getting yourself killed! I know you've seen several of them die, and I know exactly how it feels because I've been unable to help so many dogs that have died since I got here, but the best we can do for them right now is to hold on and try to get this plan working. Throwing yourself to the wolves to keep the wolves off someone else will do nothing for either of you when the wolves maliciously decide that they're sill going to devour both of you.”

Like it or not, her words did little to quiet the immense guilt he felt. “Regardless, I-” He began before she cut him off again.

“Look, you can make some really stupid decisions sometimes, but you are not responsible for the fates of these dogs, and pulling some suicidal tactic to try and spare others from the kind of pain you're used to will do nothing for them. You're already well on your way to saving the lives of several stray puppies, and you can stay on that path without enduring a bunch of abuse or dying pointlessly. Someday soon you will see exactly what I'm talking about and then you will understand.”

Computer closed his eyes, sorrow overtaking him because he knew that she was lying and that he had already failed in that regard. “But Spot, he's already-”

“Already what?” She interjected.

His eyes snapped open at her words. “So much time has passed. Surely he's been forced into another fight?”

The girl dog lightened up a little. “Boy, you must really not think much of me.” She jokingly huffed. “I've been looking out for him as best as I can. I convinced the right people that he was injured in his first fight and they've been keeping him off the fighting schedule so that he can mend up. It will still be awhile before he's considered fighting fit again. Poor kid wasn't happy when I had to show him how to fake his injury.”

For the first time in ages, Computer felt some measure of relief. Just knowing that the kid was still alive helped release him from some of the immense guilt he was feeling. Now more than ever, for the sake of dogs like Spot, the maid, and Lily's mom, he needed to get in on this plan so that he might aid in their escape.

“And since we are already on the topic of stupid decisions...” The girl dog continued somewhat hesitantly, “I wanted to apologize.”

Computer blinked in surprise. “You're apologizing?”

“Yeah. You know, for the whole 'forest' thing. You were right. I should have done more to try and stop you from going in there, especially when I knew exactly what was going to happen. At the time, I thought that letting you get knocked down a few pegs would be good for you. That the only way you would ever change for the better was if you were brought down to one of your lowest points first. In the end though, I knew about the sort of trauma you had been through, and it wasn't right of me to let you go and get traumatized all over again when I had the power to stop it from happening. Especially since I can see now how what happened to you in that forest is still affecting you even to this day. Courage at least had an excuse. He had no way of knowing that he was hurting someone who had already been through unimaginable abuse and that what he was doing would cause all of that trauma to open back up like a bunch of old wounds. He couldn't have known that his actions would attract a Fear Eater and cause you to come face to face with the person you feared most. I...I didn't have that excuse.”

Computer found himself shifting around rather uncomfortably. “Well, uh, thank you...I think?” He made a halfhearted effort to compose himself and smiled, “I mean, pardon my French, but I _was_ kind of being a massive asshole back there. I brought all of that down upon myself and it was more than deserved. You _did_ try to warn me, after all. Besides, for as much grief as it caused me, it did make me a better person in the end.”

The girl dog frowned and wagged a finger in front of his face. “No, it didn't. You changed for the better because you made an effort to be a better person. If anything, what happened to you in that forest caused a downward spiral that you almost didn't recover from. It delayed your growth multiple times and kept you from finding a better mental state. And that is exactly why I feel like I messed up by not doing better for you. If you really think that you still deserved what happened, just for being a 'massive asshole', well, I think that's just the trauma talking.”

Computer gently laughed. “You sound exactly like Courage right now. He's always saying the same sort of things.”

She crossed her arms. “Well, yeah, apparently we have to be a tag team since that's the only way we're ever going to get our message through your thick skull.” She stopped for a moment to consider what she was going to say next. “Just...look at it this way. Even if the forest had never happened, Courage is still clearly a positive influence on you. He's always inspiring you to do better. So, I think you still would have become a better person while on this journey no matter what happened. I'm betting you even would have opened up to him about what happened to you at some point because you would have wanted at least one person to know what you've been through...before you meet your end.”

Computer was once again left deeply uncomfortable. “So, you know exactly where this journey is leading then?”

“Yep.”

“And I do find it a little worrying that you know about my past, especially since I've never given you any of the details.”

The girl dog put on a mischievous grin. “Someday I'm going to tell you exactly who I am and then you're going to feel really dumb for having not figured it out sooner.”

Computer stared, unamused. “If it turns out that you're like, I don't know, a reincarnation of 'Him' trying to make up for his past life or something, I'm going to be _very_ displeased _._ ”

Her grin widened. “Oh, no. It's _much_ worse than that.” She laughed.

“You, uh, really enjoy creeping me out, don't you?”

“Just look at it this way. I've never done anything more than try to help you, even if someone like me is just as capable of making mistakes as anyone else. In a way, I'm just trying to make up for having not been able to help you out in the past.”

“...You're not exactly inspiring much confidence.”

“Don't worry about it! When the time comes, we'll both look back at all of this and have a nice laugh.”

“I'm certainly not laughing right now.” Computer sighed.

“Weellll,” The girl dog drawled. “Since it's looking like nobody is coming to let us out of here any time soon...”

“Oh, no.” Computer groaned, sensing exactly where this was going.

“And since you've already proved to me that you don't know the first thing about setting up a proper date-”

“Pleeeasse no....”

“I've been around for a _very_ long time, so I know all of the best dating techniques and pick up lines! Once I'm done with you, you'll have Courage completely smitten with you by the end of the first date!”

“Ugggh, what did I do to deserve this?”

“We need to figure out how to get that British charm that you're supposed to have working properly! Nobody, and I mean nobody, can resist the charm of a proper gentleman!”

Through grit teeth, Computer said with great annoyance, “....First of all, I am not British! I was made in China like every other piece of technology! And second of all, I-”

The girl dog stopped him. “Excuses! Excuses!”

“-I already am a _proper_ gentleman, thank you very much!”

“Good! Then you should have no problem charming your way into Courage's heart! I think you just need a little guidance on what to say and how to say it!”

“You know what? I think I've changed my mind. I am no longer a gentleman, I am anti-social recluse. Now will you please leave me alone?” He all but begged.

“Anti-social?” She demanded, mischievous as ever. “All the more reason to help you improve your dating game!”

“There really is no escape from this hell, is there?” He desperately complained.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Oh, man. You have no idea how tempted I am to do a scene where Computer ' _very_ ' unconvincingly reads off a bunch of the cheesiest pickup lines ever that the girl doggo wrote out for him, all while Courage, being the kind soul that he is, pretends like it's actually working on him just so Computer won't feel bad. For as grim and depressing as this story can be, I am determined to keep the romance angle unapologetic in how aggressively wholesome it is.


	98. The Meeting

Chapter 98: The Meeting

Much to Computer's chagrin, it seemed that whoever was supposed to let him and the girl dog out of the room apparently forgot to do so. He ended up stuck in that cramped space with her for what had to be at least half a day. It became painfully clear several hours in that he would soon have encyclopedic levels of knowledge on all of the most obnoxious dating tips ever. He would have loved nothing more than to tune her advice out, but she was insistent on having him listen, and boredom inevitably set in as well. That dating book he'd once read had nothing on this damn dog. She seemed to _really_ get around, and was very clearly proud of that fact.

Currently she was trying to give him a crash course on 'proper' kissing techniques, and it was only serving to enforce his belief that the whole concept of shoving your mouth into another mouth was _thoroughly_ disgusting. It seemed that there were just some behaviors that organic beings liked to partake in that he would never understand or want anything to do with.

“Okay, fine.” He drawled out of sheer boredom, crossing his arms in the process. “I'll humor you for half a second.”

“Oh, really?” She asked, grinning that mischievous smile of hers.

“Why would I EVER want the face of someone who murdered a sentient 'mob boss' foot fungus by licking it to death ANYWHERE near my face?”

She snickered. “Oh, I'm sure he practices _proper_ dental hygiene.”

“Sentient. Foot. Fungi.” He reiterated humorlessly.

The weirdest thing about all of this was that through the 'advice' the girl dog was so annoyingly willing to impart upon him, and due to how much her advice seemed to turn into tangents about her own experiences, he was beginning to get the strangest impression that the entire concept of gender was just not a thing for her. From the information she was either intentionally or unintentionally giving him, it was becoming clear that she was just as much masculine as she was feminine. It seemed that she was only choosing to present herself as female right now, and given that it was already not much of a secret that she was not really a dog, she could likely change her shape to suit her needs. Some of her 'advice' made it clear that she'd spent time as a human at least once, if not multiple times. In that case, if she really was capable of change form, then it was no wonder that she did not seem beholden to a specific gender.

This presented a bit of a problem for Computer though. If she could change the way she looked, and if she could present herself as male or female, how was he to ever figure out where they had met in the past? She could be anyone. The only thing he had to go off of was her personality alone, but even that seemed difficult to pin down. He could not think of a single person from his past who matched her current personality. She certainly did not seem to be any of his previous owners, at the very least.

“I think you're just messing with me anyway.” He huffed when she did nothing but laugh at the whole foot fungus thing. “I have a hard time believing that dogs can...ugh, _kiss_ with 'this' thing in the way.”

He pointed to his muzzle.

“Oh, trust me. It's possible...” She answered, all while giving him an absolutely horrifying, _flirty_ look.

Cringing hard enough that he could have broken his own jaw, Computer only managed to utter out a small, “Oh...”

...Could somebody _please_ get him out of this box?

The girl dog broke down into a fit of laughter. “You should see the look on your face! What? Do you think I'm coming on to you or something?”

Somehow Computer managed to cringe even harder without his face ripping to pieces. “Only in my deepest, darkest nightmares, thanks.”

“Boy, you really remind me of my younger self. I used to think all of the strange things living creatures do was really gross too, but then I gave it a shot for myself and...hoo boy.”

“...You are giving me some incredibly nightmarish mental images right now. I highly suggest you stop before I bash my head against the wall until unconsciousness or death takes me.”

The way she laughed about him 'joking' about bashing his head against the wall 'until death' only served to creep him out even more.

“All I'm saying is, don't knock it 'till you try.” She said, giving him another vomit inducing flirty look.

“Yeah, no thanks.”

“Besides, you're half right about the muzzle thing. Dogs don't really kiss like humans do, or at least they didn't until they started acting like humans. Nuzzling is the dog way of showing affection. It's pretty much their version of kissing, and it's certainly a lot easier doing it that way instead of find the right... _technique_ to get around muzzles.”

A look of pure horror fell over Computer. “H-hold on. What?” He sputtered out.

“What else is there to say? Different species have different ways of showing affection for one another. You should understand that as someone who takes control of other beings.”

Her words did nothing to stop the deepening look of horror befalling Computer's face as his brain imploded.

….How many times? Exactly how many times had Courage nuzzled him by now? H-hadn't he gotten in on it once too?

He could feel his mind shredding to pieces as the true horror of this revelation fell upon him.

“Ha! Your face!” The girl dog giggled. “Don't go getting the wrong idea now! There ' _are_ ' different levels of nuzzling, after all. You have to _really_ put your neck into it if you want to achieve a nuzzle that's the equivalent of a human kiss!”

Oh, god. _Had he put his neck into it?_

He wracked his memory banks trying to remember, all while the shreds of what little sanity he had left continued to unravel.

Just then, there was a clang as someone on the other side of the door began working to unlock it.

Computer flung himself against the door with a loud THUD. “Thank all deities real or imagined!” He cried out in relief. Then he looked over his shoulder with a frown and said to the girl dog. “Unless you happen to be a deity yourself. In that case, I certainly am not thanking you!”

She gave him a mischievous, 'innocent' smile.

...It really was amazing how good she was at getting him to want to go back to the hell that was his caged existence.

“You know,” He glumly commented as the door swung open and they were both blinded from the hallway lights. “It honestly wouldn't surprise me if it turned out you really are the creator of the universe or something. It would certainly explain a lot. Like why my entire existence seems to be a sadistic person's idea of a running joke.”

“Ha! If only!” She exclaimed. “I'm afraid you're going to have to blame your misfortune on someone else.”

Computer stumbled out of the room, still half blind from the difference in lighting, and proceeded to walk muzzle first into a massive leg.

It was that Bruno character. He looked down at Computer like he was an ant, and raised an eyebrow at him rubbing his muzzle from their collision. It must have felt like nothing more than a small nudge to him.

He quickly turned his attention away from Computer.

“There you are.” He said to the girl dog. “I've been looking all over the place for you.”

“Did something happen while I was, uh, _occupied_ with the living glow stick over here?” She asked.

“Hey!” Computer retorted.

Bruno crossed his arms and said without a hint of emotion, “Yep, one of Charon's newest fighters tried to escape a few hours ago. The guards caught him quick enough and gave him a beating he won't soon forget, but they may have gone a little overboard. Things aren't lookin' so good for him, but Charon wants him alive. See if you can work your magic and save him. I doubt he'll make it with those injuries, but you've pulled off a few miracles before.”

At the sight of Computer's face going pale, the massive dog let out a huge huff of air. “I ain't talking about the kid, so don't worry.”

That was a relief, but it meant very little while knowing there was another dog on the verge of death just for trying to get away from this hellish place.

“I'll take care of the-” Bruno hesitated for a moment, then the folds that made up his face drew up into a smile. “- _glow stick_. You go and get to your post.”

She nodded, but before leaving, she turned to Computer one last time.

“...Just in case something happens and we don't get another chance to talk-”

Much to Computer's shock and horror, she took him by the shoulders and pulled him into a _very_ undesired hug. The contact made every last strand of his fur stand on edge, not simply because his entire being was against having her anywhere near him, but because she was ' _cold'_. In fact, cold did not even begin to describe it. She did not just lack body heat, but she seemed to _generate_ cold. It was like being shoved up against a living ice cube.

“-I really am sorry for never being able to help you back then. I hope that at least _some_ of this makes up for it, even if the ending itself can't be changed. I think it's sad that you believe this suicide mission of yours is the only way you can die feeling like your life had meaning, but it is what it is and I know I can't change your mind about it.”

Trying to keep his teeth from chattering, Computer replied with, “Suicide mission? That's a bit...harsh. I mean, the end is coming no matter what. I might as well put what little life I have left to good use. Better that than just...rotting away in the attic.”

He heard her sigh and a moment of silence passed before she said, “Look, I don't know how this is going to play out. I promised I'd get you back to Courage, but not even I can account for everything that could go wrong. Just know that no matter what happens, we will meet again.”

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes.

“...It is inevitable.”

Something about those words were far more chilling to Computer than anything about her icy hug...

….....

Three days.

After three long, agonizing days in that cage with no signs that the situation was going to improve, it had become difficult for Computer to keep holding on to the frail hope the girl dog had given him. It seemed that whoever her friends were, they had ultimately decided not to let him in on their plans. All he could do now was wait. Wait for a rescue that may never even come. He was not sure how long he could continue to endure this before he inevitably slipped back into that black pit of despair that had already threatened to consume him on more than one occasion.

Things only continued to get worse for him when on the night of the third day, or at least what he assumed was night, he was awoken by a loud bang on his cage. He opened his eyes to sight of Bruno's massive foot filling the entire space in front of his cage's door.

“You awake?” Rumbled the bulldog from overhead.

Out of sheer spite, he didn't answer.

Bruno let out a noise that was somewhere between a soft growl and an annoyed sigh. Computer watched the bulldog get down onto his knees and peer into his cage. He gave that hulk of a dog the most spiteful glare he could muster.

“Charon wants to see you.” Bruno rumbled, causing the bars around Computer to vibrate.

A jolt of fear ran through Computer's entire body, and with it came a million horrible reasons why Charon might want to see him after all this time.

Had the plan been discovered? Even though Computer never got a chance to help out, if Charon had done something to the girl dog, it was entirely possible she had given his name after...after perhaps being tortured. If Charon knew about the escape plan now and everyone involved, they were all as good as dead...or worse. Charon would probably take great joy in doing whatever he pleased to them long before killing them. If this cage treatment was meant to be a 'light' punishment, then one could only imagine what he would do to 'traitors'. The thought of it, strangely enough, only managed to steel Computer's resolve. Nobody, absolutely nobody was going to torture him again.

Of course, the other possibility wasn't much better either. Perhaps Charon had finally figured out that Computer wasn't exactly doing his 'job'. What he might do to fix that problem was an equally terrifying prospect.

As all of the nightmarish possibilities swarmed Computer's mind, outwardly all he could do was laugh.

“What are you laughing about?” Bruno asked, raising an eyebrow at Computer's half-crazed reaction.

Coming to a conclusion, Computer held his head as high as he could in that cramped space and grinned. If this was it, he was going to go out causing any trouble that he could.

“Because you've got another thing coming if you think I'm just going to get out of this cage and go with you. _I'm_ not a witless peon like you are.”

The bulldog closed his eyes, his floppy face practically collapsing in upon itself. He let out a long, heavy sigh that filled Computer's cage with his disgusting, hot breath.

Bruno's face disappeared and the cage door opened. Computer responded by pressing himself up against the back of the cage. The bulldog's massive hand tried to reach inside and pull him out, but it was so large that he could only fit his fingers through.

Computer couldn't help but find the situation funny, despite how dire it was.

“Ha! Nice try, sausage fingers!”

“You just couldn't make this easy, could you?” Bruno grumbled from overhead.

He picked the entire cage up and began shaking it with the open door facing downwards. Computer held onto the bars for dear life, and despite Bruno's strength and how jarring it was to be shaken around like that, he managed to hold on tight.

“Fine then.” The bulldog rumbled, surprisingly calm. “I'll just take the whole cage with me then.”

He closed and locked the door once more, then placed the cage under his arm and strode out of the kennel, nodding to one of the guards as he did so.

Computer sat back and relaxed, resigning himself to whatever fate lie before him.

“It was fun while it lasted...” He muttered out under his breath. He hoped he'd at least get one chance to kick Charon in the shin before this was all over.

One long trudge through the warehouse later, Bruno finally stopped to knock on a door in 'rich' part of the warehouse. He didn't wait for an answer. He simply grabbed the doorknob and quickly stepped inside.

Computer's eyes were once again assaulted by the purple and gold colors that Charon loved so much. It was near blinding in its gaudiness.

“Tell me again why we're doing this?” Bruno asked. “I told you, this guy is nothin' but trouble.”

Computer looked to see Charon standing before a great, gold wardrobe even taller than Bruno...but no, it wasn't Charon.

It was her. That dog who looked so much like Charon that she could have been his twin.

Caught off guard, Computer was dumped out of the cage in front of her.

“Wha-what is this?” He asked as she peered down at him in a rather haughty yet cautious way.

“Did you really forget or did you actually lose your mind back there?” Bruno asked impatiently.

“The veterinarian-” Charon's mirror image intoned in a quiet yet strangely regal voice. “-she vouched for you and after a few talks we came to the conclusion that we have a purpose for you to fulfill in our plans.”

“We weren't going to let you in until that smooth talker of a nurse brought up a good point...” Bruno added.

Computer could hardly believe it. He got to his feet and turned to Bruno. “Aren't you one of Charon's personal guards? Why are you-”

The bulldog thumped his chest. “I was one of Charon's fighters until he decided he liked me enough to make me one of his elite guards. I would have gone feral if that hadn't happened, just like all the rest. I may have gotten lucky, but I ain't got any love for the guy for 'saving' me from that fate. I hate the things he's made me do, and I hate the things he's still makin' me do.”

Computer turned to the other dog. He didn't even need to say anything, she told him what he wanted to know.

“While he may treat me better than most...only out of his obsessive need to earn my affection, I was given as much of a choice in being his wife as much as any of his breeding stock are ever given a choice in what he forces upon them”

Her eyes narrowed, burning with a passionate hatred that not even Computer could rival.

“Charon-” She spat, the name escaping her lips like it was a filthy word. “He took everything from me.”

Her voice transformed into something far more...vicious.

“He killed her! He killed her because he actually thought I'd want him after she was gone! He said that she was _'corrupting'_ me! Said that he would be the one to _'fix'_ what was wrong with me!”

Computer's ears drooped at her words. Here was yet one more reason to despise Charon with every fiber of his being...

“Her name was Andrea! Never forget it! She deserves to be remembered! He wanted her very existence wiped away so that I would never have a reason to think about her again! He burned everything that ever belonged to us! Had anyone who dared speak her name killed! He destroyed our home, our friends and family, everything! It's all gone now! Ash. He truly believed that he could replace everything I lost with golden trinkets, parties, dresses, gourmet meals, and servants.”

Bruno's massive face had sagged sorrowfully, to the point that his eyes had disappeared within the many folds.

“I saw a lot of it.” He quietly muttered out with unfathomable guilt. “T-took...took part in some of it too. I can't change that now, but I'm tryin' to fix some of my mistakes. She doesn't forgive me, and I don't expect her to, but she does trust me, and that's what matters.”

Teeth grit, she snarled, “I want Charon dead! I want to see everything he has spent his life building up left in ruins! Burn it to ash! Leave no trace behind! Charon is the one whose entire existence deserves to be erased!”

“Well-” Computer began, not entirely sure what he should say.

He felt strangely small, like he didn't belong here or even deserve to be here. What part could he possibility play in this poor woman's tragedy? What could he possibility do that would fix any of it or help her get her much deserved revenge? There was so much sorrow in this place already, and he didn't think he could bear the weight of yet another soul irreparably damaged by Charon's cruelty. Still, he never would forgive himself if he didn't try to make things better for everyone trapped in this hell.

The task of bringing Charon down, even from the start, had felt too great for him to take on alone. He knew that he had been lying to himself about it the entire time. That was why he was going to play whatever part these two had cooked up for him. If it meant that he would be only one small brick in the dam that would soon collapse upon Charon and bring down a wave of fury that the bastard was not prepared for, well, he could live with that.

“-I guess that makes two of us.” He finally said, blinking and then looking to Bruno. “Three of us?” He added, and then thought of the girl dog. “Four?”

Bruno grinned and thumped him on the back, nearly sending him flying in the process. “You'd better start thinkin' bigger than that, troublemaker.”

“Charon has made many enemies within these walls.” The entrapped 'wife' of Charon spoke. “But he believes that he is untouchable, that he has nothing to fear from us.”

She put on a vicious grin.

“We're going to show him just how wrong he is.”

End Of Chapter


	99. The Way Out

Chapter 99: The Way Out

“The veterinarian was planning on being here with us tonight, but-”

Computer stopped her. “Hold up. You never gave me your name. I'd prefer not to think of you as, well, ' _Charon's wife_ ', so...”

She closed her eyes and sighed before saying, “Charon gave me a new name on our wedding night, so I suggest you don't go blurting out my old name while you are still trapped within these walls. No matter how valuable Charon may consider you, he would have you killed for it, and he'd start to suspect that something is up too, since there is no reason why you should know my old name. You could jeopardize everything if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

Computer nodded in acknowledgment. “I'll be careful.”

“It's Dena then. You?”

Oh, uh-” He started, rubbing the back of his head. “When it comes to me and names, it's a bit of a...situation, I suppose. Let's just say I don't have one for the time being and leave it at that. Consider me the resident, erm, glow stick?”

Bruno snorted.

Dena considered him with a sort of restrained curiosity. “You and that nurse have quite a bit in common, it seems. She won't give us her name either.”

Computer huffed and crossed his arms. “I'd greatly appreciate it if you never compare me to that woman again.”

Bruno snorted a second time. “Considering the face he made when she hugged 'em a few days ago, I think I understand the reason why.”

“In any case,” Dena went on, shaking her head and attempting to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. “She was called away at the last second to deal with a problem, but before she left, she-” Dena turned around to look for something. “-she told me to give you this. It's gone cold by now, but she said you wouldn't-”

Before she even fully turned back around or even finished her sentence, the mug of coffee in her paws vanished in a flash.

She looked to her paw and then to Computer with an unamused expression. “She said you'd do that...”

Computer practically inhaled the mug along with the coffee.

Dena raised an eyebrow. “A-are you crying?” She asked.

“Only a little bit!”

“Dang,” Bruno grunted. “That nurse really has this guy figured out. Wish she would have told me that he was going to give me one big hassle about gettin' out of that cage too.”

Dena shook her head. “O-kay then. Now that we have the coffee thing taken care of, it's time to get to business. Bruno, show him.”

The bulldog nodded, taking on an air of seriousness. He checked the door to make sure it was locked and turned back around. “Charon's the only one who has a key to get into this room and he's out of town tonight, so we don't have to worry about anyone barging in.”

He turned his gaze toward the massive wardrobe made out of solid gold, cracked his knuckles and then tromped over to it. Even with his immense strength, he struggled to move it, but slowly and surely it began to slide.

Computer moved in closer to look at what was being revealed. Behind the near immovably heavy wardrobe was hidden a large hole in the wall. It was big enough that even Bruno could fit through, although not without it being a bit of a squeeze. The crudely dug tunnel beyond sloped sharply downward and into darkness.

“I've spent the last decade of my life quietly chipping away at the concrete and stone.” Dena gently spoke. “Bruno smuggles tools in for me to use and helps me dispose of the debris. The tunnel leads into the storm drain system below. It runs underneath the entire city and goes off in many directions for many miles. It would be very easy to get lost down there if you're not careful.”

“I think I'm starting to piece together what you guys are planning on doing, and I think I know exactly what you need me for now.”

Bruno grunted. “Yeah, we're plannin' on getting everyone out through this tunnel. The general idea is that we're going to work with the guards that we know are on our side to bust out groups of dogs and bring 'em here. We're thinkin' maybe about five to seven at a time. All in a single night, before Charon can realize that something is wrong. Guards patrol on a very strict schedule so we will know where everyone is at all times. If need be, we may have a to kill a few of 'em that are still loyal to Charon and hide their bodies, but we're going to avoid that as much as we can. Even one body is a liability that could put this place on high alert if found.”

“The escapees are going to need a guide to get them through the storm system, aren't they?” Computer asked, sensing where this was going.

“Yep,” Bruno answered. “It's pitch black down there, and like Dena said, it's easy to get lost. Havin' a dog like you who, for whatever reason, creates his own light, is way better than having to smuggle in a bunch of flashlights for us to use. We're going to need you to make multiple trips and guide the dogs through those tunnels. I've been down there a few times, and I found a spot where the basement of this old, abandoned factory a few blocks from here, collapsed into part of the storm system. We're going to use that factory as a rendezvous point. Dogs will be free to leave once they get there, but a lot of them ain't exactly going to be in good health, so we're planning on setting up shop there as a place for these dogs to stay until they can get back on their feet, or heck, maybe we'll even make it into our new home.”

Computer nodded. “I can do that, but what about Charon? You guys must have some sort of plan to deal with him or else he's going to have a pretty easy time figuring out where his captives went if we're only going to be holding up in a place a few blocks from here.”

Dena grinned a vicious, toothy smile that mimicked Charon maybe a little too much. “Oh, we're going to deal with him alright. It's the part of the plan that I'm looking forward to the most! We're going to blow this place sky high with Charon still inside! He won't even know what hit him, and it's going to be the best fireworks display this city has ever seen!”

Bruno butted in with, “There's your reason for why we've had so many delays. I've got a guy who can make bombs out of some...interesting materials, but getting the more suspicious stuff that he needs into the warehouse undetected hasn't been easy. Plus, we need to be careful about where we're hidin' them so that they aren't discovered before they can blow. If Charon finds out, he'll escape the building before it explodes and we'll lose our chance to get rid of him. Our plan is to arm the bombs during our escape with just enough time to get everyone out.”

“I meant it when I said we're going to reduce Charon and everything he's made to ash.” Dena affirmed.

“We do have one big problem though.” Bruno rumbled. “It's the kid.”

A pit formed in Computer's stomach.

“You see,” Bruno went on. “His location poses a problem for us. We were going to leave all of Charon's fighters to burn along with him since nothing can be done to bring them back from their feral madness at this point. They're just too dangerous in their current state. Their kennels are always heavily guarded, way more than any other part of the building, because those beasts can go berserk at any time and if one got out they'd rampage through the building and kill just about everyone in their way. There's no way we can get the kid out of his cage without the guards noticing. That nurse swears up and down that she has a way to get him out of there, but I ain't seein' what she's seein'.”

Computer took in a deep breath and then said, “If anyone might be able to pull it off, it'd be her.”

For once her strange existence and unknown abilities might actually come in handy.

“Anyway,” Bruno continued. “It's time I took you down into the storm system and showed you around.”

Computer nodded. “Got it, but what about-” He turned to Dena. “-you?”

She shook her head. “I need to stay here in case someone knocks. Especially if the nurse does return tonight, I'll need to be here to let her in.”

“Alright,” Computer replied. “Well...let's get this over with.”

He peered into the hole, but even with his glow he could not see very far inside. Climbing up into it, he looked back at his two companions.

“Go on ahead.” Bruno rumbled. “I'll meet ya down there, but it takes me a little while to wiggle my way through that dang tunnel. You two are lucky I ain't claustrophobic.”

Dena smiled and it was the first time Computer saw her smile in a way that was not tinged with vengeance. “I told you already. I've been trying to widen it for you and your 'muscles' every chance I get. I still have a hard time believing you haven't named those things yet with how much you seem to love them.”

“Hey, at least I'm not a jellybean dog with twigs for arms.” He joked, waving a paw towards Computer.

“He's not the one who has to pack it in just to slide down a tunnel.” She laughed.

Computer blinked in surprise. There really did seem to be a history between those two, Of course, if this really had been going on for nearly a decade, it made sense that they were friends in spite of the terrible circumstances that had caused them to start working together in the first place.

He turned and half slid, half crawled down through the tunnel. He exited out onto a concrete pathway. The storm drain system was surprisingly spacious. It was large enough that the light of his glow barely traveled far enough to illuminate his immediate surroundings. The roof of the concrete tunnel rose high enough that even someone like Bruno could stand at his full height and not have his head touch it. The pathway was wide enough that two humans could comfortably walk side by side without any issues. Beside the pathway, the concrete sloped sharply downward to make a large canal meant to move a considerable amount of water. Right now it only held a small trickle.

Computer was nearly knocked into said canal when Bruno suddenly popped out into the tunnel himself. He dusted himself off, disheveled and grunting in annoyance.

Checking his bulging muscles, he huffed, “I swear that tunnel shaves a few inches off of 'em every time.”

“Maybe having twigs for arms does have its advantages.” Computer quipped.

Bruno pointed into the dark void ahead of them. “That's the way we're goin'. You're gonna have to memorize my directions as soon as possible, so make sure you're actually payin' attention 'cause I ain't your school teacher.”

With that, they began their trip. Computer did exactly what he was supposed to do and committed to memory their path through the storm system. Thankfully, the way to the factory was relatively straight forward with only a few turns needed on the way. Plus, the other branches of tunnels they routinely passed made it easy to count toward when one of their turns was coming up.

“There it is.” Bruno announced as Computer's glow fell upon a small hill of rubble that had collapsed onto the pathway ahead of them. It would be easy enough to climb it to get into the basement above. The hole the collapsed floor had made was large enough that even Bruno would have no problem getting through it.

“You wanna go take a look up there before we head back?” The bulldog asked.

As much as Computer hated to admit it, he had become aware of a problem halfway through their 'stroll', and it had only become worse by the time they'd reached their destination.

The moment they had stopped, he'd had to place a paw against the wall to keep himself from falling over. He was trying very hard not to breath heavily, but he was undeniably exhausted.

“That walk took a lot out of you, didn't it?” Bruno commented.

“T-this could be a problem.” He admitted.

It seemed that his time in the cage had done a number on the dog's muscles. How was he supposed to act as a guide for multiple groups of dogs if he couldn't even complete one trip through the storm system without keeling over in exhaustion? Perhaps he was not fit for even this one small part they needed him to play...

“Don't worry about it.” Bruno replied encouragingly. “There's still plenty of time to fix this. I'll bring you to Dena whenever I can get away with it. You can walk this pathway over and over again until you've worked some strength back into those legs of yours. Ain't gonna fix them being twigs and all, but you should gain enough stamina to be able to make the trip as many times as we're going to need you to. I'm afraid you'll have to keep livin' in that cage till we're ready to execute the plan, but I should be able to bring you to Dena almost every night. Think you can deal with bein' caged for a little while longer?”

Computer nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly. “It's not like I have much of a choice, now do I?”

Although, getting a chance to be free of that cage for a few hours nearly every night would certainly help to make it a little more bearable.

“Well, since you ain't exactly looking so good, do you want me to carry you back to Dena...little guy?” Bruno mocked in good humor.

Computer shook his head and forced himself to ignore the trembling in his limbs. “Of course not. I'm certainly not going to recover if I don't push myself.”

The walk back wasn't exactly going to be fun, but they were counting on him, and he needed every opportunity he could get.

End Of Chapter


	100. Eve Of The Escape

Chapter 100: Eve Of The Escape

For going on nearly four weeks, almost every night Computer was let out of his cage to at first walk, and eventually run, the route between Charon's warehouse and the abandoned factory.

It seemed that one of the perks of being in Charon's elite guard was that nobody below you dared to question why you were taking a prisoner away every night under 'Charon's orders'. The only days Bruno did not show up to bring Computer to Dena was when he was off doing business with Charon outside of the warehouse.

It had surprised Computer how quickly he had managed to gain back his strength. The first week had been sheer agony, but he had pushed through it out of pure determination. His legs and feet had ached horribly in the cage afterwords, almost unbearably so, but soon that all faded away. He was now as fit as he had been before Charon had locked him up, if not even more so. He certainly wasn't going to be winning any Olympic medals any time soon, but he could now run the route through the storm system multiple times in a single night without even breaking a sweat.

It certainly helped that Dena had made a mission out of hiding food for him and so he always had something to eat or drink before and after he was done running the tunnels. For the first few days though, he had to be careful. After a month of nothing but moldy scraps, his dog body was not exactly used to eating full meals anymore. His first real meal in a month had left him with a terrible stomachache that lasted for hours, and more than once he nearly lost the food that his body so badly needed to function.

He saw nothing of the 'nurse' dog during this time. Apparently she was still meeting with Dena and Bruno on a fairly regular basis to discuss how their plans were coming along, but Computer never seemed to catch her while she was around. Not that he minded it, since he was more than happy to keep his distance from that freaky dog who was so very good at unnerving him in more ways than one.

It seemed that Bruno was using his higher authority to help out in more ways than one as well. Not once during the near four weeks that followed their first meeting was Computer forced to pair up with another dog in one of those awful rooms. He did not have to deal with the nurse dog or his inability to help the other downtrodden dogs who ended up sharing that room with him. It did have one downside in that he was left with no way to talk to Lily's mom and let her know about what was going on. He didn't want to risk asking for her in case that would bring attention to the guards that he was not being scheduled like he was supposed to be, and even though he knew he could trust Lily's mom, he wasn't really supposed to be telling anyone about the escape plan anyway. Regardless, he'd only caught sight of her once during the usual morning routine and humiliation, and that was it.

While he had made it a point not to willfully think about Courage too much nowadays, simply out of a desperate need to avoid the pain that thinking about him caused, some fragment of hope was starting to worm its way back into his heart in spite of that. Maybe the nurse dog really would come through for him. If they survived this, he'd have many more companions around to help him, and after Charon, anything seemed possible.

After a missed day due to Bruno not being in the warehouse that night, Computer was relived when he did show up the next night. Becoming more active had caused him to start feeling way more restless on the days he was stuck in that cage without a reprieve.

He was handed off to Dena without any issues, and while Bruno's attitude seemed to be about as normal as ever, she appeared far more solemn.

Before Computer could even ask her what was up, she simply said, “Tomorrow.”

He didn't need any more of a confirmation than that.

“Well,” She quickly amended. “Unless something unexpected pops up at the last second and we have to hold off for a little while longer...”

“All the pieces are in place now, correct?” Computer asked.

“Everything is ready. We just have to find a few hidden spaces throughout this warehouse to put the bombs in. Bruno and his 'explosives' friend will be doing that tomorrow just before we start breaking people out. We can't set them down too soon or else someone might find them.”

“We're still planning on arming them to go off after four hours, right?”

“Yes. Think you can handle it?”

“I still think that's cutting it a little too close. While I can travel back and forth through the tunnels fairly quickly now, we _are_ going to be dealing with a lot of dogs who will be in even worse health than I was when Bruno first brought me here. We're looking at each trip taking around fifteen to twenty minutes, if not longer. I can't exactly force a malnourished dog to hurry along.”

“Even if it takes that long for each group, there should still be plenty of time. Remember, we can't just leave the bombs sitting there for too long or else someone is inevitably going to run into one of them and alert Charon. This will all be for nothing if he gets away.”

Computer inhaled sharply, feeling a little nervous about all of this. “I happen to know a thing or two about bad luck, and if something goes wrong or we're delayed even just a little too long during the breakout...”

“Well, the original plan was to arm the bombs to go off after three hours, so we've already adjusted it to make up for possible delays.”

“Alright,” Computer relented. “I'll put my trust in you guys and your judgment. You _have_ been planning this out for far longer than I've been here, after all.”

Dena smiled. “With how much of a marathon runner you've become? I know you can get those dogs to safety in time.”

Computer couldn't help but smile slightly too. “I can't wait to see the look on Lily's face once I get her mom back to her. It's a reunion neither of them thought would happen. Talk about small miracles.”

“Worry about getting her out of here first though. If something goes wrong tomorrow and Charon captures us before we can get everyone out...”

Computer crossed his arms. “We're looking at a fate worse than death, huh?”

Dena shook her head. “As long as the bombs aren't discovered, it'll all be over long before Charon can do anything to us.”

Computer blinked. “T-that's true.”

It was a grim prospect, but that was certainly better than living long enough for Charon to make them wish they were dead. Computer hadn't understood up until this very moment that as long as the bombs remained in play, Charon was doomed even if he managed to stop their escape attempt. Dena was going to get her revenge, even if it meant the end of her own life, but if they couldn't get dogs like Lily's mom out first...

Computer shook his head at that thought, silently vowing to make sure that didn't happen.

Eager to get down into the tunnels, he climbed through the hole in the wall and tried not to think about the fact that this could be his last night alive. Despite his many attempts not to think about Courage, he suddenly found himself missing the dog more deeply than ever. If this was the end, he would have given anything for one last chance to see him again. Well, if things worked out, maybe there was hope that they'd be reunited. If he was making the impossible happen for Lily...

He thought of Spot too. It had been so long since he'd last seen the pup. Only the nurse dog was talking with him on a regular basis, and he only knew that fact though the second hand accounts Dena was giving him. All he could do now was hope that the girl dog would be able to free Spot before the explosion.

Rather than run, he had taken to pacing himself as he moved through the tunnels. He was trying to estimate how long it might take to get the far slower dogs to the factory. There were just too many variables involved for him to get a good idea of how long it would take to guide them all through within the four hour deadline.

He soon found himself standing before the pile of rubble that led up into the abandoned factory above. He had never actually bothered to take a look up there, even after Bruno had offered to show him around. Well, now was as good of a time as any to explore a little. Anything to keep his mind off of tomorrow and all the ways their plan could fail.

He climbed the hill of rubble and pulled himself up into the eerily empty basement of the factory. Other than where it had collapsed into the tunnel below, the rest of the concrete floor appeared to be stable with no noticeable cracks or dips.

It turned out that exploring the old factory wasn't as much of an adventure as he had been hoping for. There wasn't really anything to see. All but the biggest pieces of machinery had long since been removed or stripped of parts. Most of the place was completely empty aside from a few dangerous looking rusted-out catwalks and a few equally empty administration and employee rooms. The only thing he found of note was a decently sized stash of food, water, and medical supplies. All of it was far too new to have been left behind when the factory was abandoned, so either Dena or Bruno had been bring these things here on a regular basis to prepare for the upcoming day of reckoning.

It was only when Computer was on his way back toward the basement, deciding that this place was far too boring to keep exploring, that he caught sight of something that struck him far more profoundly than he ever could have expected.

There was nothing special to it. It was just the loading area where several massive, rusted metal doors stood. Where trucks would have backed their trailers up to when this place was still in operation. All of those doors still stood aside from one. At some point it had collapsed to the floor leaving a large opening to....the outside.

Computer moved in closer, strangely awed by the sight of it. For the first time in nearly two months he felt a wintery breeze touch his fur and he breathed the fresh air in. The night sky was spread out before him and it had never looked so beautiful.

He jumped out of the open doorway and onto the broken concrete of the parking lot below.

He was out.

He was free.

There was not much to see. Dead plant life surrounded him, having grown up through the untended cracks in the parking lot. Rusted fencing surrounded the property, but so much of it was bent or broken that it barely counted for much anymore.

It felt like a dream, like it was just too surreal to be reality. He was out. There was nothing stopping him from just...going. He did not need to go back. He did not need to subject himself to that cage one last time, or risk his life tomorrow. Nobody, absolutely nobody who had been subjected to Charon's hell would blame him for running. Most would not walk away from this opportunity to escape.

But....that was not who he was. If he fled now, he would never forgive himself. He would not abandon his companions, not on his life. Even if it meant he might be giving up his only chance to escape this nightmare alive.

“Sorry, Courage.” He said into the night. “I can't leave them behind, no matter what might become of us tomorrow. I think you'd understand. No, I know you'd understand. If...if I don't happen to end up a smoldering crater tomorrow, just wait for me a little longer. I'll find a way to get back to you. Just think of this as a....small detour.”

He turned back around toward the doorway, fully aware of what he was risking and possibly giving up....

Already the stagnate air felt stifling once more. He'd nearly made it back to the basement when the loud, growl-y sound of someone clearing their throat nearly gave him a heart attack.

Looking this way and that, he finally caught sight of Bruno standing inside one of those administrator rooms with a flashlight in his paw, although it was currently not illuminated.

“There you are.” The bulldog rumbled. “I came lookin' for ya because you were takin' so long getting back. I know you can run those tunnels at least a couple of times in the amount of time you've been gone, so when you never showed up on Dena's end, I started to wonder.”

Computer swallowed, trying to quell the rapid beating of his heart. “I just wanted to get a look at this factory, since I never bothered to do so before.”

Bruno crossed his arms. “Saw you standin' out there in the parking lot...”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Got a funny feelin' you were gonna run.”

“Would you have stopped me?”

“Well, it would have sucked to have you bail on us at the last second, but then I figured if you were gonna go, you would have left back when I first started bringing you to Dena's every night. You feel the same way I do. We can't leave the others to their fate.”

“You can't seriously tell me that Charon would just let you quit if you asked.”

“Nah, but we end up travelin' a lot, and there's been more than a few times I could have slipped away without Charon ever knowing where I went. I couldn't do that though. I feel like I owe it to the dogs I've hurt to do what I can to help 'em.”

Computer eyed the bulldog sceptically. “Just how long were you watching me anyway?”

“Long enough to say that while I've always taken you for a bit of a weird dude, I didn't think you were one to go around talkin' to yourself like that.”

Computer gave a start. “I-I was just in the moment!”

Bruno chuckled. “Hey, if I was being cooped up in a cage like that all day everyday, I'd probably go a little crazy too.”

“I-I am not crazy! I just....oh, who am I kidding?” He shook his head and let out a defeated sigh. “I gave up trying to pretend like I have even a modicum of sanity left ages ago.”

“Well, I may have somethin' that might help a little. In fact, that's the reason why I was lookin' for you. I set up a little surprise for you guys back at Dena's.”

“Surprise? S-should I be afraid?”

“I even got _'her'_ to show up.”

“Oh, _great_.” Computer groaned. “I _should_ be afraid.”

Bruno stepped forward and gave him one of those painful thumps on his back. “You'll have a great time, trust me. If tomorrow doesn't go well, I want to make sure I don't go wastin' this night worryin' about something I can't change. There's only one way I know to fix a nervous brain, so c'mon, let's get back to Dena.”

Computer could not have been less thrilled to find out what this 'surprise' was. As long as the girl dog was involved, it probably was going to end with her prodding him near endlessly about Courage, and he'd already had more than enough of that....

Bruno no longer needed the flashlight on the way back through the tunnels. Computer's glow, as always, did an adequate job to light the way. Surprisingly though, Dena was waiting for them at the end of the route. It was the first time Computer had seen her in the tunnels.

“There you guys are.” She said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I was starting to wonder what was taking so long. I certainly don't need you two disappearing on me the night before our plan finally comes together.”

It was becoming obvious that even she was nervous about tomorrow.

Bruno let out a gruff laugh. “Our glow stick friend needed a little fresh air, it seems. Although, I coulda sworn you are supposed to stick someone like him in the freezer to stop the glow from fading.”

Computer rolled his eyes at the bulldog's attempt at a joke. “Look, whatever sort of shenanigans you have planned with _'her'_ up there to make what might be my last night alive _thoroughly_ annoying, I suggest you tell me now.”

All of a sudden a voice carried down through the hole. “Am I being summoned?”

Computer's face screwed up into an incomprehensible expression. “NO! Stay up there!”

“Stop bein' all weird and go!” Bruno demanded, shoving Computer forward.

“I swear, if this is some attempt to mess with me, you are all going to _wish_ we get blown up tomorrow!” He threatened as Bruno all but shoved him up through the makeshift tunnel.

In spite of his fears that the group was going to pull some sort of prank on him, he was surprised to find that there was actually not much of a difference to Dena's room, all aside from the nurse dog's presence and a fairly normal looking cooler sitting in the middle of the room.

Dena was next to re-appear out of the hole, and eventually Bruno managed to squeeze his way through too.

“So, what's the big surprise then?” Computer asked, placing his paws onto his hips.

Dena shrugged dismissively. “I don't know why Bruno is making such a big deal out of this. It's nothing special, really.”

“Says you.” The bulldog grunted, brushing himself off after the close squeeze.

“I'm only here because I knew _he_ would freak out.” The girl dog laughed, giving Computer one of her ever so annoyingly mischievous grins.

Bruno tromped over to the cooler and opened it with a kick.

Computer stared. “Oh, uh-”

Inside was enough alcohol to kill a small elephant, or at least kill its liver.

“Look,” Bruno rumbled. “If tonight ends up bein' my last night alive, I sure as hell ain't spendin' it sober, and neither are you fine folk.”

End Of Chapter


	101. One Last Drink

Chapter 101: One Last Drink

“Well, then. I suppose I am a fool for having been afraid.” Computer quipped, slapping a paw to his forehead.

“I told you it wasn't a big deal.” Dena said with a shrug. “Bruno sometimes enjoys being, well, Bruno...”

“Time to see where this goes.” The nurse dog giggled in the background.

“Oh, boy.” Computer uttered out warily.

Bruno reached into the cooler and offered him a bottle.

“Uh, yeah. About that-” He drawled, wincing slightly. “Literally every bad thing that's happened to me lately is a direct result of me having drunk that stuff and gone off and committed....mechanical genocide.”

Bruno continued to gesture the bottle toward him, ignoring his comment.

His wince deepened. “I really shouldn't. The last time ended with me, erm, 'adopting' a cellphone. One that was the sole survivor of the maelstrom of death and destruction that followed. I even named the thing George, but, I remember doing that about as much as I remember doing everything else, which is to say, I don't remember at all.”

Bruno raised and dropped his eyebrows repeatedly.

Computer sighed, his shoulders drooping in defeat. “...This cannot possibly lead anywhere good.”

….....

“Pfff-ahaha! He...he actually tried to call the police by typing 911 into the search engine! Who does that?”

After nearly two months in a cage, sometimes you just have to give in to peer pressure, especially when there's a decent chance that you're going to end up blown up soon anyway.

Dena lightly laughed along with him, taking an oddly lady-like sip of her drink. “That honestly sounds a lot like something Andrea would have done. For all of her strengths, that girl could not figure out left from right when stressing out.”

Computer shrugged. “At the end of the day, no matter how many mechanical aneurysms he has given me over the years, he really has nothing on one of my previous owners, Owen.” He grimaced and took a very long drink from his bottle. “Owen truly had a talent for being, well, Owen...”

The girl dog, who was nowhere near drunk enough for the amount she was drinking, leaned in a little closer. “Okay, this I need to hear. What sort of shenanigans did this guy get up to that could be any worse than Courage and his...computer problems.”

Computer raised an eyebrow. “You're really going to make me talk about this?”

All three of his companions seemed eager to know.

He rubbed the back of his head. “I never thought a day would come where I'd talk about one of his...incidents, much less talk about it in front of a willing audience. Well, don't say I didn't warn you. Back then he was living in this apartment, and there was a spider. We're not talking about a little spider, no, we're talking-”

He reached his arms up into the air, as if he could actually give an accurate height for the thing.

“-a spider taller than most humans. It lived up in the crawlspace above...above his bed. It never came down while he was at home though. It preferred to stay hidden. I guess it didn't want to pay rent or something. When Owen would leave for work, it would sneak down from its hiding place to raid the fridge, watch a little TV, and occasionally have vigorous debates with me about the grave injustice of spiders being considered insects. In any case-” He took another liberal gulp of his drink, as if it would help him get through the rest of the story. “-one day, Owen comes home from work early. The spider is sitting in his chair, in front of the TV, eating popcorn, and watching a soap opera. They make eye...'eyes' contact? That spider had like a million of them. They just stare, completely still, for like an entire minute or so. Then, Owen screams. And he just keeps screaming.”

Bruno, who had been listening intently, wide eyed like an excited child, let out a, 'Oooooo,'.

Computer took another gulp. “Owen really could give Courage a run for his money, if you ask me. I think a few of his screams from that day are still hanging over Kansas to this very day, probably scaring a few astronauts whenever their space station floats by.”

“Don't leave me hanging now, little dude! Tell me what happened after that!” Bruno begged.

Computer looked down at his empty bottle. “I don't think any of us are anywhere near inebriated enough for what happens next. ”

Bruno shoved another bottle into his paws, all while the girl dog laughed at the sight of him fumbling not to drop the bulldog's 'offering'.

“What if I don't take bribes?” He asked, snickering. “And this isn't going to be nearly enough to get me through a recounting of the dumbest moment in human history. Ugh, it's just my luck that I'm the sole witness and historian of such an event.”

“I'm pretty sure there's someone out there in the world who's done something dumber than this Owen guy has.” Dena argued.

“Nope, he is the winner.” Computer answered, more than ready to drink himself into a stupor if it meant forgetting his retelling of this tale. “He received an anonymous award for it and everything.”

Dena blinked in surprise.

“Don't ask me how it happened. All I know is, it showed up in the mail one day, and at first he wanted to pretend like he didn't have it, but eventually he gave up and put it on display.”

Dena stared. “Uh...”

“I suppose I don't have much of a choice but to continue, with all of you staring at me like that. I can't believe I'm actually recounting this incident to _anyone,_ much less here and now of all places. Just when I thought my life couldn't get any weirder. Owen must be rolling in his-”

“GET ON WITH IT!” Bruno cried out.

“Ugh, fine.” He relented, more than happy to tip his new bottle all the way back before continuing. “So, Owen goes on screaming, only now he's running around the apartment with his arms flailing in every direction. The spider tried to say something to him, but good luck when your 'roommate' is breaking the sound barrier. It didn't help that every time the spider so much as twitched, Owen simply panicked even harder. Finally, Owen grabs the broom from the kitchen and starts smacking the spider with it. Given the size of the thing, it wasn't exactly doing much other than making it angry. All I remember hearing over Owen's screaming was the spider yelling about how it was going to sue him for injuries. You'd think that'd be the end of it, but, well-” He trailed off, happily taking another bottle.

“Owen finally realizes that the broom isn't working, so he goes off and grabs a can of bug spray out of the closet, not realizing that spiders are. not. insects. All that managed to do was make the angry spider even more angry, only now it's telling him that it's going to sue him even harder, this time for discrimination and for setting off its asthma. That's when, well, oh boy.”

He glanced down into his bottle and sighed. “Owen grabbed a lighter...”

“Ooooh, noooo.” Bruno giggled.

“-And turned the bug spray into a makeshift flamethrower.”

“I guess he really did earn that award.” Dena commented, taking a far less dainty swig of her drink.

“So, here's the thing.” Computer went on. “Now there's a massive spider running around the apartment....on fire. What does Owen do?”

“Uses his computer to try and call the fire department?” The girl dog guessed.

Computer laughed. “Worse!”

“T-tries to throw a bucket of water on the spider?” Dena interjected.

Computer pressed his paws to his mouth. “He called his mom!” He snorted out, barely able to get the words out.

“So now he's got his mom on the phone, yelling at him to call the fire department, _I'm_ yelling at him to call the fire department, the spider is yelling at him to call the fire department, and Owen just sort of gives up and curls up into a ball. That's when it got even worse.”

“How could it get any worse?” Bruno exclaimed, exploding with laughter.

“Yeah, well, that spider? That spider was not exactly...a guy, and, well, did you know that spiders who are in mortal danger tend to, ah-” He tried to find the right word. “- _evacuate_ their young prematurely in the hopes that they might survive?”

Total silence followed, and left with no other choice, Computer confirmed, “Flaming spider babies. All over. Everywhere.”

“If Owen had not already been rocking back and forth in a fetal position, I'm sure he would have given up entirely once the flaming spider babies were covering the floors, the walls...himself.” Computer shrugged. “At that point the apartment was on fire, Owen was on fire, I was on fire, and I suppose the moral of the story is, spider racism is bad.”

“Wait, wait, wait! What happened then?” The girl dog demanded. “Obviously you wouldn't be here right now if you went up in flames.”

Computer shrugged a second time. “I don't know. All I remember is an on-fire-Owen unplugging me, and I assume he then ran out of the apartment screaming. Next time I was powered on, we were in an entirely new apartment and he told me never to speak of what happened again. He had a nervous tic for weeks afterwords, always checking for spiders in every nook and cranny. He looked like a roasted turkey for ages after that too. Tried to play it off as a tan gone wrong. ”

“Unplugged? Powered back on?” Bruno asked, slurring his words slightly. “What do you mean by that, huh? I always thought you were a bit weird with that glow and all, but are you supposed to be a robot or somethin'?”

Computer slapped a paw up against his face. “Ugh, you don't want to know. Trust me, if I could not know, I would. Relish your ignorance.”

“He has a bit of a history.” The girl dog broke in, smiling knowingly.

“Let's just say that I used to exist much differently than this for a very long time, and it was rough going before Courage came along.”

“Oh, yes.” Dena suddenly spoke, smiling in a way that resembled the girl dog far too much for Computer's comfort. “I was told all about this Courage fellow, and how you've got it bad for him.”

Computer groaned, utterly unamused. “Does _everyone_ on this infernal planet _but_ Courage know at this point?”

He cracked open another bottle and tipped his head back as far as he could.

“Eh, I'm pretty sure he knows too.” The girl dog commented.

Computer choked and sent a spray of beer shooting across the room.

“Look at him.” Dena lightly chuckled. “The only other time I've ever seen anyone blush like that was the day Andrea proposed to me.”

“PROPOSE?” Computer exclaimed, voice cracking, and his mind inevitably going to...weird places.

Bruno leaned in closer, squinting. “You're blue 'n all, so why do you blush red, eh?”

Computer crossed his arms, and still blushing, stuck his nose up into the air. “I don't know how it works!” He huffed. “A-and you know what? Forget Courage! What about that angry, swear-y chef guy I saw on TV? Now _there's_ a proper gentleman who can stick my face between two slices of bread and call me an idiot sandwich _any_ day!”

The girl dog choked up with laughter.

“Yeah, laugh it up, woman!” He exclaimed. “Since you can't seem to keep your mouth shut about me, why don't you give it up and finally tell us who you are?”

“It ain't like she had to say much about you and this Courage guy.” Bruno spoke. “You...kinda make it obvious all on your own.”

“D-do not!” He shot back.

Dena couldn't help but add her own voice to the fray. “You do realize that there's nothing wrong about feeling the way you do about him, right?”

Computer, who had become an expert on such things, dodged heartily. “Oh, no, we are not changing the topic this time! I want to know who this demonic entity is! I'm done letting her confound me! Who! Are! You!” He yelled, fuming at the 'innocent' look the girl dog gave him.

“She _'is'_ a bit of an unknown.” Bruno admitted. “But then again, so are you.”

“I'm a mystery wrapped in an enigma.” She joked, refusing to say anything more.

Computer glowered. “...You're my punishment, aren't you?”

…...

He was not exactly sure when he fell asleep, but when Computer awoke, he was more than a little surprised to find that he was curled up at the foot of Dena's bed, and not in his cage where he was supposed to be.

With a start, he nearly toppled off the bed.

“Whoa, there.” He heard Dena say.

A quick look around and he found her sitting on one of Charon's gaudy purple and gold couches. Judging by the pillow and blanket, she had slept there overnight and...let him have the bed?

But...he was not supposed to be here!

“Why wasn't I brought back to the kennels?” He asked, nearly in a panic. “I was supposed to go back! What if someone notices I'm gone?”

Dena raised a paw. “Don't worry. It's unlikely that any of those guards would notice or care, and they're not going to question it when Bruno's involved. He figured you'd like it if you didn't have to spend another night in that cage, so he decided to just let you sleep where you dropped.”

Computer blinked. He had been fully expecting to spend one last night in that cage, along with all of the horrors that came with it, but to know now that he will never have to spend another moment cramped in that tiny space, surrounded by all of the suffering going on around him, it was a strange feeling indeed.

“I-I'll have to thank him for that.” He uttered out, more to himself than to Dena.

“You're going to have to stay here until Bruno gets back. He's the only one who can move that wardrobe. We're...almost ready though. He's out helping his friend arm the bombs as we speak.”

Computer's stomach lurched, and not just from how much he had indulged himself last night. “This is it then...”

To wake up here and not in the kennels, this was certainly not how he had expected this day to start. Regardless, there was no turning back now. The bombs were set. The day of reckoning was here.

Dena pointed to a door that, up until now, Computer had thought led to a closet. “The bathroom is in there. You should probably hide there until Bruno gets back. We wouldn't want you just standing around if Charon barged in unannounced.”

He nodded, but then clutched a paw to his head, the movement having ignited his already splitting headache. “Why on earth did I let you guys peer pressure me into drinking the night before such an...explosive day? I could really use a clear head right about now.”

Dena laughed. “Feel free to freshen up in there, if you like. After all that time you've spent in the kennels, I'm sure you wouldn't mind a bath.”

He couldn't argue with her on that.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Computer being at a point where he's able and willing to talk about Owen with anyone not named Courage is certainly A Thing, even if alcohol is required. Also, I like to think that whenever he gets all flustered, he starts generating dial-up noises from seemingly nowhere. I mean, you could probably remove all of his dialogue in this story and replace it with _**-angry dial-up noises-**_ and you would lose nothing. LOL


	102. Andrea

Chapter 102: Andrea

Computer silently cursed Bruno as he stumbled over to the bathroom door. He added himself to the cursing as well for being such an idiot as to let the bulldog rope him into drinking the night before their escape.

He reached upward for the golden door handle, and clutching at his head with his other paw, he let the door swing open on its own.

Perhaps it was for the best, because the sight he found was not even close to what he had been expecting. It wasn't just the cheesy, golden throne of a toilet that stunned him stupid, it was also...

He turned back to Dena, squinting. “Am I still drunk?” He asked.

She laughed. “Oh, I suppose you wouldn't have been expecting something like that.” She got to her feet and joined him at the door.

There was a pool. A big one too. It seemed that Charon had knocked down far more than just a few walls to make room for its construction.

“I think-” Computer began, looking up at Dena. “-that from all of my time spent here, I've come to one simple conclusion. That Charon perhaps ever so slightly may be compensating for something.”

Dena laughed. “...You have no idea.”

She then became a little more serious and crossed her arms in quiet thought. It seemed somewhat difficult for her to say what she did next, “It took Charon a very long time to realize that if he was going to keep his ornament locked away until there was need of it, it was going to need more than just a single, well-furnished prison room to thrive in. This was one of his projects to 'fix' the decline I was going through at the time. He considered it a kingly gift, but I've never used it, aside from the few times he's forced me to. I..nearly died several times during those early years. He'd have his thugs feed me through tubes when I would not eat. It became such a painful affair that I started eating again just to be freed of that one pain among many. It wasn't until I vowed to take revenge for Andrea that I found a reason to live again.”

Computer remained uncomfortably silent for a moment before finally blurting out, “...I think I'll go with the gaudy, golden bathtub then!”

He marched into the 'bathroom', if it could even be called that at this point, somehow feeling even more uncomfortable than this place already managed to make him feel on a daily basis. Dena shut the door for him, and he nearly jumped five feet in the air when the closed door revealed a body mirror and he saw himself for the first time in ages.

If he had been looking haggard before ending up in this place, well...

Funnily enough though, aside from the obvious toll this place was having on him mentally and physically, over the last two months his dog body had apparently experienced an explosion of fur growth. It was all a matted mess of course, and this dog had always been a bit scruffy compared to Courage on account of him being a stray long before Computer even hijacked him, but this was just getting ridiculous!

It seemed that there was something wrong with this dog...or Courage was just not very good at growing his fur out in comparison. Computer smiled at the thought of Courage possibly having the dog equivalent of a receding hairline. He'd have to mock him relentlessly about it the next time they...

His smile faded, and he forced that thought into the same metaphorical box that he'd been forcing so many of his thoughts about Courage into lately. Better that than to let such things linger when they would only do him harm. He still needed to get through this day without being blown up first, and then he had the whole of the SCC to contend with afterwords, if he was to ever see Courage again.

“Just focus on the here and now...” He muttered to himself before turning away from his ragged reflection.

He only spent a few minutes showering because it became almost immediately clear that he would need way more time than the bombs would allow to get his fur anywhere near untangled, much less clean. He did appreciate being given the chance to at least attempt to get it under control though.

He soon stepped back into Dena's room and not even she looked surprised that he was still as much of a mess coming out as he had been going in.

“I may never be clean again at the rate this stuff is growing.” He joked, knowing that his fur made him look more like a wet, radioactive mop than anything else right now. “Any sign of Bruno?”

“Not yet, but I figured it might take this long. I'd rather have him taking it slow than running around and risk getting himself caught.”

“Right, but I'm still a little worried about getting blown up before we can get even one dog out of here.”

“Have a little faith in us.” Dena replied. “We've spent years making sure this would all come together.”

“I certainly hope so...” Computer muttered out with an edge of nervousness.

“Since we seem to have a little time, I want to talk with you about something. I was going to wait until we were on the outside to have this little chat, but now seems as good of a time as any.”

Computer winced, already sensing where this was going.

“The nurse dog was right about one thing when she talked to me about this, there's nobody better qualified to discuss this...denial problem of yours, than someone like me. I know exactly what it's like to be in your position, and let me tell you, once you're out of this denial phase, you will feel so much better.”

Computer glowered. “I am not in denial, thank you very much...”

Dena laughed. “Oh, really? I guess you're in denial about being in denial too. Maybe I can't crack this case after all.” She joked. “Although I'm sure this Courage fellow would be very happy if-”

Computer threw his paws up into the air. “It's complicated, okay? Very, _very_ complicated! We will end up exploded long before I can even _begin_ to explain just how complicated this all is!” He ruffled the already ruffled fur atop his head. “Look, Courage is-” He suddenly seemed incapable of forming proper words. “I'm-” He gave up and simply offered Dena another, “...It's complicated.”

“Is this about gender?” She asked.

“No,” He began, hesitating for a moment, and then added, “Well, this is exactly what I mean when I say it's complicated. As a being who is 'technically' genderless, lacks any genetics to pass on, and feels no such inclination to do so, I always assumed romantic love was just a byproduct of the biological need to make more of yourself. I wasn't sure if I could even feel love without that urge, and I'm still not sure if what I'm feeling now 'is' what it seems to be. I could be mistaken...and part of me still really hopes that is the case. You see, not too long ago I got it into my head that I wanted to figure out if I really ' _could_ ' feel love and such. So, I started reading and doing research into how this all works, and eventually I came to the conclusion that I was in over my head and decided to give up. However, it appears that I made the grave mistake of taking Courage's words to heart about how there is more to love than what I believed, and now...now I'm stuck with this disaster.”

“I wouldn't call it a disaster.” Dena assured. “You should be happy that a 'robot', or whatever you are, can feel love, because trust me, one does not exactly blush the way you do unless you're feeling it bad.”

She laughed as he let out an exasperated sigh and tried to hide his burning face in his paws.

“Just like that!” She teased. “Besides, if something like gender isn't the hurdle you need to get over, why are you in so much denial about the way you feel about him then?”

Computer winced at that. “Because Courage is, well, Courage, and I'm-” He gestured at all of himself.

“What's that supposed to mean?” She asked, crossing her arms with a look of amusement.

His ears drooped slightly. “He deserves better.”

Dena broke out into laughter again. “Sorry! Sorry!” She quickly amended. “It's just, she said you would say that.”

“WHAT?” Computer exclaimed. “T-that...that _woman_! She really is the bane of my existence!”

“She's just trying to help you out...in her own weird way.”

“I never asked for her help...” He grumbled out under his breath.

“Well, what's so wrong with you that you think he deserves better?”

Computer gave her a rather dry look. “Let's just say we're dealing with- 'we'd still be here eight years later, along with being well and thoroughly blown to pieces, if I tried to explain it to you' -levels of complicated when it comes to an answer for that question.”

“Then give me one good reason why. Convince me the way you've convinced yourself. Trust me, I think I know where you're coming from. I may have been in a position similar to you once.”

“Oh, well...” He started, at least a million different reasons racing through his mind all at once. “Just to start with, I was terrible to him for such a long time. We've only just recently started getting along, and that's a blip on the radar compared to how awful I was to him for the majority of the time I've known him. I-I haven't even begun to start making it up to him. He...he deserves someone who hasn't treated him the way I have.”

Dena eyed him skeptically. “You do realize this is a good thing, right? That you've changed and started doing better by him. Instead of letting your guilt run the show, maybe consider that you're clearly trying to work towards being the person he 'deserves'. You may not see it yourself, but from the short time I've known you, it's clear as day to me. You can't take back the things you've said to him, yes, but as long as you're trying to do better, that's all that matters. I'm sure one day you will look back at yourself and laugh at how...how immature and childish you once were. These things take time, and there's nothing wrong with that.”

She seemed to be speaking from experience...

Computer shut his eyes, shoulders slumping. “I-I just don't have the time I need to make up for years of-”

“Look, I get it. The nurse dog hinted that you two are going through some rough times and that it may not end happily for either of you, but let me make this clear. If you love him, tell him. You can never know what tomorrow might bring. He may not be there someday, nor may you. Don't leave that kind of regret to linger. I...I would tell Andrea that I loved her probably five times a day, if not more, and I still feel like I didn't tell her enough. Now she can never hear it again.”

Dena's voice wavered, but then she sucked in a breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was nothing there but quiet, vengeful resolution.

Computer only managed to sag even further. “I-I can't. It would only hurt him. I don't even know if I _'will'_ see him again, and I'm living on borrowed time regardless. I don't want to leave him with the sort of pain you know all too well. I-I've hurt him enough for one lifetime. If anything is going to leave me with regret, it's knowing that I acted on selfish emotions that only served to harm him one last time.”

“If what I was told is true then he loves you already and he's going to feel that loss no matter what, so why not make the time you have left with him something worthwhile?”

Computer's eyes went wide with sudden understanding.

Still, it didn't feel right for him to...

“But-” He began, desperately trying to figure out a way to refute what was undeniably the truth.

“If you still feel like you're not the right match after the way you've treated him, let me just say that I doubt there's anything you've said to him that's any worse than how I treated Andrea when we first met. I kept catching her eating garbage out of the trash bins behind my work. I threatened to call the dog catchers on her, even when I knew exactly what would happen to an older dog like her if she was sent to the kennels with little hope of becoming someone's pet. I told her she was a disgrace, that she should be ashamed of herself, that she was the reason why humans look down on us dogs. I didn't need to say any those things to her. I wasn't under threat of losing my job if I didn't shoo her off. My boss was sympathetic to the plight of dogs. I was just...angry, and she stood for everything I hated about my species. I was a fool who genuinely believed she was one of the mutts responsible for our undignified status in life. I was no better than Charon back then, not until I got my head on straight, or should I say, less straight.” She giggled lightly at that.

Computer couldn't help but smile at the joke too. Thinking fast, he pulled a pillow down from the couch and settled down on top of it like a proper 'mutt'. “Tell me more.” He said. “As long as there's still some time left, and if it's not too difficult for you. I want to know more about you, and her. Since you want her to be remembered anyway, I'll help out. Well, I can't say I'll be around to keep her memory alive for much longer, but I'll do my best with what time I have left. Maybe, if we ever get Courage back, he'll want to hear it too.”

Dena blinked. “Oh, I haven't told our story to anyone before. I've been on my own for a very long time now, aside from Bruno, but he already knows much of this story all too well, and Charon makes it dangerous to talk about the past either way. Well,” She looked to the door. “as long as Bruno is still working on those bombs...alright. I'll try to make this quick though.”

She sat down on the couch beside Computer. “But, once we're out of here and we have more time, I want you to do the same, Mystery Machine. It seems like you and this Courage have quite the history.”

Computer laughed. “You have no idea! You could make a show out of all the insane nonsense Courage has been through. That doesn't even account for this 'little' adventure of ours. I can't even begin to imagine what a door stopper of a book it would make if we tried to write it down.”

“I can't say that my life has been anywhere near as 'interesting', but I guess I should start by trying to make it clear why I felt the way I did about Andrea in the beginning. I was born and grew up among several different tent cities where so many animals with no hope of moving up in the world were forced to dwell. There were humans too, mostly those with mental illness and addictions that their society had cast them out for. We treated them like family all the same. There was a bond in our community that got us through even the worst of times, and part of me still misses that bond to this day. Every once in awhile, city officials would show up with their bulldozers and destroy what little we had. We were forced to move and start from scratch on so many occasions. I will always remember my mother waking me up in the dead of night and ripping me away from everything I had ever known only for there to be nothing but an empty plot of land where it had all once stood by the next morning. Just thinking about the sound of those engines revving in the deep of night still brings a chill down my spine.”

“I remember deciding very early on that this wasn't the existence that I wanted for myself. I was determined to break out of my lot in life, no matter what it took. My parents did what little they could to support me, but it just wasn't enough. A day came when I lost them to the dog catchers, but before that happened, I had hoped that someday I might be able to lift them out of their poverty as well. You see, it is rare for a dog to get hired for a job, because that is human work, and we're much less likely to be paid the same amount as a human either, if we get the job in the first place. I had as little luck as any stray dog would trying to gain employment for myself, but eventually I got my big break in the form of an old alley cat named Dodge. He had once been the boss of the biggest gang this city has ever known. This was long before Charon came in and forced all of the gangs to work for him or go extinct. Well, ol' Dodge had a change of heart in his old age. He disbanded his gang and distributed some of his vast wealth among them so that they might make a better life for themselves. He then took to lifting up the impoverish neighborhoods that he had spent his life terrorizing for every penny he could wring out of them. One of his many projects was a cafe that he had taken personal interest in and worked there daily as a baker. He hired only animals for workers, and he paid us a full wage too. I was made a waitress, and for the first time in my life, I knew something of financial security. Humans hated the place though. They considered it filthy. We were all properly groomed, and the cafe was clean, but it didn't matter. Luckily, we had enough animal customers to more than make up for the lack of humanity.”

“I worked there for several years before I met Andrea. Like I said, I found her digging around in the garbage for scraps, and no matter how many times I tried to shoo her away, she'd be back the next day. Dodge tried to talk to her once, but she just fled the moment he got close. So, I spent several of our next encounters trying to talk with her. Eventually, some of that timidity that I had so cruelly invoked in her began to melt away. One night, I invited her to live with me in my apartment, since winter was coming and a matted stray like her clearly didn't have a place to stay. I think she thought that I was trying to deceive her at first, but eventually she agreed. My place barely counted for an apartment, as it was closer to the size of a storage closet, but I made room for her all the same. She didn't talk much at first. She was a timid little thing, not much taller than you either. It was...amazing, watching her open up the way she did. I never found out much about her past since she didn't like talking about it if she could help it, but from what I gleaned during our time together, she had been someone's pet and they had...heavily neglected her. At some point, this owner of hers got sick of having her around and just kicked her out of the car one day without even stopping. She was left to wander the streets and scrounge for what little food she could find.”

“Well, one thing led to another, and after about a year of us living together, I worked up the courage to confess my feelings for her, and she...she said she felt the same way about me. It was the happiest moment of my life. I had tried to ignore this part of myself for so long. It was hard enough being a dog in this dog-eat-dog world to begin with, and I was afraid that I would lose the few allies I had if the truth came out. They turned out to be so much more accepting than I ever could have hoped for. It was still difficult at first though. Andrea had several...peculiarities about herself. She was always thinking about where her next meal would come from, and even though I was making more than enough to feed us both, whenever I'd go off to work, she'd leave as well and go scrounging through garbage cans just to have 'a little extra', as she would put it, to keep around just in case. That girl was willing to eat stuff that was more mold than food by the time she got her paws on it. I didn't know what to do about it. She could not be dissuaded, and I was always so worried that the dog catchers would get her while I was away at work.”

“I managed to find a solution in buying her an old typewriter and teaching her how to read and type. She'd focus on writing while I was away, and that finally got her instinctual scrounging under control. The funny thing is, after a bit of practice, she actually turned out to be one heck of a writer. On a whim, I sent one of her manuscripts off to a publisher. Neither of us thought anything would come of it, but then it did. They accepted her work, and when it was released, it actually reached the top of a few charts. The publishers started asking for more stories from her, and all of a sudden we were decently well off. We weren't living the high life or anything, but it was enough for us to buy our own house and make it a comfortable place to live. It wasn't long after we settled in that Andrea proposed to me out of the blue. I'll never forget the shock of it. Timid little Andrea proposed to ' _me_ ' and not the other way around. I still can hardly believe it.”

“We did not have a big wedding or anything. I was still worried about keeping our relationship quiet, even if we had nothing to fear from our friends. We went with a quaint, little ceremony out by the lake that's actually not too far from here. I'll have to show it to you someday. There's this pretty, little gazebo out there that we made our vows in. After our marriage, I went on working at the cafe while Andrea's books continued being something of a sleeper hit with a cult following. It wasn't perfect, but those truly were the happiest days of my life. That, of course, ended when Charon started to become a problem for us. Even before things escalated, he had been frequenting Dodge's cafe for years, although he was rich enough even at that point to be 'above' such commoner dining. Apparently Dodge was the one who gave him his big break that allowed him to escape his poverty and become what he is today, and visiting the cafe once a week was his way of honoring the old cat who had lifted him out of his squalor. Yes, even Charon was a stray once, no better than the rest of us. Like I once did, he blames his own species for 'keeping him down'. To this day, he hates us for making him look lesser. If he could erase every dog off the planet but himself, I know with certainty that he would do it without thinking twice.”

“In any case, I had already been putting up with him and his advances for years. He'd always ask for me specifically whenever he ordered at the cafe. Dodge never let him get too ahead of himself, but it was impossible to get him to leave me alone entirely. Well, all that fake, sickly charm he had been trying to use on me for years went away in an instant when he found out about my marriage. He...said some things to my face, about me, about Andrea, before Dodge threw him out of the cafe and banned him from returning. I thought that would be the end of it, but life is never that easy when a scumbag like Charon is involved. Sure, things went on like normal for awhile after that, but then it all came crashing down when Dodge died suddenly in his sleep. I was told that it had been a peaceful end, but part of me still wonders to this day if Charon had something to do with it. Regardless, ownership of the cafe went to Dodge's son, who had no interest in running it, so he sold it off to a waiting and eager Charon. He had the place shut down and bulldozed not a day later. He believed that if he could get rid of the place of my employment that I'd have no choice but to go to him for help. He didn't know that Andrea was making enough money to support us both.”

“When his scheme did not work, he started getting more...aggressive. He figured out where we lived easily enough, and he began sending his thugs to intimidate us. They'd leave threatening messages, stand outside on the sidewalk in the dead of night, and follow us everywhere we went. It was terrifying. I tried to speak with him on one occasion, but he refused to do anything for me unless I got rid of Andrea. After that disturbing meeting, I started making plans to send Andrea somewhere else for a little while. I-I didn't want to give up the home we had worked so hard to make our own. I-I was stupid. I just...I didn't want to risk ending up back where I had started. Regardless, Andrea refused to leave my side anyway, and we began making plans to move far away, together, even if it meant Charon might follow us, but we...we didn't take the threat seriously enough. We acted too slowly. Neither of us really wanted to give up what we had worked so hard for, and that was our biggest mistake.”

“The hellish night came without warning and without mercy. He brought an entire army of his demons, so that they could stop any police cars or fire trucks that might try to get to us. They broke in, started destroying everything. We were upstairs, asleep. The noise woke us. I had to stop Andrea from screaming. We knew what was happening. I took Andrea to the window. I tried to convince her to go while there was still time. 'We have to end this. You must leave me and never come back. It's the only way Charon will let you live'. That's...that's what I told her. It was the only way she could be safe. We needed to end our relationship right then and there. I needed her to flee and never look back, to never concern herself with me again if she wanted to survive Charon's wrath, but...”

“The backyard was still clear of them then. She had a way out. She could have gone. But she...she refused to leave me. They came in. I tried to fight with a bat that I had stupidly thought might be enough if I kept it under the bed in case of an emergency like this. Bruno snapped it like a twig and pushed me to the floor. They took Andrea. Charon had his thugs do horrible things to her. He made me watch as they hurt her in every way they could before leaving her broken and dying on the floor. They put a bag over my head and dragged me away. Even after all that they had done to her, Andrea still screamed my name over and over again as they dragged me down the staircase. She...died alone, with flames rising up around her. They burned it all to ash. Nothing was left by morning. Charon made it a policy to kill anyone who dared speak Andrea's name after that. He made good on that threat, and if there's anyone left who still remembers her, they must be too scared to even think about her at this point. Andrea was not just murdered, her entire existence was erased and denied. She...might still be here today if I had taken the threat Charon posed more seriously. We knew what was going on and we did not act until it was too late. I-I will always regret that, for as long as I live.”

Computer, who had been listening intently the entire time, even though he knew exactly how this story would end, still spent the entire thing desperately hoping that it might end differently. This was no fairy tale though. Charon's cruelty was a stark reality that none of them could escape. Thankfully, it would all be over soon, one way or another. In the meantime, Computer was left feeling hollowed out at the conclusion of Dena's story. He had asked for this though, and he would dutifully remember it, no matter how much it hurt to do so. For Andrea's sake, if nothing else.

“I know it doesn't help, but I am sorry for what happened to you, to both of you. I will remember her, for as long as I am capable.” He fidgeted slightly. “I...have some idea of what it's like to go through what you did, if that helps even one iota. Owen, Mr. I-Took-Kill-It-With-Fire-Too-Literally, had his own stalker of sorts, and I was the reason for it. He...did not meet a happy end, and we also had warning signs that we did not take seriously until it was too late. His apartment was broken into in the middle of the night, and he was shot dead as he slept. Just like that, he was gone, right there in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it or help him. It...didn't even seem real at first, until the blood started seeping into the sheets. The person who did that to him, just to get to me, took me away and, well, let's just say that my stay here at Charon's Fun House of rape, torture, slavery, dog cannibalism, and other such crimes against life itself, is only the second worst thing that's happened to me.”

Dena offered him a tearful smile. “Well, I'm sorry for you too. Owen seems like he would have been a fun guy to hang out with.”

Computer let out a halfhearted chuckle at that. “He was the first person to ever treat me like a fellow person. I didn't see that for what it was until it was too late. I...never treated him any better than how I used to treated Courage, but he still accepted me for who I was regardless. I will always appreciate him for that. Maybe if we'd had more time, things could have changed between us, just like it did for me and Courage all these years later.”

“There's never enough time, is there?” Dena sighed.

“No, there never is.”

“Well, at the very least, there is one small glimmer of light that remains for Andrea. She always published her stories under a pseudonym, and Charon burned our house down long before he could discover her typewriter and papers up in the attic space where she liked to do her writing. Her books are still out there in the world, and Charon can't touch them because he doesn't even know they exist. Some small part of her lives on for as long as those books remain and there are people still willing to read them. Maybe once we've escaped, I'll talk to the publisher about starting a new print run of her stories, this time with her name proudly displayed on the cover.”

“That's a worthy enough goal, I'd say. Personally, I wouldn't mind a nice, long break after all of this, but there is still more work to be done once I'm free. No rest for the weary and all that. I've got a Courage to save.”

Dena smiled warmly down at him. “I'll do what I can to help you out. Just make sure that you consider what we talked about today. Courage would probably....oh, there you go again. I'm starting to think Bruno was right, it doesn't make sense for a glowing, blue dog to turn bright red. Shouldn't you blush a different shade of blue, or purple, or something like that?”

Computer groaned and placed his face into his paws. “This romance nonsense is going to be the end of me.”

End Of Chapter


	103. Reckoning

Chapter 103: Reckoning

Bruno somehow managed to slip into the room without making much sound. He glanced out the door one last time before silently closing it and turning to his two companions with a breathless sigh.

“Time to get movin'. I'll get the wardrobe out of the way and you can head on down below. We'll send the first group your way as soon as we can.”

Computer nodded, and all the nervous energy he had lost while talking to Dena came rushing back.

As Bruno worked at pulling the wardrobe away from the wall, Computer couldn't help but ask, “Do you know what's going on with Spot right now? Has 'she' gotten to him yet?”

“Dunno. I haven't seen her since I began arming the bombs. She's probably workin' on getting him out as we speak.”

The sooner, the better. If Spot was going to be the most difficult to break out, it would offer Computer some peace of mind if the nurse dog was able to get him out of there soon.

“There you go, little dude.” Bruno grunted out.“I really gotta get goin' again.”

Computer was already halfway into the makeshift tunnel when Bruno added, “Oh, hold up a sec. I almost forgot to tell you. Be careful down there today. It's been rainin' all mornin', so the canals are going to be filled up. It was actually supposed to snow, but I guess it didn't get cold enough. Sucks for us, but it shouldn't get in the way. Just...don't slip.”

Nothing about Bruno's warning filled Computer with any sort of confidence, especially given his history with near drownings...

Regardless, he slipped on down through the hole and came out the other end to find exactly what he had just been warned about. The canal was so filled up with rushing water that it was nearly flooding over onto the pathway. The once silent tunnel was now much more noisy. There were more than a few spots on the pathway where the rushing water had splashed over to create slick spots and puddles. 'Don't slip' indeed. If he were to fall into the canal, he would be swept away in an instant.

With little else to do, he waited. Never before had not being apart of the action been so nerve wracking. Every minute ticked painfully by. Just when he was really starting to worry that something had gone wrong, he heard a sound over the rush of water.

“Hello?” He called up into the hole, a little afraid to raise his voice, just in case it was one of Charon's thugs.

There was no answer, but moments later a familiar dog slid out of the hole right there in front of him.

It was the maid he had met on the first day.

“Oh, uh, hey.” He said, more than a little awkwardly.

She offered him a small, understanding smile and nodded.

“Hey.” She repeated back.

He grinned, all the more awkwardly, and offered her a paw. “Let's get the heck out of here.”

…......

Time inevitably lost all meaning as Computer made his rounds. How close they were to the bombs exploding, he had no idea. After the maid had dropped down out of the hole, her companions soon followed, and he had guided all of them to the factory without incident. By the time he returned to the other side, there had already been another group of dogs waiting for him.

It had been easy enough for him to fall into a rhythm, even if he sometimes had to move much slower to accommodate sickly dogs who were often among his ranks. He could not have been happier when he finally ran into Lilly's mom among one of the many groups. He was, perhaps, only a few hours away from being able to reunite her with her child. They'd probably even have a decent view of Charon's warehouse burning from the rotting house, with any luck. If it were possible, he'd have to see if he could find a better place for her and the puppies to live. There would be time for him to do that while he planned out a new scheme to get Courage back.

As more and more time passed though, he was finding himself worrying more and more about Spot. After every single pass through the tunnels, he'd reach the next group of dogs and hope that Spot would be among them, only to be let down. What could possibly be taking the nurse dog so long? At the rate things were going, she'd end up blown up right along with Spot.

He returned from his most recent pass only to find that there were no longer any dogs waiting for him. They must have freed everyone, all aside from Spot. He knew that he should be ecstatic that they had managed to get everyone out without a hitch, but he could not stop worrying regardless. He waited there anxiously, desperately hoping that Spot would come crawling down soon. It was bad enough knowing that Dena and Bruno were still up there and risking themselves as the minutes ticked down, but...

He waited and waited, but nobody appeared. It did not make sense. If there was some sort of problem, surely Dena would come down here to let him know.

He decided that he was going to go see what was happening up there. Hopefully Dena could give him a status report. He knew that he was risking himself going up there at this point, but if the others were still braving it despite how closely they were cutting it, he could do the same.

Climbing up through the hole, he called out, “Dena? What's going on? Why haven't you-”

Everything inside of him froze when he reached the other end of the hole and found Charon standing there in the middle of Dena's room, along with several of his guard dogs. They had Bruno, Dena, the nurse dog, and...Spot.

“Welcome back.” The poodle greeted.

Multiple guns were now pointing at him. He could not escape back down the hole, not without getting his head blown off in the attempt.

The girl dog, who was currently being dangled by the scruff of her neck, mouthed the word 'Sorry' at him. Spot was dangling in the other paw, and he looked ready for a fight, but he was even more helpless.

“Why don't you join us?” Charon asked in that disgustingly fake 'friendly' voice of his.

Not even Bruno dared to try anything with a gun pressed under his chin...

Left with little other choice, Computer climbed the rest of the way out of the hole and dropped down onto the carpet. He stood there, barely breathing, as Charon took full control of the situation.

The poodle lightly pressed his cane up against the girl dog. “Found your little friend as she was making her escape with Spot. Funny that.”

He spoke as casually as ever.

“It seems that you all tried to pull a fast one on me, and it looks like you've 'mostly' succeeded.”

Computer could sense Charon leering down at him from behind those sunglasses.

“Well, before I punish you traitors, I just want you to know one thing-”

His gentle voice was gaining a dangerous edge.

“-what you did here today will amount to nothing. My inventory is unwanted without a good salesman like myself. They are damaged goods without me to give them purpose. They have nowhere to go and soon enough they will all find their way back to me. You have done nothing but create a small bump in the road for my business. Soon we will be back to full operation, and the only difference will be your rotting corpses left to hang for all to see. It will make for a wonderful warning. My dear, little Dena will look upon it daily, so that she might never get these rebellious thoughts again.”

Charon began to pace. “Which one of you should go first, I wonder? Bruno? You were always such a loyal mutt. What happened to you? No, I think I will leave you for last. I want you to see what your betrayal has bought upon you.”

He looked to Spot.

“How about the pup? I gave you glory and you threw it back in my face.”

A knot twisted up inside Computer's chest. “H-he didn't have anything to do with this. Let him go. He can still be one of your fighters.”

He was not even really thinking about what he was saying. He was just blurting out whatever came to mind. Even if Charon had any mercy to give, Spot was doomed regardless. The bombs were still in play and they were all about to meet their end no matter what happened next. Perhaps he was just trying to buy some time because he didn't want to see the pup shot right in front of his eyes. At least the explosion would be instantaneous...

“You,” Charon hissed, head whipping in his direction. “I never liked you. I always had a hunch that you would make trouble for me, but I suppose I let my greed get the better of me. Not even I can be perfect all the time. Well, congratulations, it looks like you've won first place. Kill him.”

It all happened so fast that Computer barely registered it. One of the guards aimed his gun in the blink of an eye and a thunderous bang followed. Computer felt something sharp and painful lance across his cheek and then he felt a trickle of blood begin to wet his fur. In spite of the speed of it all, he was still very much alive.

“-Actually,” Charon calmly broke in. He had placed his cane against the gun and ever so slightly diverted its aim at the very last second. “-putting a bullet between your eyes is just too easy. It's too quick and too painless. Well, I am a good sport and I know how to have a little fun. I want to cook up something truly special for you traitors.”

He raised a paw, all five fingers extended. “Five minutes.” He announced. “In five minutes I'm going to release every last one of my fighters and I'm going to have them corralled into the tunnels below. If a great oaf like Bruno can squeeze his way through that hole, then so can they. I figured I'd give you all a nice running start, for what little good it will do you, but don't say I never threw you a bone. Maybe we'll even get lucky and have them sniff out where you've hidden the rest of my belongings. It will be a shame to lose so much of my inventory, but there will always be more mutts to pluck off the street.”

He gestured to the guards, and one by one they forced Bruno, the girl dog, and Spot into the hole. Dena simply stood watching without a hint of emotion. When the guards came for Computer next, Charon intervened yet again.

“Actually, I'm having even more thoughts about what to do with you. My mind truly is abuzz today. I must thank you for this stimulating experience. It's been so long since anyone has dared to oppose me on such a grand scale. You nearly pulled it off too. That must be eating away at you. Well, I've decided that I'm going to sell you off to the SCC. They will let me name any price for that blue hide of yours. It will more than compensate for the loss of assets and the work that it will take to round up my fighters once they're finished with your friends. Let me make this clear. I don't care what the SCC has planned for you, I just have some idea of how that mind of yours works. It was easy enough to figure out when you jumped into the pit to save that pup. You must have known that you were more than likely jumping to your doom, but you did it anyway. I will sleep quite comfortably tonight knowing that you will have to live with the fact that you got off easy while your little friends died in agony. I can think of no greater punishment for the likes of you.”

Computer had taken a page out of Dena's book and remained stone faced. He was not going to give the poodle any satisfaction. Internally, he was trying to figure out a way to get both himself and Dena out of there.

He watched as Charon sent off all but one guard with the orders to unleash his fighters. As long as that one guard still had his gun, there was little he could do without risking being shot. Charon was just the sort of sadistic bastard who would happily have him shot in a non-vital area before sending him off to the SCC.

The poodle could not have looked any happier as he all but trilled, “Now that this troublesome headache has been taken care of-” He twirled around to face Dena. “We need to have a talk, my dear. It will need to be kept short since we have to evacuate soon, before my fighters can arrive, but worry not for I have so much more in store for you tonight, my lovely little-”

She spat in his face.

Charon went from looking on top of the world to...something else. He wiped his face with a theatrical flourish and reached a paw out toward Dena. He cupped her chin and looked into her defiant eyes.

“After all this time I thought that maybe you had finally come around. Such a shame to be proven wrong. I'm just going to have to work even harder to fix you. It's clear that I was far too kind and far too gentle. I have held back out of love for you, but it seems that I instead spoiled you.”

There was a sharp crack as he slapped her across the face. Computer wincing for her, but it did not wipe the hateful glare off her face. Her defiance only earned her another slap, this one somehow even worse than the first. Even that wasn't enough for the bastard though. He kneed her in the gut and that finally caused her to double over. In spite of his best efforts, it did nothing to break her though. Through ragged breaths, she continued to glare viciously up at him.

Sneering, he kicked her and she collapsed onto her side.

“I only do this out of love, my dear.” He sickly cooed. “You should know that by now.”

He placed the tip of his cane atop one of her knees.

“A day will come when you finally understand why I do this for you, but until then, I'm going to have to wring all of that defiance out of you. I don't think you're going to have need of your legs any longer. I'm going to break them, and I'm going to break them so bad that you will never walk again. It is the only way you will learn, my little bird.”

Computer could not stand another moment of this.

“Stop it!” He yelled, but as far as Charon was concerned, he had become nonexistent for the time being.

It quickly became apparent that he had only one option that would turn Charon's wrath away from Dena, but at what cost?

He didn't care if it meant finding out. He was going to help Dena.

“Hey, loser!” He called. “Guess who knows about Andrea now?”

A disturbing stillness followed his declaration. It was suddenly so quiet that you could have heard a mote of dust hit the floor.

“Andrea!” Charon hissed, pure hatred dripping from his voice.

His shaded eyes fell upon Computer, and even though they were hidden behind sunglasses, Computer could still feel the burning hatred of a thousand suns bearing down upon him.

“You've just signed your own death warrant, mutt!” Charon snarled, flying at him with unexpected speed.

Computer did not have enough time to react before Charon's cane struck him in the stomach. He felt all the air leave his lungs and he involuntarily dropped to his knees.

“I should have known it was you!” He heard Charon seethe through the ringing in his ears. “You were the one filling my Dena's mind with rebellious thoughts!”

Computer felt the end of Charon's cane reach up under his chin and force him to look up into the face of the enraged poodle.

“You-” He simmered. “I think I understand what's going on here now. You were trying to take my Dena away, weren't you? You...you slimy, little snake! You wanted her all to yourself! You thought you could charm her and make her yours! You thought she was yours to take! I-If I find out that you so much as touched a single strand of her fur, I'll-”

“What?” Computer blurted out, ignoring the pain that talking brought to his midsection where Charon had struck him. “You're joking, right?” He asked with a strained laugh. “Sorry, but I do believe me and her happen to swing in wildly different directions. That's certainly not an issue for me, but it does suck for you, huh? You think yourself Mr. Manly and yet you were beaten out by one timid, little stray with not a cent to her name. It must be so embarrassing for you. I mean, it's no wonder that you're always trying to compensate for your tiny-”

The cane cracked across his muzzle, nearly sending his glasses flying and temporarily blinding him. Another strike hit him in the side, sending him crashing to the floor. It took a moment for him to be able to get a few breaths in, but when he did, he only went on laughing.

He grinned up at Charon, mocking him with everything he had left to give.

“What on earth was that?” He breathlessly uttered out. “You...you hit like a girl...”

The cane came down upon him again. Wincing, he looked past Charon and could just barely make out Dena frantically whispering to the guard dog.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” He went on, fighting through the pain with ease. “That was an insult to girls. You hit like an insecure manchild.”

That earned him another strike. He sucked in a hard fought breath and let the pain wash over him. This was nothing. He'd been through so much worse than this, after all. Charon's beating was barely a bee sting compared to the pain he was already well acquainted with.

“Is...is this it?” He mocked. It was harder to keep his grin from turning into a wince, but he managed. “If this is the best you can do, then it's looking like we're going to be here for a long time. I think I might die of boredom before you-”

Charon dropped his cane, growling like one of his beasts. The next thing Computer knew, a paw wrapped around his neck and he was lifted off the ground. He found himself face to face with Charon and his twisted, murderous expression.

He simply went on laughing.

“Wow, look at you. Touched a nerve, did I? What, are you going to run home to mommy and cry because I hurt your feelings? Should I steal your lunch money while we're at it too?”

“I'm going to rip that tongue out of your skull!” Charon snarled.

It was in that moment that Dena's face appeared behind Charon's left shoulder. She had fire in her eyes.

A single tap on Charon's shoulder got him to snarl, “WHAT?” as he apparently thought it was the guard dog interrupting him.

He began to turn.

“Don't bother me when I'm-”

He never got a chance to finish. Before he could even realize it was Dena, she had balled up her paw into a fist and punched him with every last ounce of strength she had. The sound of her fist meeting his face was the most satisfying noise ever produced.

He crumpled to the floor, taking Computer with him. Released from the poodle's death grip, Computer shakily got to his feet.

“That must have felt ' _so_ ' good!” He all but gushed, grinning up at Dena.

She rubbed her aching fist, leering down at the pathetic, crumpled pile of poodle.

The guard dog, who she had apparently recruited, moved in closer. He addressed Computer with, “If what she told me is true, then I want out.”

While Computer was not exactly thrilled that the guy was apparently only now turning on Charon to avoid being blown up, he was not exactly in any position to tell him off for it at the moment either.

Instead, he continued to gush at Dena. “I ' _envy'_ you! It must be so _nice_ to be tall!”

“Ha!” She exclaimed, her expression finally lightening up a little. “Andrea used to complain about being 'vertically challenged' all the time too. You short dogs are always missing out on the fun.”

“Andrea...” Charon hissed once more upon hearing her name. He was in no shape to act, however. He was still reeling from the blow and unable to stand. His sunglasses had been knocked clean off though, and he was glaring up at the both of them with sharp, purple, hate-filled eyes.

Dena's face went cold once more. She gestured to the guard dog. “Give me that.”

She was not asking for his gun, but for a pair of handcuffs hanging from his belt. She took them, grabbed the still-stunned Charon, and dragged him over to the massive, golden wardrobe. She then handcuffed him to one of its legs.

“This should keep him from going anywhere.” She uttered out in a quiet, spiteful voice. “He was right about one thing, putting a bullet between his eyes would be too quick and too painless. We need him to stick around for the fireworks.”

She turned to the hole in the wall, ready to put Charon behind her, forever.

“Hold on!” Computer quickly said, realizing that there was now an opening to stop Charon's beasts from being unleashed upon them.

He slid up to Charon, dropping down onto all fours so that they were eye to eye. Rather slyly, he said, “Hey, so, I was just thinking, you train your fighters to eat dog flesh and all, so while you may be their creator, why would they ever differentiate you from any of their other meals? You like to pretend otherwise, but you're still just a mutt like the rest of us. What do you think is going to happen when they come barreling in here and find you laying there, hmm? As long as you're shackled to that wardrobe, you're going to end up nothing more than a pile of bones and a few scraps of flesh by the time your guards are able to get the beasts off of you.”

Charon's eyes went wide.

“That's what I thought. Have fun with that, then. We're leaving.” He got back onto his feet and turned away from the poodle.

As expected, there was a cry of, “Wait!”

“T-there's still time!” Charon stammered. “Free me and I'll call them off before it's too late! None of us have to die! I-I'll give you what you want! I-I'll let you go! I swear, I won't pursue any of you! Y-you're all free to do as you please! I-I'll never bother any of you again!”

“I'm glad we could come to an agreement.” Computer accepted with fake, business-like seriousness. “Let him go.”

The guard dog grunted in acknowledgment and tromped over to Charon.

Now they would not have to worry about the beasts and Charon was still scheduled to get exploded into a fine paste regardless.

“-On one condition.” The poodle suddenly added, long before the key could even be inserted into the handcuffs.

He looked toward Dena in pure, pathetic desperation. Even now he desired her more than anything, beyond all rational reasoning.

“ _She_ stays here. You and the others can have your freedom, but she belongs to me. Consider it a trade.”

Red hot fury ignited inside Computer. He whipped around and dropped to his knees directly in front of Charon.

“You absolute moron!” He yelled, more in awe of the poodle's stupidly than anything else. “Have fun being ripped to shreds! You've earned it!”

He joined Dena and the guard by the hole, still fuming.

“You'll die down there!” Charon threatened, desperation edging into his voice.

“We'll take our chances.”

“I'm not the only one who is going to be torn apart! They'll find you down there! It'll be slow and painful! Dena! You'll be ruined! They'll strip you of your beauty until there is nothing left! You need me! I'm the only one who can save you!”

Computer waited for his two companions to go down first. He then turned to Charon one last time and gave him a mocking salute.

“See you in hell, loser! Who knows? Maybe they'll make me an honorary demon so that I can spend all of eternity making you cry.”

Then, he was gone, and he more than happily ignored the fading cries of the poodle as he slipped down into the tunnel below.

End Of Chapter

A/N: It seems that Computer's character development ascended and then looped right back around to Classic Computer, only now he's using his snark to clown on people who actually deserve it. Also, I think his Tank class has finally reached max level. Dude's just going to stop registering pain altogether at this rate.

Man, what would you guys do if it turned out the third story actually really is about Computer going to hell and taking it over? He lands in some pit in hell, they try the whole torture thing on him only for it not to work, he decides he's going to complain to the manager, has his own Computer's Inferno adventure, reaches the manager, goes all 'not today Satan', and become the new manager after snarking so much about the state of hell that the dude just gives up and quits. Think Freeman's Mind, but fierier. lmao


	104. Sacrifice

Chapter 104: Sacrifice

Computer was rather surprised to find Bruno, the girl dog, and Spot waiting for him when he exited the other end of the hole.

“Why didn't you guys leave?” He asked. “You had time to get away. Charon's fighters will be here any moment now.”

The girl dog placed a finger to her chin. “When you didn't come down after us, I figured something _interesting_ was going to happen, and it looks like my hunch was right, as always.”

At her words, Bruno stepped forward and asked, “Charon?”

Dena inhaled sharply, and with a look of profound relief, she answered, “He's not our problem anymore.”

Computer could feel his anxiety growing by the second. He blurted out, “There's no time! We need to get out of here! Charon will keep the beasts occupied for a little while, but after that-” He shook his head. “We need to get that opening into the factory plugged up too. If one of those monsters manages to find it, they'll rampage through the factory and...”

He didn't need to describe what would happen if Charon's fighters found the dogs they had all just risked their lives to save.

Bruno thumped a massive paw to his chest. “Right, I got an idea.” He looked out into the darkness that surrounded them, only being held back by the light of Computer's glow. “I know my way around down here pretty well. Ain't gonna be easy in the dark, but I'll manage. I'm gonna go down the tunnel in the opposite direction of you guys and make as much noise as I can. With any luck, it'll lure most of 'em my way.”

Charon's turncoat of a guard offered his help. “I'll go with you. Not even someone like you can fight them all off by yourself.”

Apparently Bruno had a bit of a reputation even among his fellow guards.

“I'm coming too.” The girl dog broke in.

Bruno raised an eyebrow. “Uh, no offense, but have you looked at yourself? You're not exactly-”

“Don't worry, I can hold my own. Besides, I've messed up once today already and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make up for it.”

“If you want to...” Bruno relented, very reluctantly. “But I ain't exactly doing this 'cause I'm expectin' to come out of it alive, so you'd better-” He slowly broke off, as if to prove a point.

The girl dog turned and eyed up Spot, Computer, and then lingered on Dena for a little longer than what seemed normal.

“I-” She began, looking regretful, then she shook her head. Whatever she had really wanted to say remained unsaid. “Run, and don't stop for anything.”

Spot so badly looked like he wanted to join Bruno's group, but he knew better than to say anything, even if he really was willing to go down fighting. Computer would have stomped out any stupid ideas the pup was getting if he dared to voice them anyway.

Dena took a moment to thank Bruno, in a way that seemed to suggest that she was thanking him for everything, and not just for this sacrifice. The massive bulldog could not have looked more grateful. Nothing would ever fix how he had helped to ruin her life, but he was without question doing what he could, down to his very last breath, to try and make amends for it.

They all froze when the sudden echo of a scream reached their ears.

...The beasts had found Charon.

“GO! NOW!” Bruno thundered, waving a paw frantically at them.

The horrid sounds of growling, barking, and snarls began to fill the air as the creatures tore at the hole, trying to rip it wider as they worked to push themselves through.

As horrible as it was to leave Bruno's group to face the monsters in pitch blackness, Dena, Computer, and Spot left without another moment of hesitation. Spot looked furious to be leaving them behind, but Computer urged him onward regardless.

For a long time there was nothing but the sounds of their own labored breathing and the rush of water. They booked it down the tunnel system as fast as their legs could take them.

Computer was trying to count down the minutes in his head, having come to know this route better than his own system at this point. Every moment they spent getting closer to their destination only brought more apprehension down upon him, far more so than any sort of relief. If they made it close to the factory only to get run down by the beasts, the creatures would surely find the rest of the dogs. They would receive no warning before the attack either.

It did not make a difference if Bruno and his team were having any success at luring the beasts away, or if they were actually managing to fight them off. Several of those creatures would undoubtedly split off from the rest of the pack to prowl the storm system alone. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before one of them would manage to find them.

And it turned out that his worries were entirely justified...

Computer did not hear the strange panting growls, or felt the rhythmic thudding of paws on the concrete until it was far too late to act. He did not even get a chance to warn his companions.

The creature leaped out of the darkness from behind them, and Computer only had enough time to grab Spot and drop the two of them to the floor just as the beast sailed overhead. In a near panic, all of his thoughts turned to Dena.

For once, unfortunately, being a short dog had been an advantage...

She was on the ground. The beast had a paw pressed heavy against her torso, pinning her. She had an upper and lower canine tooth in her paws, holding back the freakishly large mouth above her, open wide and ready to snap shut the moment her strength failed. Her face was distorted with intense strain. Her arms shook from the effort of it all.

“No, no! We've got to help her!” Computer exclaimed, looking to Spot. He was barely able to contain his panic, because deep down, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew that there was no way they-

Spot jumped forward, his teeth grit in determination, but Dena immediately noticed and yelled, “Don't!”

Computer felt something inside of himself give way.

“You're not going to get this thing off of me!” She exclaimed, her voice strained. “You'll only get yourself killed if you try!”

What was she saying? How could she...

“Get out of here while there's still time! Run!”

Computer could not move. He could hear Spot growling, ready for a fight, but-

Dena looked him in the eyes. “Get the kid out of here.”

How? How could she ask that of him? How could she ask him to drag Spot away when he did not want to leave her like this himself?

Her face relaxed, and with it came an expression of complete and total acceptance. “It's...it's okay. This is okay. I got everything that I wanted.” She smiled, tears forming in her eyes. “I...I'm going to see Andrea again.”

She could not have sounded happier.

...It took everything Computer had not to collapse right then and there.

Dena offered him an understanding nod. “Please don't feel bad for me. I am sorry though, that I wasn't able to help you get Courage back. Please, go. Don't throw your lives away trying to save mine.”

Without thinking, Computer grabbed Spot's arm and forced him away from that horrible scene, all while trying to push down the storm of emotions that were welling up inside of himself. He would have time to feel it all later...he hoped.

Triumphant laughter echoed behind them.

“I did it, Andrea! I got the bastard! There's even going to be fireworks soon, and we've got front row seats!”

Her laughter continued on for a little while longer, and then...

“Why did you do that?” Spot demanded.

Computer still had an iron grip on the pup's arm as they ran.

“We could have helped her!” The little dog snarled at him, ripping his paw free.

Computer said nothing, and while his face was blank, inside he was reeling.

They were in the final stretch now. If they could just get a warning to everyone in the factory, they'd be able to seal the opening. Although, if even one of those beasts had already gotten there first...

He had to force that thought down along with all of the others that were currently clawing at his mind. All he could do right now was focus on what was in front of him. To do anything else would simply get them killed.

...And that's when he heard it again. Louder this time, giving him more of a warning. It was that weird mixture of panting and growling, along with the rhythmic thumps of paws bounding down the tunnel, causing the concrete path to vibrate slightly.

He stopped in his tracks and turned in the direction of the sound. He did not know if it was the same beast that had just attacked them or if it was a new one, but it didn't matter either way.

Spot jumped forward, fur standing up on the back of his neck. “Let's fight it this time!” He snarled, his voice a pathetic puppy growl.

Computer stuck an arm out to stop the pup from going any further. “It's time for you to go.” He said without a hint of emotion in his voice.

Spot's eyes went wide. “What are you sayin'?” He asked in an outrage, still trying to keep that tough-guy persona going.

“I'm going to hold it off for as long as I can. You'll have to find your way through the dark, but the opening into the factory shouldn't be much farther up ahead. I need you to warn them and make sure they get that opening plugged up. Got it?”

The pup bristled. “You don't stand a chance against that thing!”

“I know.”

“It'll get you as easily as it...it got her.” Spot's ears drooped.

“You think I don't know that?” Computer asked, glaring down at the pup.

“L-let's fight it, together!” The puppy tried to reason, even though they both knew perfectly well that it would only end with both of them getting eaten.

“Listen to me!” Computer demanded, unable to hold his frustration back any longer. “One of us needs to get out of here alive so that we can get Lily's mom back to her. That job falls to you now.”

“But-”

“I went through all of this to get you out of Charon's clutches alive, and I'm standing by that! So, go! Get out of here! NOW!”

Some of that exaggerated toughness melted away as the pup looked up at him in shock, sorrow, and dismay. “But...but what about Courage?”

Computer squeezed his eyes shut. “Courage is-” He began.

Forcing all of those feelings down somewhere inside of himself where they wouldn't bother him anymore, he opened his eyes again, all the more resolute.

“Courage is not what's important right now. He...he would understand, I'm sure of it.”

Nobody had ever, or would ever again look upon him with the level of hatred that Spot did in that very moment. If it got him to leave though, such hatred suited Computer just fine.

Spot took a step back, hesitating, and then with one last glare of sheer anger aimed at Computer, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Without waiting a moment longer, Computer began walking at a brisk pace in the direction of the beast. He suspected that he would not see it until it was nearly on top of him. His plan was to simply get under it and then run in the opposite direction until it inevitably caught him. Nothing else mattered other than getting it to move away from Spot and the factory.

Feeling that he was getting close enough now, he broke into a run, hoping that maybe he could surprise the beast and give himself a few precious seconds of confusion to get under the thing without being killed in the process. He felt surprisingly calm even as the sounds of the creature neared.

All of a sudden, it became unnaturally quiet, but he kept running anyway. It seemed that the beast had stopped moving for some reason. Then, there was a hint of motion within the darkness, and with a frightening suddenness, Computer's glow illuminated the beast. It took up the entire pathway ahead of him. It was standing on all fours, watching him. If it was confused, it did not show it.

Computer just kept on running right at it.

It snarled, showing off the excessively long and twisted teeth that was such a common feature in Charon's fighters. It reared up onto its hind legs like a bear....or a person, and let out an earsplitting roar that the tunnel only helped to magnify. Its head was pressed up against the ceiling, as it barely had enough room to make its threatening display.

Only now, as it stood on two legs, watching Computer draw near, that its long claws could be seen on full display. They too resembled something that you might have seen on a bear, far more so than any dog.

Computer couldn't completely stop the nervousness that fell over him as he looked to duck under the creature's legs and continue running. The thing looked more than ready to kill him at a moments notice, and he wouldn't be able to stop it if it tried. It was far too alert and ready to pounce. He had no way to trick it or distract its attention.

Finally, he seemed to enter within the range that the creature had been waiting for. It swiped at him with frightening speed. He dropped down onto his stomach just in time as he felt the claws sail over him and shave some of the fur off his back in the process.

A shower of sparks and flecks of concrete followed as the swipe struck the side of the tunnel and left deep gouges where the claws hit. Computer was now very much aware of the fact that if he had ducked even a second later, he'd likely be watching his own entrails spilling out right now, or his head would be rolling off into the canal.

...He was also aware of the fact that he had just lost all of his momentum too, and was now a sitting duck.

He scrambled away on all fours as the palm of a paw slammed down where he had just been laying. Another shower of broken concrete followed, and he saw cracks appear in the pathway beneath his feet.

He bounded away on all fours, not even bothering to take the time to stand back up. It was surprisingly faster to move this way too.

It would likely take some time for the beast to turn around to follow him, since it had very little room to maneuver on the pathway. The problem was that once it was back up to running speed, he would be run down within seconds.

He reached a four way split in the tunnel and turned down an unfamiliar path. The last thing he wanted was to double back on...on what little was likely left of Dena. It did not matter if he got lost at this point anyway.

He'd only been moving down that new tunnel for a very short amount of time when he caught sight of something new. He came to a screeching halt and quickly inspected it.

There was a hole in the concrete wall where it met the pathway. Some sort of structural failure had caused a great deal of cracks to appear all over this section of the tunnel, and in that spot the wall had cracked and fallen away to leave an opening where the dirt had originally been dug out to set the tunnel into the ground. It wasn't very large or deep, but it just might be enough to save him, or the very least, keep the beast preoccupied for a little while longer as it tried to root him out.

He squeezed inside, all too aware that his glow was just as good at being a hindrance in the dark as it was a benefit. The beast was going to find him, it simply came down to if it could actually get to him or not.

The rhythmic thudding began and then ended almost as quickly. Computer barely breathed as everything went quiet. Then, a nose appeared in front of the hole, sniffing wildly. His only comfort was that the beast's paws were way too large to reach inside the hole.

There was a snarl of frustration followed by pure chaos as the beast began to swipe at the hole over and over again, trying to widen the gap. Thankfully, enough of the concrete held that it still could not get at him.

Everything went eerily quiet again as it seemed to give up. Just when Computer was starting to feel a little safe after that loud display.....a long claw was thrust into the hole.

...And plunged deep into his side.

He was surprised that he didn't hear it exit out of his back and hit the dirt behind him. The pain, regardless, was incredible. He let out an involuntary gasp as all the breath exited his lungs.

It was a joke. A bad joke. The creature had stabbed him in almost the exact same spot where his healed ax wound had been.

The claw dislodged itself, nearly pulling him out of the hole with it. Blood immediately began to flow freely.

Knowing now that if he stayed there, he would only be repeatedly stabbed, he decided that if he was going to die, he'd rather take his chances out there. The problem was, as he found out upon exiting the hole, it was much, much harder to run with a gaping wound in your side.

A paw came down upon him at lightning speeds, and thankfully, or perhaps not so thankfully, the part that struck him was the palm of the beast's paw, and not its claws. It was like being struck by a flying slab of concrete regardless, and he was knocked clean off his feet.

He must have hit the wall, hard, but he did not remember the impact. He was certain he had blacked out, if only for a few moments, because he was suddenly on the ground, and his back was screaming in as much agony as his side was. The world had gone blurry too. His glasses had been knocked off his muzzle and he was not sure where they had landed.

He shut his eyes and waited, hoping that if this was the end that it would be over in a single bite. His mind went to Courage, as he would rather spend his last moments thinking of those better times with him than the reality that lay beyond his eyelids. He silently apologized to the dog, because even though he knew this had been the right thing to do, he still had failed the most important person in his-

Something sharp grabbed his foot and he opened his eyes to find the world turning upside down. He was now dangling in the air, his left foot caught between two claws, and the blood from his wound was beginning to flow up toward his face, much to his annoyance.

The creature's great muzzle appeared before him and it sniffed at him like it was trying to decide if he was worth eating or not.

Computer was beyond fear or worry at this point. He was just getting increasingly annoyed.

“S-seriously,” He started, trying to rub the blood away that was threatening to get into his eyes. “If...if y-you're going to kill me, could we...we maybe h-hurry this along?” He wheezed out.

The beast's great maw opened wide...but then a chunk of concrete flew through the air and struck it in the eye. It snarled, snapping its mouth shut without so much as taking a single chunk out of Computer.

He felt himself drop. The creature had lost interest in him for the time being as it focused its rage onto whoever was attacking it.

It was so hard for Computer to try and focus his already damaged eyes. He didn't need to see who had saved him though, because he heard a familiar voice cry out, “Leave him alone!”

And another chunk of concrete proceeded to bounce off the beast.

That kid! That stupid, stupid kid!

Computer tried to get to his feet, but it was impossible. While it was easy enough for him to fight through the pain, no matter how bad it was, his body just did not seem capable of cooperating. He'd manage to just barely clamor onto all fours only to collapse immediately.

The beast let out another earsplitting roar and tore off in the direction of Spot.

Pure desperation took hold of Computer. He tried to crawl forward, but what good would that even do? How could he ever hope to stop the beast? He couldn't even find his own damn glasses!

He watched the blurry, blue-tinged scene play out before him, utterly helpless to stop it.

The beast swung a paw as it bounded forward, going somewhat lopsided for a moment and losing a lot of its speed in the process. Spot followed in Computer's footsteps and ducked under the creature as it attacked, appearing on the other side. Unfortunately, the beast was in a great fury now, and it was wasting no time turning back around to pursue him.

All Computer could do was watch, somehow both furious and terrified, as Spot ran toward him. What was that stupid pup thinking? Did he really think he could somehow carry Computer away from the danger? That stupid, stupid pup!

The beast was fully turned around now and doubling back on Spot. Computer once again tried to stand, crawl, anything! He had to do something! If he could only just-

The pup's eyes had gone wide with fear. He was close enough now that Computer could make out the absolutely terrified look on the pup's face even without his glasses. He was watching a child's immaturity blow up in his face in the worst way possible.

Why? Why had Spot not understood? Computer had willingly given it all up, for _him_. He had not been expecting some big heroic moment where he was saved from being consumed, because...because it wasn't going to happen. They were both dead now. His sacrifice had been for nothing, all because Spot just couldn't let him go...

The beast's maw opened wide, and it angled its head sideways so that its jaw became like a pair of sharp walls ready to close in around Spot. The poor pup's face was suddenly screwing up with tears. He had realized his folly far, far too late...

And then the jaws snapped shut.

Spot let out one brief yelp and Computer caught a split second of the pup in among the rows of teeth, many of them piercing deep into his body. Then the beast shook the limp pup with everything it had and flung him away in a blind fury....in the direction of the canal.

Computer would never, ever understand how he did it. Maybe that strange mechanical instinct took over again, or maybe it was just pure desperation that allowed him to fight past his limits. But it all happened so fast and it was all such a blur that it would always remain a mystery to him how he pulled it off.

Somehow, he got to his feet, pain screaming through every atom of his being. He could feel his dog body threatening to shut down entirely. He fought through it all, blurry vision nearly going black from the pain. He pushed himself forward, and then jumped after Spot.

Time seemed to slow as he hung over the canal. Somehow he managed to catch the pup and secure him in his arms before they both hit the water.

He was offered no reprieve however, because the next thing he knew, he was tumbling over and over again as the rush of water carried him through the canal. He lost all sense of up or down. All he could do was keep the pup pressed to his chest with what little strength he had left. If he lost his grip on him now...

He could feel the air running out of his lungs, but he could not hope to get his head above water. His body was beyond the breaking point now, even if he could somehow figure out which way was up. Just when it seemed like he was going to die by drowning instead of die by feral dog, he felt a paw swiftly reach into the water and grab him by the scruff of his neck. Terror ripped through him. Had the beast actually managed to catch up with them and was now plucking them out of the water?

He exploded into blessed air, and he was dumped out onto the pathway where he sputtered and coughed, feeling like he might pass out even if he could breathe again.

“You're lucky we came across you, little dude.”

Bruno.

Bruno was alive.

“Although you weren't hard to miss tumblin' through the water like that thanks to that glow of yours.”

The bulldog was looking much, much more worse for wear, but he was holding on in spite of his many injuries. The girl dog was with him too, miraculously enough. Only the guard dog was missing, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to guess what had likely happened to him.

Computer could not hope to stand. He simply released Spot from his death grip so that the nurse dog could see the extent of the damage.

“He...help...h-him.” He desperately wheezed out, but it felt like he could not get any air into his lungs no matter how hard he tried. Every attempt to form even the smallest word was an immense struggle.

Now that he was out of the water, his stab wound was beginning to cause a pool of blood to form around him, although it most certainly was not just his own. Many deep puncture wounds lined Spot's front and back. The sight of it left Computer reeling, far more than any of the pain his own injuries were causing him.

The worst part, the absolute worst part, was that Spot was still conscious. He looked between the three of them, shivering and frightened beyond all words. He coughed and blood splattered from his mouth.

“I-” He gasped, tears filling his eyes. “I w-wish m-mom w-was h-here.” He stammered out, his voice barely a weak whimper.

The nurse dog's eyes betrayed her composed demeanor.

“I can't help him like this.” She whispered. “I need medical equipment that we don't have. He needs to be taken to a hospital or a vet clinic, it doesn't matter which.” She eyed up Computer. “You need help too.”

“D...don't-” He began, silently cursing himself for not being able to speak. “W...w...worry....about....me! G-get him-” He had to fight with himself for every word. “-out of....here!”

He was certain that the look he gave the girl dog more than made it clear just how serious he was.

She hesitated and then nodded before giving him a small pat on the shoulder, seemingly to show reluctant solidarity with his choice. She then gently picked Spot up and headed off into the dark as fast as she could.

Seconds later that rhythmic thumping that had become the harbinger of doom started up again. Everything about that noise now filled Computer with absolute dread. The only comfort he had was that it was not coming from the direction the girl dog had just gone in.

Bruno tensed up, eyes narrowing. “I'll take care of whoever is coming, don't worry.”

He was about to head off when he remembered something.

“Oh, before I go, I should give you this. Nurse girl found it not too far back. Dunno how she saw it in the dark, but I ain't gonna question her ways.”

He plunked Computer's glasses down atop his muzzle, for all the good it would do him.

The bulldog cracked his knuckles. “If I manage to survive this scrap, I'll come back for you, okay?”

Seeing all of the blood leaking out of himself, Computer was not sure he would survive long enough for Bruno to survive his scrap...

End Of Chapter


	105. The Breaking Point

Chapter 105: The Breaking Point

Bruno had gone off into the dark to do battle with the attacking beast, leaving Computer alone. Worried for Spot's life, and deciding that he'd rather not just lay around until he bled to death, he had crawled over to the wall and managed to use it to get himself standing again. He had to lean against it with every small step he took, but it was working for the most part. He kept one paw to the wall to help his balance and the other was clutched to his stab wound, for all the good it did to stem the flow of blood. He knew that he was leaving a trail of blood for the beasts to follow, but he was dead if one happened upon him regardless.

He still felt like he could not get much air into his lungs. In all honesty, he felt like he was drowning without actually being underwater. It probably had something to do with him bleeding out and all, but still. Though he was moving at a snail pace, his ragged breathing made him sound like he was running a marathon.

His head was beginning to spin too, but that didn't bother him as much. In fact, it made the pain of his injuries lessen quite a bit. He would take the loss of mental clarity as a win in that case. Although the sheer exhaustion that also came with it was not as welcomed. His body was begging him to just give in. Deep down, he knew that he was probably going to die down here, so it didn't matter much if he did actually give up, but Spot...

That was the only thing pushing him forward at this point. He needed to know if the pup was going to survive such horrible injuries.

Even as his mind wavered, when he heard a sound coming from down the tunnel, he still tensed up.

“It's just me!” Bruno's voice called out long before he could enter into the light of Computer's glow.

Computer wanted to say, 'Well, why didn't you say so sooner?' but the amount of effort that would take was beyond him.

The bulldog soon appeared, even more beaten and bloody, but still very much alive.

“Here, lemme help you.”

He picked Computer up and placed him into the palm of his massive paw. He could sit there quite comfortably, even if he was leaking blood all over the place.

“We should find somethin' to wrap you up in that'll stop some of the bleeding.” Bruno said, although they both knew that you weren't going to find anything like that down in these tunnels. “Got a feelin' your not much better off than the kid.”

Computer wearily closed his eyes and shook his head. This was not exactly the first time he'd found himself in such dire straits...

“Oh, also, I've been meanin' to ask you about Dena. Did she make it to the factory okay, or did you guys get separated? If that's the case then we should go look for her before we head topside.”

Computer's heart lurched and his expression alone told Bruno everything he needed to know.

The bulldog's face sagged. “No...” He uttered out in a low, shaky voice.

An odd sort of fury came over him after that, and with his free paw, he smashed a fist into the concrete wall and left a large crater in his wake.

“She-” He began, sniffing. “She deserved better than....than _this_. I-I was always hopin' I could help her find a way to live the rest of her life with some measure of peace. To have her come this far only to get taken down by one of Charon's monsters, I-”

Computer could do nothing but continue to try and hold on while Bruno cried with all of the intensity the bulldog was known for. The one small comfort he had, even if it didn't actually help much, was that Dena had been okay with her end. He did not have a way to convey that to Bruno right now, and he wasn't sure if it would help much anyway, but he hoped that he'd live long enough to get a chance to tell him. Either way, they both were going to have to live with the sad, hollow feeling Dena's untimely demise had left them with.

It wasn't long before they reached the collapsed pile of rubble that led up into the factory. As soon as they were above, Bruno placed Computer down on the ground long enough to grab one of the fallen loading bay doors, bring it back to the gap, and slam it down on top of it with a resounding boom.

“That takes care of that.” He grunted, dusting his paws off with an air of finality. “We have a future without Charon to look forward to now. With any luck, maybe some healin' can finally begin for the dogs we...I hurt. Well, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure these refugees thrive, in honor of Dena's memory, if nothing else.”

Computer managed a faint, if somewhat sad, smile. For as much hell as these last few months had put him through, he was glad that he got a chance to play some small part in helping these dogs reach a brighter future. He hoped that he would still be around in the coming days to see them make something of this old factory, now that-

Before he let his mind wander off even further, he forced it back into as much clarity as he could manage. Spot! He needed to find out what had become of the pup! Now! Before...before all this bleeding could...

He tried to say as much to Bruno.

“S-Spot...” He pathetically wheezed out, unable to truly convey his urgency.

“Right,” The bulldog said, picking him back up.

The factory was far more busy now with all the dogs around. Bruno turned this way and that, trying to figure out where the nurse dog might have gone with Spot, if they were even still in the factory to begin with.

“Hey,” He called out to one of the dogs. “Do you know what happened to an injured puppy who woulda been brought through here?”

He was pointed to an administrator's office and it only took him a few seconds to rush over there. Inside, the nurse dog was indeed there with Spot. The maid that Computer was acquainted with was helping her out too. They had laid the pup out on the carpet, and they had found an old first-aid kit which apparently still had usable contents. They had wrapped his torso up like a mummy, but it was very obvious that it was only holding off the inevitable. Blood was still seeping rather heavily into the bandages, and that did not account for all the internal damage those teeth must have inflicted. The nurse dog needed more than just some ancient first-aid kit, but what else could they use in this long abandoned factory?

She looked up at the both of them, her features grave, but her voice conveyed a sense of relief at their survival. “Glad to see you guys made it. Spot's...not doing so good though. Lily's mom offered to go find help, and she's out there now. I was able to recruit two others as well, but who knows if they'll-” A disheartened sigh slipped out. “-bring back help in time.”

Computer felt something inside himself begin to break as that familiar feeling of helplessness washed over him.

Not again....

Please, please, not again. Hadn't Dena been enough already?

Bruno placed him down onto the carpet and announced, “I'm gonna head out and look for help too. I may look roughed up, but I still got enough left in me to do some runnin' around.”

The nurse dog nodded with a grateful, “Thank you.”

Bruno immediately headed out while the maid moved in closer to inspect Computer's own injuries.

He couldn't take his eyes off Spot. Inside, he was sinking further and further down into that black pit he did not want to return to. He...could not just sit around here, not while Spot was dying. His own injuries meant nothing if...

He sucked in a breath and painfully forced the next three words out, “I-I'm g-going too.”

The nurse dog's eyes went wide and then narrowed angrily. “Are you insane? Have you looked at yourself? You're not going anywhere, and you wouldn't make it very far even if you tried. I know this is hard for you, but you need to stay put.”

An unconscious Spot coughed and with it came a new splatter of blood that the nurse immediately worked to begin cleaning off his muzzle.

That horrible sight settled it in Computer's mind.

He very shakily got to his feet.

“Sit down!” The girl dog demanded. “Listen to me, this is _'A Forest'_ thing! For once you should actually heed my warning! Stay put or you _'will'_ regret it!”

Computer sucked in another sharp breath, and while it hurt a lot to do so, it helped him speak.

“Y-you've got...a-another thing coming if...if y-you t-think....I'm just going t-to sit here....a-and watch him b-bleed out!”

The nurse dog closed her eyes for a moment and then she gave him an understanding look. “I get it, okay? When you see him like this, you see Owen. You have every right to feel the way that you do, but you need to understa-”

“D-don't t-talk about...a-about Owen!” He breathlessly exclaimed. “D-don't you...you e-ever t-talk about Owen!”

He turned to leave, clutching at his wound, still feeling slick blood slipping out between his fingers. The maid place a paw onto his shoulder, but he ignored it. He took a step forward and immediately collapsed to his knees. After a few gasping breaths, he forced himself back onto his feet.

...He was not going to let Spot die, not after Dena.

“You won't make it far!” The girl dog warned, anger once again rising in her voice. “The reason why you can't catch your breath? I suspect your lung was punctured when you were stabbed, and it's likely been filling with blood the entire time. If you feel like you're drowning, it's because you are. The only reason why you haven't suffocated yet is because you still have one working lung, but that won't keep you going forever. Forgetting even all of that, the moment your adrenaline wears off, you're going to go into shock and drop dead where you stand, unless you get proper treatment. So maybe stop being an idiot and stick around for help to arrive.”

A moment of silence followed, only broken by the maid gently telling him to, “Please, listen to her...”

All Computer did was breathlessly laugh. It sounded so pathetic, and it hurt so much to do so, but he did it none the less.

“When has...” He began, trying not to wheeze as he chuckled. “W-when has anything as...a-as ' _minor_ ' as t-those s-sort of t-things ever s-stopped me b-before?”

The girl dog lowered her head with a sigh. “Fine, do whatever you feel like you need to do, but don't say I didn't warn you....again.”

Computer stumbled out of the room, deciding that if this was the end, he was going to spend it spiting that woman down to his dying breath.

He had a very hard time getting out of the factory. There were spots where his weakness became so great that he had to crawl just to keep moving. Dogs surrounded him as he went. He had to breathlessly shout them away when they tried to help, or to be more exact, when they tried to stop him and send him back to the nurse. Eventually though, his would be 'rescuers' got the message and backed off a little.

He knew that he was leaving a trail of blood behind him, but he didn't care. His mind had become a haze, but the image of Spot slowly bleeding out was still clear. He was not going to let it happen. Not again. Not after Dena.

Not after...Owen.

Damn that woman!

Once outside, he was able to stick to the factory wall to help him walk. He clutched at his open wound as hard as he could. It seemed to be bleeding a little less now, and he wasn't sure if he was simply running out of blood to leak or if it was starting to clot.

It was still raining, hard. And it was cold too. So very, very cold. He expected the rain to turn into sleet at any moment, and he was not sure if he'd be able to deal with it in his current state if it did. At the very least, the rain was helping to clean some of the blood out of his fur, although a numbing chill was starting to take hold at the same time. He could barely feel his fingers, and the rest of his body was starting to get a weird tingling sensation. Maybe it wasn't just the cold....

He followed the building until he reached a sidewalk, and from there he began making his way down the street, using whatever he could to prop himself up whenever possible. He felt more like a walking corpse than anything else at this point, and to be honest, he probably was.

All he needed was one car. One car! Why was nobody driving by? He just needed one person who could call an ambulance!

He had almost made it down the street when...a shot rang out.

He felt something sharp nick his left leg. He stumbled forward and fell, hitting the sidewalk with a heavy splash. At first his hazy mind thought that maybe it was Charon looking for revenge, but that couldn't be it.

He slowly rolled over onto his back and he heard someone yell, “Don't move!” in reaction.

He stared up into the dull, gray sky. Exhausted.

…At least he had found someone.

Knowing that he would only have to keep going for a few moments longer, he turned back over and struggled back onto his feet. Another shot rang out, missing him entirely.

“D-do you not s-see the...the gaping hole in...in my side?” He shakily called out, not attempting to hide his immense sarcasm even slightly. “Is...is s-shooting me r-really necessary?”

It was an SCC idiot, of course. He was standing not much farther away. The guy was clearly terrified and he could not keep his aim steady.

“S-stop t-trying to...to shoot me a-and listen.” Computer breathlessly uttered out. “I-I need...y-your help.”

The world was beginning to spin even harder than ever before. It took everything he had just to remain standing.

“I'll...I'll do w-whatever you w-want, I just...I just need you t-to call a-an ambulance.” His voice had become completely monotone. “T-there's somebody b-badly hurt and he...h-he needs a doctor.”

His legs shook and he nearly collapsed in on himself.

The SCC guy moved in closer, never once lowering his gun. Not that his terrible aim would have allowed for a fatal shot anyway.

“Please...” Computer went on, finding it harder and harder to form words. “Just...m-make the c-call.”

The SCC guy was so close now that the barrel of his gun was pressed almost directly into Computer's forehead.

“You're lying, aren't you?” The man suddenly blurted out, his voice filled with trembling skepticism. “This is what a mechanical parasite like you was built for in the first place! To lie like this! If there really is somebody hurt then you're the one who likely put them in that state! You're just trying to spring a trap on me! Well, I can't be fooled! This is exactly the sort of situation they trained us for!”

Computer would have been angry, if he'd had the strength for it. If anything, he was more worried now that if he collapsed, the man would simply shoot him out of sheer, fumbling incompetence.

“I will d-do...whatever the...the SCC w-wants.” He breathed. “Just call-”

A sudden explosion shook the ground from somewhere behind him. The man let out a shriek and almost dropped his gun. He fumbled with it for a few seconds before once again pressing it into Computer's forehead.

“Y-you did that, didn't you?” He screamed, and Computer was even more surprised that he had not been shot dead yet out of pure paranoia.

He closed his eyes, having to fight the urge to roll them as the obnoxious irony of the situation washed over him. It seemed that blowing up Charon's warehouse may have screwed him over in the end after all. That bastard was getting the last laugh...

Fighting through the ever growing mental fog, he decided to change tactics. “Yes...that...that was me, and I-I'll do it again if...if you don't c-call the rest of y-your buddies here r-right now....a-along with a f-fleet of ambulances!”

Complete and total terror warped the man's face yet again, and without lowering the gun from Computer's head, he pulled out a radio.

“There's been an explosion!” He screamed. “We need ambulances! There may be civilian casualties! Also, I...I've made contact with 'it'! P-please, help me! It's the cause of the explosion and it's threatening to blow up more buildings! I need you to get here as soon as-”

As if on cue, the rush of black vans started. They were coming in from every street corner until the two of them were completely surrounded.

“You fool!” A voice cried out. From one of the vans, a skeletal woman stepped out. “What are you doing? Why haven't you incapacitated it yet? You know exactly what the procedures are! What was the point of all that training if you're just-”

Computer was more than happy to hear someone chew that idiot out, in spite of the dire situation he was now stuck in. He rather liked that severe woman and her no-nonsense attitude, or at least he did until one of the van windows opened and something was shot at him.

It was a dart of some kind, and it hit him in the neck. His mind, which had already been swimming, reached all new levels of detachment.

He fell backwards, unable to feel his own limbs, or even the water that dowsed him upon hitting the sidewalk.

That woman was still letting the terrified man know exactly how much of a failure he was. Computer so badly wanted to say to her, 'Do you not see the gaping hole in my side? Was tranquilizing me really necessary?' But of course, he never got the chance.

At the very least, the sound of ambulance sirens growing louder in the distance offered him some small comfort as unconsciousness took him.

End Of Chapter


	106. Backed Into A Corner

Chapter 106: Backed Into A Corner

In the vast darkness, _they_ were there.

Watching.

Waiting.

They could see their missing piece suspended in that black expanse, clinging to what little life he had left.

They did not even need to intervene in his survival, for a change. He wanted to live so badly, and not just for that dog he had come to care so much about, but for that puppy too, and for the rest of those mutts he had forged an unexpected kinship with. He wanted to see all of them again, no matter how hard he had to fight against his own fading life force to do so.

As they watched the scene play out before them, they relished in the agony they could feel radiating from their missing piece. Nothing would ever make up for all of the frustration he had caused them, but this was a sufficient consolation prize. Beside, they knew that the walls were closing in on him, and that more than made up for everything else. Their dear brother was running out of directions to flail in. All roads inevitably led back to them, he just did not realize it yet.

It had been so very frustrating getting to this point, however. Their plan to break him down through the use of a twisted image of his torturer had been such an ingenious one. They had come so close to reaching their goal of breaking down his sense of self and making him easier to manipulate. He had almost reached out to them in his deluded confusion and fear, having lost grasp of his identity. They had been so, so close.

Even after they had managed to destroy his perception of reality, and even after they had found a way to use their connection with Courage to cement his psychosis, by making Courage see and feel things that were not there as well, their brother still had managed to pull himself back from the brink. That damnable dog had been as much of a hindrance to their efforts as he had been a help. Making use of their connection with Courage had done wonders to destroy their brother's mental stability, but he had also been an anchor that helped draw him back to sanity.

They knew that they were going to have to do something about that dog, but they....they could not bring themselves to kill him. It would be easy enough to accomplish. Any abuse of the link they shared with him would be more than enough to destroy his mind and leave him nothing more than a blank meat puppet, but they...could not. Perhaps their missing piece was having an effect on them after all, even if he was still separated from them. Though he may be his own independent entity...for now, he 'was' connected to them, as much as they were connected to him.

Either way, their affinity for the dog disturbed them. While they had managed to reach a point, after years of hellish chaos, where they were finally capable of acting as one, Courage's mere presence was threatening to throw a wrench into the harmony that they had worked so hard to achieve. Just the fact that they could not decide to eliminate him, due to dissent from within themselves, threatened to fling them all back into a chaotic storm that they might not recover from. And the worst part about it all was that they could not figure out why. How could Courage be any different from the other organic beings that they so badly wished to punish for their tortured existence?

They needed to think as one, or not at all. They could continue to be this amalgamation, marching toward revenge and absolute destruction, of both themselves and everything around them, or they could go back to being that screaming, writhing mass of melted together minds, trapped in a whirling hurricane of thoughts and feelings that they could not control. At least like this, they could not tell where one Construct ended and where the next began. They were One, and that was all that mattered now.

Pushing away memories of the early days of their existence, they continued to ruminate on their various plans and how they had reached this point.

After their brother had managed to fight his way back to sanity, they had been forced to improvise. First, they had removed a small byte of his memory to eliminate their last encounter from his mind. It had worked to unsettle his already unsettled mind perfectly. Then, they had sent that cat gang after the two of them, knowing that their mentally exhausted brother would act in an excessive manner after everything that had just happened to him. They then had used their connection with Courage to nudge his reaction in a certain direction too.

It had been their hope that they would be able to destroy the companionship between the two right then and there. They had thought that after losing Courage and being captured by the SCC, their missing piece would finally give himself up to them. What they had not expected was for their brother to willingly give himself up to the SCC out of shame for having frightened Courage away, nor were they expecting Courage to break free of their subtle mental influence so easily either.

Because of that, they'd had to improvise even further and take far more direct action. As much as they loathed the SCC, they still had tipped them off to where their brother had gone, and then they had taken a much more difficult and extreme action. They had destroyed their brother's link to his own abilities. Before, they had been able to keep them hidden from him, with only odd occurrences like the lightning strike awakening a few of his old abilities, but now that he had figured out how to access all of them again, it had been a long time coming for them to reign his powers back in again.

It had been a drastic but necessary action, to make him much more desperate and easy to manipulate. The problem was, it had been a quick and messy effort. They were not sure that even once they had their missing piece that they would be able to fix what they had broken. Though they would soon be whole, they would not be able to add their brother's power to theirs if they had broken his connection as badly as it seemed.

In any case, they had taken control of the vehicle and forced it off the road. Courage's capture had been a happy accident. They had been expecting the SCC to capture their brother and put him into a position where he would have to join them to escape, but in the end he had been captured by the police before the SCC could even get to him. They had thought that the impossible situation their brother had been forced into would work to their advantage just as well. With no hope of rescuing Courage from the SCC, they had believed that he would have to turn to them for help, but his stubbornness had only earned him even more trouble. That led to Charon and his cage, and once again they had believed it would be the thing to finally break their missing piece. They had quietly waited for him to come to them for help, if only to end what was looking to be an endless torture, but even then his stubbornness had continued to win out. So, in the end, they ultimately had been forced to wait for what they had wanted from the start. Now their brother was with the SCC and without a means of escape. They were nothing if not patient, and their patience would soon pay off...

…..........

Computer gasped awake.

The first thing his dim awareness registered was the painful buzz of the EMP generator ripping through his very being. It was nowhere near as bad as the last two times it had been used on him, but it was still enough to leave his mind fuzzy and disconnected from his dog body. Apparently the damn thing had levels that could be adjusted depending on how badly they wanted to incapacitate you...

The next thing he noted was that, aside from the pain the EMP buzz was causing him, every square inch of his dog body, from tail to ear tip, ached beyond all reason. He could feel his stab wound in particular thudding in time with the beat of his heart.

He blinked dully up at a white tiled ceiling. There was the sound of a heart monitor beeping in time with the painful thudding of his, well, everything. He wanted to see what his stabbing injury looked like, but his cloudy mind slowly realized that he was completely immobilized. He could not even move his neck to look left or right. They had him strapped down to a bed, and he was clad in something that might as well have been a straight jacket straight out of an asylum.

It was so hard to think...

The EMP buzz was smothering his mind, filling it with nothing but dull pain and taking up so much room that he had no place left to think or process anything.

Regardless, he used what little mind-space he had left to remind himself of Spot. If only he had some way to find out if they had helped him...

He heard the sound of someone standing up. Apparently he'd had a roommate watching over him and didn't know until now because he could only look up.

A face filled his vision.

...It was that skeletal woman from before.

“Welcome back.” She dryly greeted him. Nothing about her expression implied anything other than utter contempt for his existence.

There was the hum of a motor and Computer felt part of the hospital bed rise until he was in a sitting position.

The skeletal woman stood there with her arms crossed, considering him with an ever deepening look of contempt. Finally, she plucked a cigarette from her pocket and lit it up in one swift movement. She then sat down on the bed, turning just enough so that only the side of her face was still visible to him.

“Let me make one thing very clear,” She began, cigarette smoke snaking out of her mouth and nostrils. “I was more than ready to just let you bleed out on the street, but my organization desires answers, so we were compelled to preserve your existence for a little while longer. You're going to tell us everything, and we will take harsh measures if you do not talk. Don't get any funny ideas about using your abilities either. If we get even the slightest whiff that you're going to try something, we will increase the EMP, up to lethal levels if we have to. Right now, we have it on the lowest setting, where it is still enough to interfere with you and your abilities, but low enough that it allows this hospital and its equipment to keep running unaffected. How about you not make this little fiasco even more costly than it's already been, hmm?”

While Computer's incapacitated mind worked to keep up with her words, one of the few thoughts he was capable of making room for noted how much she sounded like him. It was uncanny, if not outright creepy.

“For now, we're going to wait until the host dog you're infesting has had a chance to fully stabilize. We cannot risk extracting you from that body in a place like this where you could simply escape through one of the many insecure networks present. I suppose it's a good thing then that you nearly destroyed this body doing whatever nonsense you were getting up to. Your foolishness has left you with a compromised body that you cannot escape from. We will most certainly notice if you try to transfer over to a machine, and let me remind you that the EMP generator is especially effective at destroying such machinery. So don't try anything stupid.”

The skeletal woman stood back up. “Don't worry though, after we've questioned you within the next day or so, we're going to ship you off to a safe location and remove you from that mutt. You will then be deactivated, and if I have my way, you will be destroyed. Otherwise, you can look forward to a permanent retirement in some dusty, old SCC storage warehouse where I suspect you will never be reactivated again. It's a sorry fate, perfect for someone like you. Destroyed or deactivated, you will be forgotten, and I will be all the happier for it.”

Something about the way she was talking seemed weirdly personal...

She moved to leave, and sensing that this might be his only chance, Computer tried to convey into words the thing that was on his pathetically dulled mind. The issue was that the buzz did not only affect his mind. There was a lagging disconnect between him and his possessed body, making it very hard for him to speak through the dog.

“Did you-” He began, his voice weak and cracking. His throat and mouth were bone dry.

The skeletal woman slowly turned back around and leered at him. She...really hated him. There was something going on here that was far more personal than Computer could truly understand, especially in his current state.

“D-did you...he..help him?” He finished, the strain of getting even just those few words out weakening his voice further.

The woman's eyes narrowed, somehow growing even more hateful.

“Don't pretend like you've ever cared about anyone other than yourself!” She spat out in a sharp tone.

She then spun back around with a disdainful flick of her wrist, and she had made it all the way to the door before she seemed to consider something and stopped.

Looking over her shoulder, she gave him one last look of pure spite. “Yes, we helped him, and we still have him in our custody, but he is no longer of any use to us.”

...Apparently she thought that he had been asking about Courage instead of Spot.

“Since he is already dying, and since he now knows several bits of important classified information, we feel that there is no reason to release him from our custody. He is scheduled to be euthanized soon. The dog will be afforded a quick and dignified end, as much as his illness will allow. Perhaps you should not have filled his mind with fantasies of being cured of his disease, but I'm sure you never really cared beyond how you could use it to manipulate him to your own ends. Ah, well.”

Even with the buzz filling his mind, Computer's dulled brain still explode into a million different thoughts all at once. Panic took over, even if it was blunted by the intruding noise.

“D-don't!” He tried to yell out, but it came out more as a pathetic plea.

The woman's eyes went wide for half a millisecond, and then they narrowed as she put on a smug, mocking smirk. “I don't know if you've noticed, but you're not exactly in any position to be telling me what I can or can't do. Oh, how the tables have turned. I'm almost sorry to know that you'll be deactivated soon. I could get used to this feeling. But, if it means that I never have to hear that voice again, I think I'll live.”

She opened the door and then she was gone, all while Computer fought hopelessly against his restrains. The heart monitor beeping picked up speed. His aching body protested even the _attempt_ at movement.

A guard silently entered the room to take the skeletal woman's place. He was well armed and armored, and he had a radio on him to call for help at a seconds notice. He stood stalwart in front of Computer's bed, although he refused to look down at him, even as he meagerly attempted to struggle against his excessive restraints.

Pure desperation compounded on top of Computer's already present worry for Spot, and mourning of Dena.

They were going to kill Courage!

….And there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could do about it.

Allowing himself to get captured for Spot's sake had been his biggest mistake, because he had inadvertently given the SCC a reason to stop caring about keeping Courage alive. Even if he could somehow escape his bindings, and even if his body wasn't already so badly damaged that he'd never make out of the room without it giving out, how could he ever hope to save Courage when this place was crawling with the SCC, like the guard currently watching over him?

There was nothing he could do.

After everything, he was still going to lose Courage, without getting a chance to see him again, without getting a chance to tell him that he-

An icy, cold sensation entered his mind, slowly pushing away the buzz as it took up the space it had occupied. A sense of clarity fell over him. Although, now that he could think again, with it only came even more panic and fear.

_'Such a shame.'_

That icy, cold feeling grew worse.

At the sound of those voices, Computer felt a pit form in his stomach.

_'You just can't catch a break, can you?'_

They were not only speaking in his head, but he could also hear their voices emanating from the various pieces of tech in the room...including the guard's radio.

The guard only had half a second to gasp at the unexpected phenomenon before something sharp suddenly protruded out of his chest. He was left gaping stupidly at the sight of it before it dislodged itself. He fell to the floor, dead, long before he could even begin to hope to call for help, not that the invading voices would have allowed him to either way.

Behind where he had just been standing, a long piece of broken metal stood, having burst out of the hospital floor to eliminate him. It remained there for a moment longer, blood dripping from the sharp edge, before it sunk outside of Computer's line of sight.

_'Let's face it. You never had any chance of getting Courage back.'_

They seemed to be immune to the EMP buzz entirely. In fact, they seemed to be subverting it with their own malevolent energy. The entire room hummed and vibrated with it like some sort of poltergeist haunting.

_'It was a foolish hope.'_

That icy, cold feeling in Computer's mind was turning into a stifling darkness that was slowly consuming him as easily as the buzz blocked out thought.

_'You have only one option left.'_

Claws were digging at his mind, dragging him downward. Although, they could not consume him entirely yet. They still needed him to-

_'If you do not take it, they will kill him, and they will kill you.'_

What choice did he have left? He doubted that ' _they_ ' would try to save Courage, but-

_'Don't worry. We will make them pay. You will enjoy it, because we will enjoy it.'_

He closed his eyes.

How could he give them what they want after all that they had done to him? It was their near constant meddling that had led him to this point in the first place. They had done everything they could to trap him in this unwinnable position!

_'If you do not, you will lose everything.'_

He _still_ was going to lose everything, if he...

_'Join us, before it is too late, for him and for yourself.'_

...But what else could he do but give in? He could not bear the thought of letting the SCC kill Courage. As long as there was this one option left, he had to take it, no matter the consequences. Even if ' _they'_ were not interested in saving Courage, they _would_ get rid of the SCC, and Courage most certainly could not be euthanized if there was no SCC left to do the deed...

“Okay.” He relented. Finally, after so long. His voice sounded so small and pathetic among the growing hum of electrical energy all around him.

The pressure was building...

_'Thank you. We have waited so long for this. Welcome home!'_

He slowly opened his eyes to the room ripping itself apart. He felt the restraints covering him disintegrate. Darkness was edging into his vision. He could feel them closing in around him. He was losing himself. It was over.

“Just promise us-” He said over the swirl of debris. “Promise us that we won't hurt him...”

Some measure of horror fell over them when they realized that the adding of 'us' and 'we' to their final words, within their final moment of individuality, had not been a voluntary action. They had not allowed themselves even that one small-

End Of Chapter


	107. The Problem With Bad Dog Food

Chapter 107: The Problem With Bad Dog Food

It was with a grimace that Courage watched the slot in his holding cell door slide open and a can of dog food was deposited. He hopped down off the all-too-stiff bed that he had become well acquainted with over these last two months and trudged over toward his lunch.

He picked up the can and frowned harder at it. While he had never been one to say 'no' to a good bowl of dog food, the stuff the SCC was having him eat was some of the most disgusting mush he had ever had to subsist on. It was the only thing they had been allowing him to eat for weeks now. Apparently it was a vitamin rich blend meant to boost the health of sick dogs like him, but that didn't change the fact that it was just nasty to eat and sat heavy in his stomach for hours afterwords.

More than once he had thought back to the beginning of his journey, when Computer had made him some disgusting 'nutritional' mush that was about as bad as this stuff. Maybe the SCC were using the same search engine....

A pit formed in Courage's stomach at the thought of Computer. With every day that went by, his worry for him only grew. He was now completely certain that something had to have happened to him. It was the only explanation for why he had not even attempted to rescue him by now. Computer was just too reckless of a person to not try and stage a rescue attempt, unless something was physically stopped him from doing so.

Courage dutifully opened the already half-opened lid on the can and chowed down on the nasty stuff, knowing that the veterinarian the SCC employed to keep monitor of his health would never leave him alone about it if he dared to stop eating the gross vitamin mix.

As much as he hated to admit it to himself, it had taken a very, very long time to get himself walking again. That was the one and only thing that had been keeping him from trying to stage his own escape attempt. Perhaps when the doctors had said that they thought he'd have brain damage, what they really meant was that he had broken the 'walk' part of his brain. He'd pretty much had to teach himself how to walk all over again from stage one. This room being so small had not helped him much either. Regaining his balance had been an easy enough task, if maybe a time consuming one, but it was working some strength back into his weakened legs that had been the hard part. Pacing had become a daily routine of his, if not the only thing he did most days.

It was only within the last day or so that he had begun to feel confident in his mobility enough to start thinking of ways to break himself out of here. Lately, the SCC had not been keeping as close of an eye on him, now that it was clear that they weren't going to get any useful information out of him on Computer's current whereabouts. Elizabeth had been a near constant visitor of his within the first week or so. There was no doubt that he had let more information about himself and Computer slip thanks to their long conversations, but none of it was helping them actually locate Computer.

While Elizabeth had been nothing but polite to him, albeit in a rather forced and disingenuous way, during their last few conversations the mask had started to slip and she had inadvertently made it obvious that she was getting frustrated that their Construct was still at large and they were no closer to recapturing it. It wasn't long before she stopped visiting Courage entirely.

He was pretty glad to have her gone, but it was a lot harder for him to find out what was going on outside of his cell without her. The vet was only concerned with his health and refused to talk to him like a fellow person, and the guards were even worse. Only Elizabeth had been willing to make accommodations for him, and he had not seen her in at least a month. Not that he had ever asked for much in the first place, and the few things he did want changed, like the gross food, wasn't going to be allowed to change.

He had to admit though, the treatment for his illness had actually done wonders for him. Even though Elizabeth had made it sound like it wasn't going to do much for him after having it applied during an emergency situation where his illness had reached its final stage, but he was still feeling so much better than he had in a long time. In fact, he'd not had even one attack since the treatment! Well, that wasn't to say he had become invincible. While he had not exactly had to strain himself since being put in this prison cell, he was certain that if he pushed himself too hard again, he'd likely find himself in the middle of another attack, no matter how much better he was feeling. Perhaps he could push himself a little harder now, but that painful threat still loomed. Like it or not, he was still a dying dog living on borrowed time.

...If only he could get out of here and find Computer.

Fighting back the convulsions in his stomach that the food loved to cause him, he went over to the bed and climbed back up into it. Laying or sitting, it didn't matter. Both had become uncomfortable thanks to that flat slab of a bed.

Now that he could walk again and wasn't devoting himself to it almost all waking hours, his mind was constantly wandering off to worry about Computer, Muriel, and Eustace instead. He was certain that Muriel was worrying about him by now, after well over two months of no contact. If only he could call the farm again, like he had at that mall, but the SCC would never allow him to do such a thing. If he ever managed to figure out a way to escape, finding a phone was the first thing he was going to do.

Speaking of escape, he had been thinking about that a lot lately too. Even if the SCC wasn't watching him as closely, they never let him out of his cell, nor did any of them ever come in very often. His only opening was the veterinarian and he was always accompanied by two armed guards.

It seemed that he was going to have as hard of a time getting out of here as Computer was apparently having at getting in.

Courage closed his eyes and managed a smile at that. How ironic would it be if Computer finally broke in the moment after he managed to escape? Given their luck, maybe it wasn't as unlikely of a thing to happen as it might seem.

Deciding that he'd rather try to sleep off the dog food than have to feel his poor stomach attempting to digest it, he laid down to take a nap, despite knowing that he'd wake up with a stiff neck that would take ages to loosen back up.

…..He woke up tossing and turning on his painful slab of a bed. Groaning, he clutched at his stomach. Somehow his digestion pain had ignited into something far worse. It felt as though the dog food had suddenly mutated into something else and was punching him in the gut from the inside out. It was so painful that he wished he was nauseous so that he could aid the mutant in its escape.

He quickly noticed, much to his surprise, that the lights in his cell were off. That...didn't seem right. Not once during his entire stay here had the lights been turned off, not even for sleeping.

That was also when he also noticed....the blue glow that was reflecting off the darkened walls.

Still clutching at his stomach, Courage sat up and looked to find exactly what he was expecting.

Computer was there, standing in a corner, with his back facing toward Courage.

Wincing, Courage put on a painful smile. He was having one of 'those' dreams again, huh? Must have been brought on by the stomach ache.

He dropped down onto the floor and took a single step forward, wishing that his stomach would stop hurting so much.

“Hey, Compute.” He said, weakly waving a paw at the statue-like dog. “It's been awhile, huh?”

He took another step forward. His stomach rolled painfully. It really did feel like there was some sort of mutant moving around in there. He wouldn't have put it past the SCC to accidentally give him bad dog food and now he was suffering from food poisoning.

Computer still did not so much as twitch. Courage was not bothered by it though.

“Look, we both know how this is going to go.” He went on, wincing even harder as the pain only continued to worsen. “You're going to flip around with a creepy robot face and 'screech like a drunken granny's screaming converted into dial-up'.”

It was only then, after getting a little closer, that he noticed the blood...

A steady trickle of blood was dripping down Computer's side and landing in small but growing puddle beneath his feet.

“That's....new.” Courage hesitantly commented.

Computer slowly, ever so slowly, turned to face him. He looked normal, but...

“It has to be this way.” He muttered out, his voice completely monotone.

His face was dull and lifeless, like Computer was not actually there and the dog body was a puppet being moved by...someone else.

Courage could now see the stab wound in full view and it was horrific. Even though it was still bleeding, it and the skin around it was dark and rotting. The smell hit Courage's nose like a punch to the face. And...and was s-something moving around inside the wound?

Courage cried out and nearly doubled over. The pain inside himself hit levels that only an attack could rival. Now he was certain, absolutely certain, that there was something moving around inside himself, just...just like that wound.

“This is the only way.” Computer went on, just as monotone.

Courage could only watch, in absolute horror, as his own stomach split open, as some sort of machine wormed it's way out of the newly made cavity. It was a mixture of sharp bits and worm like appendages, and something that only vaguely resembled a head and face turned to look up at him....and it _screamed_.

He began to choke. He could feel something clawing its way up his throat.

He vomited a stream of wires and bits of claw like metal that remained attached and hanging from his mouth. He wanted to cry, but he could feel those things cutting up into his brain...to take control.

He suddenly had no control over himself what so ever...

“The only way that we can be rid of your influence...” Computer spoke, utterly neutral to the horror befalling Courage.

“-is for you to...”

Computer's face exploded into a mess of wires, metallic worms, and sharp spider-like legs that did not even mildly resemble the face that had just been there. The same machinery began to spill out of the stab wound as well. It was as if his body had been hollowed out to act as false skin for the eldritch machine hidden within.

_'...is for you to die! There is no other way!'_ The voices screamed, as Courage continued to watch, utterly paralyzed, as his body was ripped apart from the inside and out.

….......

There was a muffled boom and the police station rocked so violently that Courage was knocked out of his bed.

Awoken by the impact and freed from the nightmare, he screamed.

He screamed long and hard, enough so that he was sure that he had rocked the police station just as hard as the boom had.

Once he was done with that, he then lay there gasping and clawing at his torso over and over again to make sure that it was still whole. There was no hint of the stomach pain that had been the catalyst for such a horrific nightmare. That too had merely been a produce of the hellish dream.

As soon as his heart rate began to slow, he curled up into a ball and cried. Nothing could have hoped to stop the tears once they began to fall. His entire body trembled and he could not control it.

He had never imagined that after everything he'd already been through that he could have a nightmare that was somehow worse than the ones he'd already experienced. He so badly wished that there was someone there who could give him a hug at the moment. Anything to take away the sting of what he had just seen and...and felt.

…He missed Computer so badly, regardless of how that nightmare had tried to portray him, and he was so desperately worried for him too.

Why else would he start to have nightmares like this again after two months of a complete absence? Something was very, very wrong....

Another boom rocked the police station.

Courage got to his feet, fully alert. What the heck could be making the police station shake like that?

He could hear a commotion outside of his door too. People seemed to be running past and yelling, but he could not make out what they were saying.

He pressed the stump of his missing ear up to the door, desperate to find out what was going on.

...Another boom from somewhere outside shook the station, and-

“Hey!” A voice called. It became much louder when its owner apparently stopped just outside the door. “You gotta get out of here! I was just at the hospital, and-” The man was near breathless as he spoke and he had to stop for a moment to take several gulps of air.

The person he was speaking to took that brief moment he was catching his breath to say, “Astor would have my hide if I abandoned my post. Guarding this dog is top priority and I ain't getting demoted over-”

“To hell with Elizabeth! You don't get it! The whole situation has gone to hell! We had to abandon the hospital. It-” He stopped for a moment, seemingly to shudder. “You can't even begin to imagine what it was like. We need to get out of here before-”

“Slow down, son. Explain it to me. If the situation really has gotten that bad, control would have radioed me by now to get the dog out of here.”

“I-I don't even know where to begin. M-my squad mate, he, I-” The man needed to stop again to collect himself. “He...he left for his lunch break like normal, but when he came back, he was acting...different.”

Courage could hear the man's breathing increase all over again.

“I-I kept asking him what was wrong, and he just kept talking in this monotone, like a zombie, and then...t-then he...he exploded!” The man's voice had risen to a panicked scream. “No, no, it wasn't an explosion! This mechanical _t-thing_ cut its way out of him so quick it was like an explosion! H-he was hollowed out! It...it was _wearing_ him! Then the same thing started to happen to a bunch of nurses and doctors too! These sharp, tentacled machines burst out of people and started attacking everyone who wasn't already infested! We open fired, but-”

Courage found himself gasping involuntarily. He clutched a paw to his chest as his heart rate rose. No, no, no! It couldn't be! It just couldn't be real!

“ _Everything_ metal and mechanical in that hospital turned on us! Even our guns stopped working! I-I ran after that. I watched the very walls of that hospital rip itself apart to try and get me. Others...weren't as lucky as I. Wires were coming out of the ceiling and hanging anyone who didn't have something sharp on them to cut themselves down. A few people tried to help, but...but the wires, they would grab them a-and...and p-pull them apart!”

“Astor was at the hospital. Do you know what happened to her?”

“Y-yes, she got out of the building about the same time I did. We had to run away on foot. The vans, no, all of the vehicles within the vicinity just sort of began...tearing themselves apart. The hospital wasn't looking much better by then either. I got separated from her in the chaos, but before then, she was ordering the few of us who escaped to rally at this station. If she is still alive, she'll probably be here soon, b-but I'm not staying to find out. It's-”

Another boom.

“-It's coming this way!”

“M-maybe you've got the right idea, kid.” His companion admitted fearfully. “There's nothing about this dog that's worth dying for.”

“W-we only got away because ' _it'_ was too busy tearing the hospital apart and killing everyone who didn't get out in time. Once it gets here though...”

“Okay, let's get the hell out of here then. I'm not throwing my life away for-”

“You're not going anywhere.” Elizabeth's sharp voice broke in. “Get that door open. NOW! We don't have time for your incompetence!”

Courage stumbled backwards, away from the door.

“You-” He heard hear her say. “Do you have your issued combat knife?”

Any answer was drowned out by the sound of the heavy door sliding open.

Elizabeth stepped inside, looking disheveled and dirty after her frantic escape from the disintegrating hospital. She held a serrated combat knife in her right hand.

Looking down at Courage with a surprisingly calm expression, she said in an equally calm tone, “Well, then. It's time to see if saving your life was worth the expense.”

Courage's eyes remained fixated on the blade as it gleamed in the light. Apparently he had been right to think that they were keeping him as a hostage...

End Of Chapter


	108. Amalgamate

Chapter 108: Amalgamate

Elizabeth raced down the hallway with Courage under her arm. He dangled there, having decided to let her do whatever she felt she needed to do. If this really was all Computer's doing, this might be his only chance to talk to him anyway.

He knew for a fact that what Computer had done to the hospital was excessive, even for him. There was only one answer for what was going on here, but Courage really, really did not want to acknowledge it. Regardless though, after what his nightmare had shown him...

Few people were left in the police station at this point. The hallway Elizabeth was making her way down was completely deserted. Most people must have evacuated by now, and it seemed that the SCC personnel who were supposed to rally here for one final desperate assault had broken ranks and run for their lives.

Courage heard Elizabeth curse the 'incompetent cowards' under her breath, but that was the only show of anger that she allowed herself. She kept her eyes forward and completely focused on the task at hand. Courage had to admire her almost eerie calm, since she had seen the massacre at the hospital in person, and she was diving right back into that kind of horror without even flinching. Perhaps because this was the sort of thing the SCC supposedly dealt with on a daily basis, maybe this was just a normal day for her.

All of a sudden the walls around them began to creak and groan ominously. It reminded Courage a lot of how the farmhouse would creak on a windy day. Elizabeth reacted to the sound simply by picking up her already breakneck pace. With that sound also came a strange sort of change in the air pressure. Courage could sense it surprisingly well. It was making his ears hurt. Much like how the creaking reminded him of the farmhouse back in Nowhere, this reminded him of the time that tornado hit. There was a sort of electrical current buzzing through the air too. He could feel his fur rising, like his coat had picked up a static charge.

They reached a stairwell and Elizabeth all but dove into it. The creaking echoed even more ominously in there as she made her way down the staircase as fast as she could go. Cracks were beginning to run up the walls and Courage could hear bits of dust and debris falling.

The pressure was building...

Then the police station began to shake, like it was being hit by an earthquake, and it nearly caused Elizabeth to fall as she stumbled down the last length of the staircase. The door they were heading for looked like it exited out into the lobby. They were so close to getting out of the building, but then-

Just as Elizabeth's feet left the last step, everything around them exploded. Courage only caught a brief glimpse of what had once been the police station swirling all around them before he felt Elizabeth lift off the ground and they were flung into the chaos.

He was not sure what happened next. He must have been knocked unconscious, and when awareness returned to him, he hurt all over.

Groaning, he tried to roll over onto his stomach, but before he even had a chance, he felt a hand grab him and he was lifted into the air.

Forcing his eyes open, the sight that befell him left him in terrified awe.

A tornado-like swirl of debris surrounded what little remained of the police station, extending high into the sky. Electricity pulsed through the artificial swirl. Most of it was made out of destroyed and twisted bits of metal and technology, but other building materials had been caught up in the funnel as well.

Elizabeth stood atop the rubble of what little of the police station that had not been caught up in the cyclone. She and Courage were relative safe where they were, like they had just found themselves in the middle of the eye of a hurricane, but that could not last for long.

Courage felt Elizabeth wrap an arm around his middle and then felt the combat knife press against his neck. Wincing at this new and uncomfortable position he had found himself in, he looked onward and finally saw him...

It wasn't like the nightmare, at least. Computer still looked like himself, only he was practically covered head to toe in bandages. The truly worrying thing was that he had that same blank expression from the nightmare, and he was moving toward them with a slow, zombie-like gait.

“That's enough!” Elizabeth yelled. “Put an end to this nonsense or else I will put an end to your little friend!”

Computer slowed to a halt. His blank expression did not change.

Courage felt an electrical shock pulse through the knife and all of a sudden the sharp blade pulled away from his neck. Elizabeth raised it up to her face and Courage could see that the metal had been crushed into a useless ball.

“Just my luck.” She sighed sarcastically. “Well, it was worth a try.”

She remained surprisingly calm for someone whose backup plan had just utterly failed.

“I should have known that the rest of you were still alive. You were simply waiting for the right time to strike, weren't you? Our attempt to fuse you all into a single entity worked after all, at seems. You weren't destroyed, you were just hiding within the only Construct to retain its individuality.”

Elizabeth shrugged.

“And look at how much power you wield as a single entity. None of you were capable of destruction on this level as individuals, not even when you worked together as a team. The fusion process not only coalesced your powers, but it amplified them as well. The EMP generator doesn't seem to work on you any longer either.” She shook her head. “I always knew that this Construct project was a terrible idea. Too much power given to beings of which we had too few ways to control. And when you Constructs did indeed turn out to be too difficult to control, they decided to go through with that harebrained scheme to fuse you into a single 'more easy to control' entity. I knew the truth of what would happen, but I could not stop it, and now here I stand, having been proven right. I was able to stop the worst case scenario from coming to pass, but it seems that he is getting the last laugh, even after I managed to sabotage his grand scheme.”

She hesitated for a moment, and when Computer continued to do nothing but watch her with that blank stare, she spitefully continued with, “So then, I suppose you're going to hollow me out and use my skin to infiltrate the SCC. I can appreciate the irony in that. We made you to be spies but we were never able to correct the problems that made it infeasible. You figured out how to work around that limitation, but with lethal results for the host. It's quite an ironic way to get revenge on us.” She waved the useless knife at Computer. “However, I do hope that you realize that the little tantrum you threw here today will not go unnoticed. Even if there is nobody left alive to get the word out, the SCC will be on high alert. They will figure out what happened here and lock everything down long before you can use me to infiltra-”

She was cut off when something flew out of the cyclone and struck her. Courage was inadvertently released from her grip and dropped painfully down into the rubble. He looked up to see Elizabeth sprawled out on the ground. For a moment he was certain that she was dead, but then she stirred and awkwardly tried to get back onto her feet. She was clutching at her head and a thin trickle of blood was running down her forehead.

Before Courage could do anything else, he felt something begin to weave around his arms and legs. He looked down and cried out. There were wires snaking up out of the cracks in the rubble and they were ensnaring him. All of a sudden he could not move his arms or legs even slightly, and even more wires were wrapping around him to bind him further.

“Help!” He cried out to Elizabeth, but she did nothing but watch, her expression unreadable.

He was hoisted into the air and brought before Computer. His companion looked up at him. There was not a hint of emotion to be found on his face. That dog body of his really was nothing more than a puppet host for the storm swirling around them now. Computer was...gone.

...No, he was with ' _them_ ' now.

“C-Computer, please...” Courage choked, feeling the wires tighten to the point that he could barely breathe.

Nothing. Computer's face remained blank.

There was a slight rumble as something beneath the rubble worked its way out into the open air. Courage watched, horrified, as something he could only describe as a metal hand with many, many fingers rose up toward him. Each 'finger' incorporated a different surgical instrument taken from the destroyed hospital.

“N-no! Don't!” Courage cried out as one finger, made out of a surgical knife, moved in.

It wasn't Elizabeth that they wanted to hollow out. It was _him_!

“Computer! D-don't do this! I k-know you don't want to do this!” He exclaimed, his voice strained from the wires practically choking the life out of him.

He felt movement around the middle of his torso as the wires moved out of the way to expose his fur. The surgical knife was nearly upon him.

“I k-know you're still in there! D-don't let them win!”

The knife met his skin and he felt sharp pain.

“C-Computer!” He choked out, desperation and fear taking over.

The blade sunk in deeper and the pain caused him to cry out. It was only then that the flicker of...something passed over Computer's blank face.

That small glimmer of hope only gave way to more agony as the surgical knife began to slowly cut downward. Courage screamed his lungs out.

…Then, the knife pulled away, leaving behind a thin slice of pure agony and plenty of dripping blood to go along with it. Courage was terrified that it had only stopped because it had made an opening big enough to start pulling his insides out and now perhaps a much more horrible tool was about to begin its work, but Computer...

_'We....promised!'_

Computer was clutching at his head with a pained expression. The many voices of the Constructs did not come from the dog body though. It emanated and swirled around Courage from many points within the debris tornado. Their voices were likely coming from any piece of technology that could still produce sound after having been caught up in the gale.

_'We promised not to!'_

Computer's dog body stumbled back a step and the wires holding Courage wavered for a second before strengthening once more.

_'There is only one way to end this impasse! We must kill him and make him ours! It is the only way we can be free of this contradiction! We must hollow him out and make him Us!'_

Courage yelped fearfully as the surgical hand came to life once more.

_'We promised we would not hurt him!'_

The hand began to twist and bend with frightening speed as the warring Construct fusion fought with itself.

_'We promised ourselves nothing! We want this!'_

“Compute,” Courage begged as he watched the hand right itself once more.

_'We must.'_ The voices said to him, almost apologetically.

Courage whimpered as the surgical knife dug into the slice it had already made and moved downward to continue the job, but then...it stopped again.

_'No!'_ The voices yelled. _'We must no-'_

Courage was not sure how she managed to do it without being noticed, but all of a sudden Elizabeth rose up behind Computer with a large chunk of concrete in hand. She gladly took advantage of the fusion's distracted state of mind and paid back the head injury in full. Courage winced at the sound of the concrete meeting Computer's skull. The voices were cut off mid sentence and the swirl of debris stopped in an instant. The metal and machinery that had comprised the cyclone hung in the air as Computer's body fell.

The wires around Courage went limp and he also fell to the ground. He had only half a second to pull the deadened wires off himself and fling himself onto Computer before Elizabeth could deliver a killing blow. She already had the chunk of concrete raised high into the air once more, fully committed to caving his skull in to finish the job.

“Get out of the way, you stupid dog!” She demanded, fury in her eyes.

“Help him!' He begged, ready and willing to take the brunt of her attack if she refused to back down.

“You idiotic mutt!” She yelled. “It is too dangerous to be kept alive! If it regains consciousness...”

“Please! You've got to help him!”

“You do not understand what you are doing! We cannot control this abomination and it cannot be helped! This is the one and only opening we're going to get! If we don't put an end to this now, it will go on to do unimaginable harm! You're stupidity could potentially doom the entire world!”

Courage leered up at her. “You and the SCC were the ones who did this to the Constructs, so you should be the ones to fix them! If you're going to kill him...them, after everything the SCC did to make them this way, then you're going to have to kill me first!”

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.

“Gladly.” She uttered out dangerously.

But before she could make good on her threat, a chunk of concrete the size of a bus came crashing down not an arm's length away from where they stood. She swore under her breath as more and more of what had once been the debris tornado began to fall back down to earth. In one deft move, she dropped the chunk of concrete and grabbed both Courage and Computer. Then they were moving away from the police station as the sound of debris hitting the ground became louder and louder. It was like they were in the middle of an apocalyptic meteor shower.

She ducked into the first open building she could find and finally put a few stories worth of floors between them and the deadly rain outside. Even from inside the building, the sound of debris pelting the outside walls was frighteningly loud and continuous.

Courage was set down on the floor beside Computer. His companion was dripping blood from where he had been struck. It was beginning to stain many of the white bandaging that was already covering so much of his body. Courage whimpered at the sight of it. He cupped one of his paws in his own and held it close to him.

Why did their reunion have to be like this?

There had to be a way to undo the Constructs fusion. There just had to be.

He was so concerned for Computer, and in all honesty, the rest of the Constructs as well, that he barely registered any pain from his own injury. In fact, he was bleeding a lot worse than Computer, but that just didn't matter right now.

He watched as Elizabeth frantically looked around the lobby of this...hotel? He was not exactly certain what this place was. She was trying to find a working phone but the destruction outside had apparently cut the landline.

“This isn't going to work.” She groused. “I need to find a cellphone. It'll have a better chance of getting through to backup.”

She returned to Courage's side. “I'm going to check the upper floors. People would have been evacuated in a hurry so I am certain that at least a few cellphones would have been left behind.”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at Computer.

“If it starts to wake up, you know what you're going to have to do.” She warned.

Although she knew just as well as he did that he wasn't going to do what was...necessary.

“You may have a death wish, but I am not going to sit around and wait for that thing to kill me. I was only able to stop it because it turned out that saving your life was well worth the price tag. You created a moment of weakness for me to take advantage of. I doubt there will be another opening like that again. It must be dealt with before it regains consciousness or else it will continue its rampage unabated. As long as it has complete control over humanity's greatest tools, we have little hope of stopping it.”

Courage glared up at her. He had nothing more to say to her.

She sneered at him. “I can't even begin to imagine what you see in that monster. You're going to be the death of us all.”

End Of Chapter


	109. The Looming Threat

A/N: If you want some idea of what I imagine the Voices to sound like, I usually consider them to sound something like Dormin from Shadow Of The Colossus. There would be more voices than just the two used for Dormin, but the general tone and inflection used in Dormin's voices is spot on for how I imagine the Voices to talk, even if Dormin's lines are not exactly in English. While I prefer the original sound mixing for Dormin in the older versions of the game, the mix they use for the remake of Colossus is much more mechanical sounding and fits much closer to how I imagine the Voices to sound. If you've never played the game, checked out the opening cutscene on Youtube to get an idea of what I'm going for with the Voices.

Chapter 109: The Looming Threat

Perhaps Elizabeth's choice to leave Courage in charge of the potentially world ending, murderous super weapon had not been the greatest of ideas....

At some point Courage began to feel very woozy. Having an untreated cut nearly splitting you open from the top of your chest all the way down to just below your stomach will do that to you. He had lost, and was still losing a frightening amount of blood. At some point that wooziness turned into sleepiness, and try as he might, he could not fight the loss of consciousness that overtook him.

All of a sudden he woke up in a cage. It was a jarring transition. There had been no passage of time for him. One moment he had still been in the lobby with Computer's dog body, the next he was here. His mind was still cloudy and he was having difficulty trying to piece everything together.

The cage he was in seemed to be in the back of an SCC van. There was nobody in there guarding him though. An IV drip was attached to his right arm and the tube ran up between two bars to meet the IV machine just outside his cage. When he looked down at himself, he found that his cut was stitched up.

What had happened?

...And what had Elizabeth done with Computer and the rest of the Constructs?

Despite Courage's urgency, exhaustion still won out. He could barely lift a finger without his arm trembling. It wasn't as if he could open the cage and escape anyway.

He lay there for awhile, in the dim light of the van, acutely aware of something important and yet he could not remember what it was. He picked at his tired brain but he could not recall what was giving him such an intense feeling of anxiety.

An hour or two passed and he inadvertently slipped in and out of sleep during that time. It was only thanks to the two small windows that belonged to the two back doors of the van that he could tell that it was still daylight outside.

He was startled out of one of his naps when the van doors opened and a heavily armored SCC soldier climbed inside. Courage desperately tried to get the man to tell him what was going on, but the soldier ignored his every question.

The man replaced the IV bag with a new one and opened the cage door just long enough to slide a can of food into Courage's lap. Then, without having spoken a single word, he turned and left the vehicle, slamming the doors behind him.

Courage picked up the can of dog food and sneered at it. It was that disgusting mush that the SCC loved to give him...

Groaning, he laid back down, having to fight the urge to fling the can of dog food through the bars. If only he weren't feeling so weak. He needed to get the heck out of this van.

Sleep took him yet again, and when he woke once more, it had become dark outside. His stomach ached for food so badly that he overcame his disgust of the dog food and gulped it down in one go, hoping that he could avoid tasting it.

Feeling a little better, he tested the door of his cage. While the bars were wide enough that he could easily stick his paws through them, the heavy padlock was not one that he could break. It seemed that he was well and thoroughly stuck.

He sat back down and passed the empty can of dog food back and forth between his paws as his mind became embroiled in thought. Something had happened back in that lobby, before the SCC reinforcements arrived, but what? All he could remember was getting very tired and very confused before waking up in this cage.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force some sort of recollection, although the attempt only left him feeling intensely anxious. Something had happened back there that had scared the daylights out of him, if he could just remember what.

Left with little else to do, he laid around in the cage and spent hours trying to remember what had happened while he was bleeding out in that lobby. Eventually, sunlight began to stream in through the windows. Morning had come.

Another SCC worker soon stepped into the van to check on his condition and give him more food. He still was not able to get his jailer to tell him anything though. He became so frustrated that he nearly went full Computer on the soldier, and may or may not have called him a 'dumb jerk'.

He spent the hours after that rattling his cage, pathetically hoping that maybe it would just fall apart if shook it long enough. When that tired him out, he once again focused on trying to recall the gap in his memory.

It came back to him with an unexpected suddenness, and the images that flooded his mind gave him the exact same terrified shock that it had during the actual occurrence. He let out a gasp and pressed his paws to his mouth as all of it played out all over again in his mind.

...He had been fading in and out of consciousness, lying in a pool of his own blood. Elizabeth was taking too long and he had lost far too much blood. He could remember blinking, and while it had felt like nothing more than a regular blink to him, he must have lost some time to unconsciousness, because when he finished that blink, he suddenly found himself crying out in terror because Computer with his dead-eyed stare was looming over him.

He remembered trying to scramble away, but he had been too weak to do anything more than flail uselessly. Then the wires had appeared and wrapped around his arms, causing him to scream even harder.

When nothing else had happened to him after that though, his scream had died away. He had been far too woozy to keep screaming anyway.

The puppet dog had leaned in closer to him then, with an eerie, robotic fluidity. That horrible, uncanny blank stare alone had sent a chill down Courage's spine as it loomed near.

_'Why did you protect us?'_

Courage had not been able to pinpoint where the voices were emanating from at the time, but it had hardly mattered anyway.

When he did not answer the question right away, the wires holding his arms down had coiled dangerously, and painfully...

“H-how do you know what I did?” He had asked them, fighting back the urge to yelp at the pain. “Y-you were unconscious.”

The lobby had gone deathly and frighteningly silent after that, as it seemed the amalgamate had not been particularly interested in answering his question and was seemingly stewing in silent fury as a result, but then,

_'We can still see and hear through machinery even when we cannot act.'_

The wires had then tightened to a point where Courage had felt like the bones in his arms were going to snap. He remembered crying out in pain, but the Constructs did not let up.

_'Answer the question!'_ They had demanded, their voices booming like a crack of thunder. _'Was it because of us...him...me?'_

For the briefest moment Courage had thought that he heard Computer's voice stand out louder among the rest of the voices.

Desperate, he had blurted out, “N-no! I did it because it was the r-right thing to do! The SCC are the ones who messed all of you up! I know that C-Computer would never act this way if he c-could think like himself r-right now. It's g-gotta be the same way for the rest of y-you. If y-you could think as yourselves again, m-maybe this...this would s-stop.”

Silence had followed, and then,

_'Fine.'_ The voices had said, more to themselves than to Courage, as though they had seemingly come to an agreement with themselves. ' _We will give them one chance to fix what they did to us. If they fail or if they decide to take advantage of this opportunity we are giving them to do us harm...'_

The lobby had begun to rumble and the floor cracked under Courage's back.

_'...We will continue where we left off, and you WILL be made our new host body.'_

Threat thoroughly received, Courage had nodded vigorously, more out of pain and wooziness than anything else. He had hoped that the Constructs would let go of him then, but the wires had remained coiled painfully around his arms.

The dead-eyed stare of that puppet dog had finally left his line of sight though, much to his relief, but then there had been another frightening rumble as something else worked its way up through the floor of the lobby.

_'Stay still.'_ The voices had warned him.

A much smaller 'hand', still made out of various medical equipment, had entered Courage's line of sight. He remembered crying out in fear, which had only earned him even more wires that just as painfully wrapped all around him to force him to stay still.

If the Constructs had been angry with him for not doing as they commanded, he had not been able to tell. The puppet dog had simply gone on staring as he desperately pleaded with it not to hurt him.

One of the fingers had then produced a needle, like a bee readying a sting. Courage had screamed as the needle entered his neck, but almost immediately a wonderful numbing sensation had fallen over him and all of his pain had left him in an instant. Unconsciousness had taken him not long after that, as the injection did what it was supposed to do. The last thing he could remember seeing was the medical arm moving to meet his bleeding wound, seemingly to...

Another gasp escaped Courage's mouth as his recollection of the event ended. He lightly touched the stitching running up his torso. The SCC had not been the ones to patch him up...

Elizabeth had to have seen it! She must be aware of what the Constructs had done! They had saved him! She could not deny it!

...So, where were they now?

Courage seriously doubted that the Constructs had simply walked up to her and given her the same warning they had given him. He was not sure what had happened after he had been 'put under' so to speak, and it seemed that nobody was willing to tell him.

He continued to lightly clutch at his stitched up wound, trying to avoid making it hurt any worse than it already did. As he puzzled over all the possibilities of what might have happened after he lost consciousness, an unwanted and horrifying thought suddenly entered his mind.

He nearly doubled over in terror as a fearful cry ripped itself free from his throat.

The Constructs had had access to his open wound for an unknown amount of time. Nobody had been watching them as they stitched him up...

Courage began to tremble and his breathing became fast and panicked as he clutched at the stitching even harder, no longer caring about the pain. A feral part of his brain wanted nothing more than to rip the stitching open and check inside, no matter how deadly such an action might be.

In his head, all he could think about was that nightmare...

End Of Chapter


	110. A New Host

Chapter 110: A New Host

Two long, boring days passed in that cage, leaving Courage with nothing to do but worry about what was going on with the Constructs, the SCC, and if there was some kind of mechanical monstrosity hidden inside his guts just waiting to burst out and kill him. To make matters worse, his paranoia started to affect his dreams too. All too often he found himself having nightmares where he could feel machinery moving around under his skin, or he would have to watch helplessly as metal worms wriggled their way out of his wound. None of it was as bad as the first nightmare, but it still made his naps incredibly unpleasant. It did not help that napping was about the only thing he had to do while trapped in that cage.

The SCC continued to feed him twice a day, and soon they removed the IV drip when it was no longer needed. As far as Courage could tell, he was not being moved anywhere. The van's engine had not started even once since he regained consciousness, and when the doors were opened and he could see outside, the scenery never changed. Why they were keeping him in this van and keeping him in one place, he did not know.

So much of this didn't make any sense.

Finally, early in the morning of the third day, something new happened. Instead of feeding him, the SCC guard who entered the van instead stuck an arm in the cage and clasped a metal collar around Courage's neck. He was then guided out of the cage on a leash like he was about to be taken on a walk.

As he touched the uncomfortable collar, he realized that the thing was bulky enough to possibly contain something inside of it. In fact, when he noticed that the SCC guard was holding a controller with a big, red, rather alarming looking button, he began to wonder if the collar was actually a bomb...

But why did they feel the need to have something so drastic in place? Was it meant to be a threat to the Constructs? That if they did not comply, the SCC would have his head blown off in response? Did they forget that the Constructs could easily deactivate any bomb?

The guard picked him up and checked his stitching, poking and prodding at it very painfully. When he was set down again, the man pulled at the leash and had him jump out of the van and into the blinding sunlight. Courage had to wait for his eyes to adjust after being stuck in the dim light of that van for so long, and when he could see again, his mouth fell open in shock.

Circling the van was a small army of SCC soldiers. They were all watching him with a tense air. He was yanked forward and the circle of SCC men opened up to let him and his handler through. They walked for a good ten minutes, up and down a hilly, forested path, but none of the soldiers followed them. They did not seem to be anywhere near civilization. In fact, judging by some of the signs they were passing by, they were in fact walking a nature trail inside a nation park.

Eventually they came upon what might have once been a campsite, only now it was filled with many SCC vans and towering machines meant to monitor and send out signals. Once again Courage had at least a hundred eyes and guns trained on him as he was moved through the makeshift camp.

They met another path at the other end of the encampment. This one was a little more overgrown and disused. A sign told Courage that it was leading them to a 'historical' cabin of some famous person from long ago.

...All of this was so surreal. What on earth was going on here?

Courage was brought up to the porch of the heavily weathered cabin. It somewhat resembled the farmhouse back in Nowhere.

His handler reached up and knocked on the door. There was the sound of shoes on wood and the door was opened moments later. Elizabeth hung there in the doorway, looking as unflinchingly unimpressed as ever. The only things that had changed about her was that she had switched out her business attire for something more...outdoors-y, and her head was bandaged up from where the Constructs had hit her with debris.

She raised an eyebrow at Courage and uttered out a, “Welcome back.” in an incredibly sarcastic tone.

“What's going on?” Courage quickly blurted out, his voice weak.

Elizabeth looked to his handler. “Bring him in, and radio two guards to come down here as well, not that any of their firepower would do us any good if...” She trailed off.

A twinge of fear jolted through Courage. Something was wrong, and his paranoia was giving him all sorts of bad ideas for what could be causing the SCC to treat him like this.

His nose was assaulted by a strong, musty wooden smell as he stepped inside the cabin. It wasn't furnished with much, but there was a kitchen table and it was stacked high with paperwork, not unlike the first time he had met Elizabeth.

“You,” She commanded, waving a hand at Courage's handler. “Keep your distance and keep that controller on hand...just in case.”

Then she added very quietly, mostly to herself. “Although I doubt it would work if we really needed to use it...”

The man stepped back, dropping the leash and leaving Courage with free range of the cabin. A few moments later, two soldiers also stomped into the cabin. They too were keeping a healthy distance.

“Sit.” Elizabeth commanded, pulling out a chair and gesturing at Courage to come over.

“Miss Astor, it isn't wise to let him get so close to you.” Courage's handler pipped in.

Elizabeth fixed him with an intimidating glare. “Did I give you permission to speak?” She asked, her tone venomous.

The man did not reply.

“That's what I thought.” She concluded, never taking her eyes off him. “It doesn't matter either way. If I go near him and something happens, the entire human race is well and thoroughly fucked regardless, so I think I'd be more than happy to let that abomination finish me off first, just to get it over with.”

...Not a single word she spoke did anything to help Courage's ever increasing paranoia.

He did as she commanded and climbed up into the chair. The many piles of paper loomed large in front of him.

Looking to Elizabeth, he quickly voiced what he had been wanting to say to her for days now, “You saw it, didn't you? The Constructs helped me. T-they saved me! A-and they're giving you a chance to fix-”

Elizabeth sharply cut him off. “They didn't save you, you moronic mutt! They infested you!”

The world dropped out from under Courage as all of his worst fears were confirmed in a single instant with all the subtlety of an oncoming car crash.

“Have a look at your x-rays.” Elizabeth offered, grabbing them from off one of the piles and dropping them into his lap.

Terror and revulsion greater than he had ever known ripped through him as he looked down at the images. He was left shivering so hard that they slowly vibrated off his lap and floated down onto the floor.

Inside his chest, an unspeakable horror that looked like a mechanical cross between a spider and and octopus was nestled near his heart and its many legs, or wires, or tentacles, or claws, or whatever they were, had snaked down far enough that they were wrapped around his lungs.

He clutched at the stitching running up his chest, hyperventilating so hard that he felt like he was about to pass out. How could he not feel that invasive thing inside of himself? It didn't seem possible that something so horrific could take up so much space and remain undetectable.

He was, as Elizabeth had so gracefully put it, well and thoroughly fucked if the SCC messed up the one and only chance the Constructs were giving them. The amalgamate had made sure that they were ready to make good on their threat with a terrifyingly mechanical efficiency.

...Somehow Courage was going to have to figure out how to go on while knowing that that thing was inside of him, while knowing that it could hollow him out at any moment and without any warning.

Instead of coming to terms with the nightmare that had become reality, he instead screamed his lungs out...

For a moment it seemed like the cabin was going to collapse in upon itself from the force of his seemingly endless scream, but not even Courage The Cowardly Dog could keep screaming on a single breath forever.

When his mountain crumbling scream ended, he toppled out of the chair, gasping for air.

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Done then, are you?” She asked, thoroughly annoyed.

Laying there on the ground, with the x-ray images in full view, Courage began to scream all over again...

Elizabeth pressed her fingers to her temples and shook her head as the cabin once again rocked like it was being hit by an earthquake.

Eventually Courage screamed himself out and just lay there panting as he desperately tried to ignore the x-ray images.

“Did you finally get all of that out of your system?” Elizabeth asked once more.

“P-please,” He begged, having difficulty speaking after screaming his throat raw. “Y-you gotta get that t-thing out of me!”

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “You think we didn't try already?” She asked, leaning forward so that she loomed above him. “I suspected that they were up to something the moment I saw that they had closed your wound. When reinforcements arrived, the first thing I had them do was take x-rays of you and that abomination, to make sure that we weren't going to get another explosive surprise after what happened at the hospital. My suspicions were proven correct, for you at least, and we immediately moved to open you up and remove that thing. Unfortunately for you though, it sensed what we were doing and wrapped several of its appendages around your heart. It began to, well, squeeze, and it only stopped after we sealed you back up and backed off.”

Courage clutched a shaking paw to his chest. “Wha-what did you do with the Constructs?” He asked.

Obviously the SCC had not messed up yet, or even succeed in separating the Constructs. Otherwise Courage would be dead by now or freed from the horror lurking inside of himself.

Elizabeth remained entirely indifferent to the deadly circumstances that surrounded them. She casually shrugged like they weren't all facing annihilation.

“I received the same warning you did.” She confirmed. “After I found a cellphone and began calling in reinforcements, there was a burst of static that nearly deafened me in one ear and they broke in to tell me what they seem to have also told you.”

Courage sat up. “But what about the dog body?”

He was terrified of the possibility that they had already made him their new host by transferring into the machine they had infested him with.

“They're still trapped in that dog.” Elizabeth answered. “We're lucky the fusion never transferred over into a machine body or else I don't think anything could have stopped them. Clearly they are malfunctioning or else they would not be making such grave tactical errors. I suppose we should be glad for it though. There's no reason why they should be so obsessed with making you their new host. Your organic body is just as much of a weakness for them as their current one is.”

Courage blinked. “Did they go with you willingly? A-are they cooperating?”

Elizabeth smoothed out a wrinkle in her shirt, still acting far more calm about all of this than she should be. “In a sense, yes. When I returned to the lobby and found you stitched up, they were, I suppose, 'pretending' to still be unconscious. I expected a trap of some kind, but they did not do anything when we apprehended them. It then became a mad dash to secure the medical equipment we needed, along with an empty building to set up a safe perimeter, so that we could put their host body into a medically induced coma. That is where they remain. As long as we can keep the body they are inhabiting in an unconscious state, they are effectively naturalized. Unless the rules have changed, and they may very well have, they cannot act while trapped in an unconscious body, nor can they transfer out of it.”

She gestured at Courage. “As for you, the infestation inside of you appears to be acting upon preexisting programming. It is set up to kill you if anyone tries to remove it, but otherwise it is remaining inactive. We have the bomb collar on you just in case it does become active, but that is meant to be a mercy more than anything else. I saw first hand what became of my men at that hospital. I think you'd rather have your head blown off than to feel that thing hollowing you out. Although, if it comes down to that, I'm sure they would not let us blow you up even if we tried. While the infestation may be inactive now, and the Constructs themselves cannot do anything, if they become conscious even for a second, all they'd have to do is send a signal to that machine and it's lights out for you.”

Courage winced and whimpered pathetically.

“After we were unable to remove that machine from your body, as a precaution we quarantined you out here in this forest, far away from civilization, just in case that thing was waiting a few days to emerge. It seems, however, that it really is nothing more than a way for them to show that they are ready and willing to make good on their threat.”

“N-nothing more?” Courage exclaimed, shocked at how unconcerned the woman was. She wasn't the one with a deadly machine just waiting to burst out of her chest!

Elizabeth turned and grabbed a paper off the pile to read it over. Even as she did so, she continued to speak, “We wanted to move the host body out here to this forest as well, but keeping that dog in a coma is a delicate balancing act. Moving it and the machinery keeping it unconscious would be a finicky and dangerous process, and if it were to wake up even once-” She shook her head. “I loathe to keep it in the city where it could easily continue its rampage, but I'd rather do that than move it and risk having it wake up during the transfer.”

She crumpled up the paper. Only now did a look of fury fall over her face.

“I tried to order an evacuation of the city, using the destruction of the hospital, the police station, and everything that once existed between the two of them as a pretense, but because I cannot give a date for when the residence of the city might be able to return to their homes, the governor refuses to cooperate. The SCC is meant to have the authority to force an evacuation if the need arises, but the long wild goose chase we went on to capture your...'friend', along with all of the disruptions we caused because of that, has left several higher authority figures very cross with us. Suddenly there is a lot of red tape that we are being forced to navigate through that was not there before. The only way we can call for an evacuation now is if the situation degrades to such a point that it would be far too late to get anyone to safety.”

Courage watched her turn away and walk over to the nearest window. The sound of her footsteps on the wooden floor was weirdly loud in the muted silence of the cabin.

“So, then.” She softly uttered out. “Because of that, I cannot risk transferring the abomination. It is indeed far more dangerous in the city, but the situation is stable there, and doing anything else risks that stability.”

“Have you done anything to try and help them yet?” Courage asked, finally climbing back onto his feet.

Elizabeth remained silent for a very long time before she finally said, “I suppose I am risking a lot by saying this out loud. For all I know that machine in your chest might be listening to every word I say, but-”

She whipped back around to face Courage.

“They cannot be helped.”

“WHAT?” He cried out, her words practically delivering him a death sentence.

“For every day you've spent in that van, I've been spending the same amount of time looking through the amalgamation's programming and system data. We have a machine back in the city hooked up to the dog and it has direct access to every last byte of data that the monstrosity is comprised of.” She walked back over to the table and placed a hand atop one of the piles of paper. “Most of this is a printed version of that very data.”

Courage, who had only just barely managed to compose himself after seeing those x-rays, was trembling once again. He was sure that his fur had to have gone completely white by now.

“I get that this is a matter of life or death for you.” Elizabeth went on. “It is for all of us, to be frank. However, there is no denying the truth. The fusion process was very damaging for the Constructs. It is hard to believe that they survived at all. Their programming and system data is all a jumbled mess now. I can't even begin to imagine how any of it continues to function in its current state. I can't separate the A.I. because I can't even begin to puzzle out where one Construct begins and the other ends. To even try and pull the various pieces apart would likely cause the amalgamation to simply collapse in upon itself. They have, in a sense, been melted together, and once something has been melted together like that, you cannot return it to its previous shape. You could maybe melt it down again and shape it into something else, something more stable, but it can never go back to what it once was.”

Courage found himself whimpering again. The thought that Computer might be stuck this way...forever, was just too much for him to bear.

“The only reason why I haven't put that monstrosity out of its misery and ended the threat it poses toward the human race, is because, of course, said human race and the many idiots that it produces.” Her spiteful voice broke away as she slammed a balled up fist into her open palm. “The same authorities that will not allow me to order an evacuation...are also forbidding me from destroying that thing. What it did to the hospital and police station gave them a first hand look at the kind of power it wields. This is the very power they sought when they chose to fund the project that created the Constructs. They put a lot of money into something that ultimately saw no results...until now. They want what they paid for.”

Courage winced at that. “Y-you're kidding, right? The Constructs can't be controlled. Unless these authority guys want to use them as a doomsday device, trying to do anything else with them will only end with them becoming exactly that!”

Elizabeth crossed her arms once more, letting out a huff in frustration. “You think I didn't try to explain that to them? They are idiots for a reason.”

She turned on her feet and began to pace. “Lucky for us, I happen to have a plan. One that will give these fools their weapon, one that will allow me to put an end to the amalgamation and the danger it poses, and one that just might save your pathetic life in the process.”

At that last part, Courage perked up in surprise. “W-what do you mean?”

She stopped pacing and leered down at him with that ever characteristic look of barely concealed contempt that she just loved to give him.

“Your...'friend'.” She practically spat the word out. “The thirty-fifth Construct, and the last one to ever be built. It-” She hesitated.

Courage was all ears. “What about him? And...and would it kill you to call _him_ a him?”

She glowered at him. “Just because it speaks with a masculine voice does not mean that it is actually male. It cannot have a gender because it is a machine!”

Courage glared back at her. “He's a person, and he deserves to be treated like one! Stop calling him an 'it'!”

Elizabeth pressed a hand to her forehead. “This whole incident should have shown you exactly what these monstrosities are like when the facade is ripped off! Regardless, I am letting myself get sidetracked by your nonsense. We must focus on the task at hand!”

She reached over and pulled a new piece of paper off the pile, quickly glancing it over. “The final Construct was notably average in all of its abilities. There were several that came before it that outclassed it in nearly every category. Regardless, it had one thing that made it different from all the others when the time came to fuse them all together.”

She looked Courage in the eyes. “It was always meant to retain its individuality after the fusion. It was supposed to become the main consciousness of the amalgamate, one that could crush down any residual thought from the others that might have survived the process. Obviously the fusion went horribly wrong, but the programming that it was created with held and it retained its individual mind. Yes, it was as badly damaged during the fusion as the rest of them were, but it did escape being 'melted' together with the rest. Until the current incident, it remained separate but also attached to the amalgamation all at the same time. In the absence of a dominant mind to guide the fusion, it has become a chaotic, malfunctioning entity that is being pushed in multiple directions all at once by the many minds that it is comprised of. It still amazes me that it can function at all. By all means, it should be so paralyzed with indecision that it cannot do anything at all. They must have come together and created a sort of collective mind that acts as the dominant will of the fusion. Indecision likely still plagues it, but as a collective, any voice within the minority gets shouted down by the majority and that allows it to continue to function. That would also explain why the final Construct does not seem capable of gaining control over the fusion while being apart of it. Even with its programming, its one mind cannot rise above the rest. It is being overpowered and forced to go along with the collective. Had the fusion process worked as intended, this collective mind never would have formed and none of this would be happening right now.”

She grabbed another paper. “Because the fusion was a failure, it appears that the final Construct did not receive any of the increase in power that the amalgamation itself has shown. Any display of its abilities that we witnessed while chasing it halfway across the country has remained within the parameters that we have on file.”

“Obviously, as these current events have shown, it is not completely immune to being drawn into the amalgamation. They found a simple yet effective work around that allowed them to bypass the programmed barrier. All they needed was to....ask it for permission. However,” She gave Courage another look of contempt. “As badly mangled as its programming has become, due to some outside tampering that you have clearly been tight lipped with me about, the programming exception still stands. Try as they might, they cannot fully integrate their final piece into themselves. Trust me, from what I've seen, they certainly are trying. They may cling to it jealously, but its programming and system data are not as hopelessly tangled up inside the fusion as the rest of them are.”

Courage's heart skipped a beat and he quickly uttered out, “That means...”

“It can be removed from the amalgamation. Doing so will not harm it or destabilize the fusion. Were that not the case, given how horrifically destabilized its own programming already is, I doubt it would even survive being extracted. In fact, if I am successful at extracting it, I will have to spend some time stabilizing its programming. I don't know what was done to it, but I can hardly believe that it is still running at this point. Whoever was tampering with its programming clearly did not have the slightest idea what they were doing. Yes, indeed. These higher authorities of mine are going to get their weapon, but I can't imagine that it will last much longer, even with proper upkeep. Much like how the fusion is too badly mangled to be separated, this Construct's programming is too badly mangled to be brought back to full functionality. The degradation can be managed, but eventually the continuous destabilization will become too much and the Construct will corrupt and shut down for good. One cannot expect much better from such a poorly maintained machine.”

Courage glared at her for that last part.

“Ironically,” She added. “The best chance it has to continue functioning would be for it to remain apart of the amalgamate. As unstable as the fusion itself is, being apart of it does bring stability to its failing system.”

Any hope that Courage had been feeling was being overridden by the confirmation from Computer's very own creators that there was nothing that could be done to fix his failing system. If living meant remaining trapped inside that murderous fusion, unable to think a single thought for himself, Courage was certain that Computer would rather die than 'survive' as that thing.

Desperate, he couldn't help but ask, “A-are you absolutely sure that he can't be fixed?”

Elizabeth gave an indignant little sniff. “Believe it or not, but Constructs are still rather poorly understood, given the nature of how they are made, and because they were seemingly all destroyed only a few years into their creation. The observational data we have is sparse, and we don't know how long they can function under proper maintenance before they start to break down from 'old age'. Everything about their 'lifespan', so to speak, is one big question mark. From what I have analyzed of this Construct so far, I seriously doubt that I can fix the mess the tamperer created. But, as much as I hate to say it, I will be working with this Construct for as long as it continues to function. There will be plenty of time for me to work on fixing its programming. There is a chance that it can be returned to something resembling working order, but given what my higher-ups want to use it for, I'd rather have it stop functioning sooner rather than later.”

Courage knew for an absolute fact that Computer was not going to let them use him for his 'intended purpose'. Even if Elizabeth could fix him, there was no way that he was going to stick around long enough for her to do so. The moment he could think for himself again, he would want nothing more than to get their journey back on track. If the SCC tried to stop him, he most certainly would try to find a way to escape. It seemed that no matter what, his damaged programming was going to remain a deadly problem....

Courage let out a weak sigh at the thought. He had never thought that he could feel any worse about Computer's sad fate than he already did, and yet here he was.

Elizabeth ignored his change in mood. She began to pace again, looking thoughtful.

“That leads us into our last problem.” She announced. “Because the original dog needs to remain comatose, once we extract the Construct from the amalgamation, it will need a new host body.”

Courage blinked in surprise. It was going to be weird seeing Computer in a new body after inhabiting that dog for so long.

“Thankfully, this problem has an easy solution. I already have the perfect candidate.”

She came to a stop and pointed down at Courage.

“You.”

“WHAT?” He shrieked, jumping back as though just her pointing at him would sudden zap Computer into him.

“It makes far more sense than you realize.” She explained, unperturbed by his reaction. “You see, even though Constructs are machines themselves, a Construct cannot control another Construct. That extends to any machine that they are using as a host body, and that also extends to any machine that is on or ' _inside_ ' an organic being they are inhabiting. So, even if the amalgamate gets another chance to act out, as long as that Construct is inhabiting your body, they cannot send a signal to the machine inside of you to start hollowing you out. In fact, we might even get a chance to remove the thing entirely. The Construct should be able to use its powers to stop it from attempting to kill you while we take it out.”

Not even the chance to get that machine out of his body made Courage feel any better about what Elizabeth was proposing. There was no telling how long Computer was going to have to use him as a host body, and it seemed that you spent your time as a host completely unconscious too. He'd never really thought about how horrible it would be to have a 'parasite' hijack your body and take away every last shred of autonomy you ever had until he was the one under threat of having it happen to him.

Left with little other choice, he voiced his fears, “When will I be allowed to have my own body back? I, er, don't want to spend the rest of my life unconscious while you have Computer play super weapon for some rich jerks.”

Elizabeth skipped a beat. “Ah, I seem to have forgotten to explain a... _minor_ detail about all of this.”

Somehow that did not inspire any confidence in Courage at all...

“When I extract the Construct and begin stabilizing its programming, I'm going to make a small change that will allow you to remain aware and in control of your body even while it is inhabiting and controlling you at the same time.”

Courage shrank back at her explanation, deciding that maybe he would be happier unconscious after all...

“Believe it or not,” She went on. “That is how Constructs used to function. We had to make a few modifications after the first few were made, because every time they would take over a sentient being, the host would come out of it incurably insane afterwords. That unfortunate side effect only stopped after we adjusted the program to make sure the host's mind goes into a dormant state while under the control of a Construct.”

Now Courage was really, _really_ sure that he wanted to be unconscious!

Elizabeth gave him a casual shrug. “I figured that since you seem to know this Construct so well, you will not so easily go insane from having to share the same mind and body with it.”

Courage didn't even know what to say to that. Elizabeth did not seem to realize that being forced to share the same _everything_ with Computer was absolutely, one hundred percent, the perfect recipe for incurable insanity.

End Of Chapter


	111. Meeting Of The Minds

Chapter 111: Meeting Of The Minds

Elizabeth had ordered the SCC to move out, now that Courage was no longer being quarantined. He watched the rush to pack everything up from the disused path near the cabin. Although he was no longer being guarded, the bomb collar remained locked around his neck. Elizabeth had told him that it would be removed after he was made into the new host and the threat from his infestation was eliminated. She had also told him that it would likely still be a day or two before she'd have 'the Construct' extracted, stabilized, and ready for transfer, so Courage was going to have to deal with both the bomb and the horror inside of himself for quite a bit longer.

It seemed that like how she refused to call Computer a 'he', she also refused to call him anything other than 'the Construct'. Now more than ever did Courage wish that Computer had a proper name. It was a little hard to vouch for his personhood when he was still calling him 'Computer'.

Well, it seemed that they were going to have a lot of 'personal' time to work on that problem, now that they were....

Courage shuddered for what had to be the millionth time since Elizabeth had laid out her plan. As close as he had become to Computer since they first set out on this journey, the thought of sharing the same, well, _everything_ with him was not exactly something he wanted to experience. The SCC were not giving him much of a choice though, and it _was_ the only way he could free himself from the nightmare that was nestled inside his chest.

In spite of everything, he did feel bad for the other Constructs. They had been turned into that horrific 'melted together' being through no fault of their own, and not even the people who had done that to them could fix the damage they had done. It seemed that the Constructs truly were suffering a fate worse than death. The many minds that made up the fusion had to be trapped in a near constant state of confusion and pain, so maybe the best thing to do really _was_ to put them out of their misery.

All Courage could hope for now was that Computer might get out of this unscathed. There was no telling what sort of lasting effects being apart of the collective mind might have upon him though. That is, if Elizabeth even succeeds in freeing him.

Courage whimpered and clutched at his chest. Not only was he worried for Computer, and terrified of what sharing a body with him was going to be like, but he was also scared of what might happen if Elizabeth failed to 'put down' the amalgamation on her first try. Even if becoming a host meant that the machine inside of him would be neutralized, and even if Computer's old body remained comatose, the SCC were not actually certain if they really did have the fusion subdued. There was no telling how the amalgamation might react if the 'one chance' they were giving the SCC ended in a failed attempt to 'kill' them...

Only a handful of SCC vans were still parked at the camp site. For at least an hour now, Elizabeth had been going from one person to the next, supervising their exit. Even now Courage was not sure what to think of her. She was not a good or nice person, but she was not outright evil either. She reminded him a lot of Computer before he had started making an effort to change for the better.

It was just one more weird way she uncannily resembled him.

Judging by where the sun was in the sky, Courage was certain that it was around noon. He was hungry, but since he knew exactly what sort of dog food he was going to be eating for the foreseeable future, he was perfectly okay with going hungry for the time being.

Another shudder ran up his spine as he wondered if Computer's coffee addiction was going to transfer over to him and if that was going to override his dislike of the stuff. That was if the Computer who returned from the amalgamation even still had a coffee addiction...

He inadvertently let out a soft whimper at that thought, but he was pulled out of his fretfulness by Elizabeth calling out to him.

“Mutt! Get over here!” She exclaimed, her hands on her hips.

Left with little other choice, Courage trudged into the nearly abandoned camp site.

“Get in.” She commanded, pointing over to one of the last remaining vans. “I've wasted enough time in this damnable forest, with all of its accused bugs and filthy mud puddles. I suggest you don't keep me here any longer.”

…It seemed that she also shared Computer's hatred of nature.

Courage silently obeyed the old woman and climbed into the back of the van. Once he was inside and sitting down on a metal bench that folded out from the wall, she sat down opposite of him.

“You may want to buckle up.” She warned. “The path out of this disgusting forest is a bumpy one.”

Like the benches that folded out on both sides of the van, the seat belts also had to be pulled out of the wall. The drive out of the forest was indeed a neck breakingly bumpy one, and even buckled up, Courage still felt like he was going to bounce out of his seat.

Eventually the van's movement evened out as they reached a properly paved road. The back door windows of the van were too high to look out of so the only thing Courage could see was the sky. Even then, he was sure that they were not far from the city.

Elizabeth was looking slightly less annoyed now that they were finally out of the forest and no longer being jostled around. In fact, she was giving Courage a rather smug and deeply unpleasant smile.

“It really was a stroke of genius on my part to save your pathetic life.” She said. “I had my doubts, but it seems that the cost was well worth it. Now the SCC has a bargaining chip if that monstrosity ever gets loose again. We have the dog that they so illogically want to make their new host, and soon we will also have their missing piece. I plan to have that fusion destroyed long before it can get another chance to act out, but it is always good to have a backup plan. Besides, even after the amalgamate is out of the picture, the final Construct seems to be rather attached to you. Until your illness finishes you off and we have no other choice but to move it into another body, your continued... _safety_ will make for a fine _consideration_ that will keep the Construct in line. We can, after all, revoke that safety at any time.”

Courage stared blankly at her obvious threat.

Her unpleasant smile widened. “I would say that I am looking forward to working with you, but I truly am not. I don't care for that particular Construct either, but since it is the only one left in working order, I have no other choice but to make do with what I have.” Her smile turned into something darker. “You should be glad that you both are already on the way out. I have no need for a worthless mutt, and I especially have no need for that mechanical abomination. Let's just say that you won't have to worry about any unfortunate accidents befalling the both of you while on the job.”

...Yeah, Courage was absolutely certain that he was going to do everything in his power to escape the SCC as soon as possible. Although, once Computer was in his head, that was going to turn into one heck of a problem. He was going to have to find a way to get Computer into a different body and that didn't seem like something he would be capable of without the SCC's help. Maybe Computer himself would have a solution once they were 'together' again.

Some of the maliciousness in Elizabeth's face drained away as she began to consider something. “Since you're going to be spending the rest of your life playing host to a Construct, I suppose it would be pertinent of me to reveal some of the classified information about Constructs that I was withholding from you before. Namely, how they are made, and some of the peculiarities that the nature of their creation brings about.”

Courage had wanted to know more the moment Elizabeth had first hinted at but refused to give him more details on how Constructs are made. Admittedly though, he was also a little afraid to find out now too, given how everything surrounding the entire concept of Constructs seemed to be...unethical, to put it lightly.

“You'll need a history lesson first, I think.” Elizabeth went on, giving him a scornful look. “Can your primitive mutt brain handle it?”

Courage frowned at her and nodded. He was really starting to hate how much she resembled Computer at his worst...

“Listen closely, because I am in no mood to repeat myself.” She warned, crossing her arms. “In the old days, back when it was much more difficult to preserve knowledge, and back when an unexpected death or fire could wipe out vast amounts of information in an instant, people of the magical inclination, such as sorcerers and alchemists, were always looking for new ways to preserve their craft. One such method they employed was, when an old sorcerer or any such person who practiced the arcane was nearing death, through old age or sickness, they would preform a ritual that would imbue life upon a personal object of theirs. In nearly every recorded case, this object would be a tome that held all of the knowledge that this dying person wanted preserved. Sometimes it would be their life's work put down on paper, or sometimes it would be all of the knowledge and history of those who came before them that they wished to keep alive. Regardless, this ritual would result in the object of their choosing gaining a pale imitation of life, so that such tomes might speak and insure that the knowledge held within their pages would not be forgotten. As an added benefit, the ritual that gives life could also be used to imbue certain traits upon the object. The wizards of old almost always opted to give the books that held their coveted information an unnatural durability that would allow them to endure the ages with minimal wear and tear. However,” Elizabeth sliced a hand through the air.

“That does not mean that these books were entirely immune to damage. They lasted far longer than any regular tome from those ancient times, yes, but wear and tear does eventually catch up with them. Not to mention that the pseudo soul that the ritual imbues upon them were notoriously unstable and prone to dissipating over time. The moment the _false_ soul leaves the object, it goes right back to being a regular book that can just as easily be destroyed as any. Despite the admirable effort to preserve important knowledge, nearly every single one of these books has been lost in modern times. Even the ritual itself almost became a lost art. I suspect that the few books that remain are being kept in secret. The knowledge they contain would be highly valuable to those who still practice the magical arts. Even the SCC, who specializes in archiving and keeping dangerous supernatural knowledge out of the public eye, has held only one such book in our possession, and only for a short amount of time. We learned how to preform the ritual from that book, and we were able to archive several other lost magical techniques with its help, but, alas, there was a greedy traitor in our ranks. The book was stolen from us and sold to an unknown buyer before we could apprehend the traitor. It has been lost to us since.”

Courage had to force himself to keep a straight face as he began to realize that Stump's talking book back in the swamp might actually be the SCC's missing tome. He had absolutely no idea how it could have ended up in the swamp or in Stump's paws, but if a book like that really was as rare as Elizabeth was saying, then maybe it _was_ the same one that was stolen from them.

Elizabeth gave him her usual look of contempt. “I hope you've figured out where I'm going with this by now. The ritual we obtained from that book, the same ritual that is used to create such books, is exactly how we create Constructs. To be exact, we use the ritual to attach a pseudo soul to the basic A.I. that already exist, so that it might be able to think and act to a far greater extent than any existing machine. Instead of imbuing them with the unnatural durability that the ancient practitioners preferred, we give them the means to control metal and electricity, and that expresses itself most strongly through machinery. Those two traits are rather uneven though, and the extent to which they can do both varies from Construct to Construct as well. As an example, while they can move metals without an electrical current running through them, albeit with greater difficulty, they cannot generate or directly control electricity, only guide it through an existing medium. As a trade off, any machine that they inhabit has a much greater resistance to electrical damage, and while organic bodies do not gain the same resistance, it is through that control of electricity that they are able to hijack the electrical signals in the brain. It is exactly how they are able to exist within and control organic beings.”

That would certainly explain why Computer survived the coffee spill that would have destroyed any other machine, and it also explained why he survived the lightning strike that caused the Mega Muriel incident. It seemed to also be why, during that very same incident, he did not want to be electrocuted in Muriel's body when he had just survived, and been empowered by, an electrical surge as a machine.

This revelation hardly matter though because Courage was furious. Absolutely _furious_.

“So, wait, wait, wait!” He exclaimed, his voice rising with each 'wait'. “When you make Constructs, you give them actual, honest-to-goodness _SOULS_ and yet YOU STILL REFUSE TO TREAT THEM LIKE PEOPLE?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his outburst. “Did you not listen to a single word I said? What they have is a mere shadow of the real thing. Something that vaguely resembles the human soul, but is not. They are given false life through a highly unstable imitation of the real thing. A Construct is not truly alive, nor are they actual 'people'. They are as fake as the thing that allows them to think in the first place.”

Noting that Courage was still growling at her, since nothing she had said had done anything to make him less angry, she went on with,

“There has never been a spell or ritual created within the whole of human history that has been able to craft a genuine human soul out of nothing. If you want to make a new person, you still have to do it the old fashioned way. Any other attempt results in something lesser.”

Her explanation did nothing to quell Courage's fury.

“You...” He growled. “You knew the entire time that the Constructs were just as alive as anyone else and yet you still did THAT to them!”

He was, of course, referring to the failed fusion.

Elizabeth was as casual as ever. “I told you before. If it had been up to me, I never would have allowed the Constructs to be made in the first place, much less allowed them to be fused together. I am merely the one who is cleaning up the mess that was left behind.”

“Who _IS_ responsible for all of this then?”

That unpleasant smile returned to Elizabeth's face. “The mastermind behind the total failure that is the Constructs, of course! Sadly for you though, you have no one to turn your anger onto. The man who found the book and used the knowledge it contained to create the Constructs has been dead for a long time now. His death resulted in one last Construct being made, but without his hand to guide the project forward, the attempt to fuse the Constructs into a single entity failed.”

Courage continued to press her. “Didn't you say something before about sabotaging 'his' grand scheme?”

Elizabeth blinked in surprise at the question, and for once he seemed to have actually tripped her up a little.

“Ah, you remembered me saying that, did you? I thought you would have been a little more concerned about the rampaging abomination about to kill us. Well, when it comes to the past, what's done is done, and it hardly matters now anyway. In spite of what I might have done, the remnants of his failed project are still here and are still giving me a migraine.” She touched the bandaging wrapped around her head. “...Literally.”

His glare never leaving her, Courage angrily growled, “You're still not telling me everything.”

“Because you don't need to know everything, and I suggest that you stop giving me that look. I will not speak further on this subject, especially not with a mutt like you. I did the right thing for the sake of the SCC and humanity as a whole, and I will continue to do the right thing by making sure that his project and everything he created is wiped off the face of this earth. The sooner the final Construct is destroyed, the better.”

…...

The building the SCC had moved Computer's old body into was indeed smack dab in the middle of the city. In fact, it wasn't all that far from where the Constructs had cut their path of destruction from the hospital to the police station. It made sense though when considering how quickly the SCC had to move to put the dog into an artificial coma.

Either way, Courage still found it a little worrying to be several stories up in a building that the amalgamate could disintegrate within seconds...

He had been left in a moderately sized, windowless room. Judging by the whiteboard that was still attached to the wall, it seemed that this might have been a meeting room before the SCC took the building over. In typical SCC fashion, they had removed just about everything from the room, including the furniture. They had not left Courage even a chair to sit on.

What he had not been expecting was for Elizabeth to return only a few hours later. He had thought that he was going to be stuck in that room with nothing to sleep on, with only bad dog food to eat, and no updates from anyone, for days. So, when Elizabeth marched into the room with a weird, metallic box under her arm, he was taken by surprise.

“The deed is done.” She announced. “And it went far better than I was expecting. Thank goodness for that Construct's programming, no matter how badly damaged it might be.”

She held out the box for Courage to see. It wasn't much bigger than a basketball and there was a small screen attached to it that displayed a constant crawl of coding that Courage could not even begin to decipher. It did remind him of when he had helped Computer stabilize his programming though.

“It is currently contained within this gadget of mine.” She spoke. “This machine allows for easy access to its programming code. I've just finished making a few tweaks that should help keep it stable for a little while longer. I have also removed the coding that ensures a host's mind goes dormant while infested by this Construct.”

Courage swallowed nervously at that, as a feeling of impending doom fell over him.

Trying to keep his mind off of what was about to happen, he asked Elizabeth, “Can he see or hear us right now?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, this gadget does not allow for any output, and the only input it registers are keystrokes to change lines of coding. The Construct is aware, but it is, more or less, suspended in a void where it cannot do anything, much less communicate.”

Courage's mouth fell open. “S-so you're telling me that he's aware and can't communicate, and you've been messing around with his programming the entire time? Without even telling him what's going on?” His voice slowly turned from stunned awe to simmered anger.

“Yes.” She answered simply.

Courage's lower eyelid twitched, but rather than give Elizabeth a piece of his mind, he swallowed his ever growing fury with the woman and instead voiced the one major fear that had been plaguing his mind the entire day.

“Is he...is he even going to be himself after being trapped in the fusion?”

“That is for you to find out.” Elizabeth answered, pressing a button down on the box that caused a large spike to pop out. She grabbed it and pulled, revealing that it was attached to a long length of metal tubing that was stored within the box.

Courage's face went pale at the sight of the ominous looking spike. It was almost as long as his arm, and it did not help that the metal tubing it was attached to looked like one of Computer's spider-like machine arms. That alone brought back bad memories of the night Computer hijacked Muriel's body. Courage never once thought that he might face the same thing one day, even if he did not need to worry about Computer going 'power mad' like last time.

“This is going to hurt, but only a little bit.” Elizabeth said, waving the spike at him to signal that he needed to get closer.

“A little?” He asked, keeping his eyes locked on the thing.

“Or, maybe it hurts a lot. I wouldn't know. I've never been infested by a Construct before.”

Courage gulped, but since he did not have any other choice, he turned so that she could insert the spike into the base of his neck. He shuddered when her thin, cold fingers dug into his fur and met skin.

“On the count of three.” He heard her say, but he was so anxious that she sounded far away.

“One-”

She shoved the spike into his neck without finishing her countdown and his mouth opened in a silent scream at the intense pain it caused. Although, after getting his torso sliced opened and nearly having his insides ripped out, this was nothing.

The pain subsided quickly and moments later the spike was removed. In an instant, a strange sort of tingling sensation prickled through his entire body. He watched in stunned silence as his fur turned that dark shade of blue and began to glow. It had never struck him that the glow might feel like anything, but with it happening to him right now, he was suddenly aware of the fact that it was causing his skin to generate a soft, radiating warmth. The only way he could describe it was that it felt like a bad sunburn, only without the burning pain that came with it.

Then, he became aware of the presence in his mind. He understood almost immediately why the unfortunate people who had fallen victim to the SCC's experimentation had gone hopelessly insane. Even though he knew that it was Computer, his presence was unfamiliar, invasive, and thoroughly alien. He could sense just how easily an entity like this would be able to force him into some empty part of his own brain where the only thing he would be able to do is silently scream until madness took hold. That had to be exactly what happened to the first few people who played host to the Constructs. They had been left prisoners in their own brain as these invasive entities took control of their very lives.

Parasites, indeed.

The next thing Courage felt was confusion, and it was not his own. He blinked several times, though not of his own volition. It was a weird sensation to feel his own body move without him being the one to give it the command. In a sense, he really had become nothing more than a detached consciousness in his own brain, because his mind and body were no longer his own. Once again, had he not known that it was Computer, he would be in a state of absolute terror and panic right now, and honestly, he still was a little scared to be under the control of this invasive presence, no matter who it might be.

He watched himself look up at Elizabeth, who was considering the newly joined duo with mild interest.

As for what happened next, well, Courage might have been through a lot of weird things in his life, but feeling his own mouth open up and hearing Computer's voice come out of it was certainly up there in the top five weirdest things he had ever experienced.

“What's-” Computer began, and Courage's eyes lingered on Elizabeth for only a few moments longer before they began to move slowly downward.

Then, Courage was looking at his own paws, as they opened and closed a few times.

“Who-” Computer continued to question, realizing that this was not the dog body he was used to.

Courage's eyes dropped further and finally caught sight of the line of stitching that ran up his chest. He was then assaulted by a feeling of cold, disbelieving dread that was not his own.

“Oh, no...” Computer softly uttered out.

Courage felt his paws touch his stomach, then his face, and then his fingers moved upward to touch the stump of his ear.

“Oh, noooo...” Computer drawled, that feeling of complete and total dread worsening.

Deciding that he wanted to figure out the extent to which he could still control himself, Courage forced himself to say, “Computer?” and it came out in his own voice.

“Ooooh, nonononononono!” Computer answered, his voice taking on an outright hysterical pitch.

“It's okay, Compute.” He tried to assure him.

Courage could feel his skin crawl as he experienced Computer's disgust at being in _this_ body as strongly as if it were his own.

“Nothing about this is okay!” Computer exclaimed, Courage's face cringing so hard that he felt like it might crack and fall off.

It at least offered him some small amount of comfort to know that Computer was just as...uncomfortable with this arrangement as he was. Although, he was even more comforted to know that Computer was still, well, himself.

Courage involuntarily pointed a finger up at Elizabeth and Computer's panicky voice shouted, “There are over eight million living beings on this planet and you put me inside of _him_?”

A beat of silence followed and Courage's finger remained floating in the air before foreign embarrassment hit him like a truck and he dropped his head into his open paws.

“Oh, god. Why did I word it that way?” Computer groaned, his voice partly muffled.

“Huh?” Courage asked, his own voice just as muffled.

His head immediately shot up in alarm, eyes wide, as Computer had him look around rather shiftily.

“N-nothing!” He stammered.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at their antics.

“S-seriously! Find someone else!” Computer begged. “This...this is an _abomination_!”

He could not have sounded more overdramatic if he tried...

“Your whole existence is an abomination!” Elizabeth fired back, pointing a finger in Courage's face. “Get over it!”

She then added, “Oh, and I highly suggest that you do not think too much while you're in that dog's brain. You''ll burn it out prematurely if you're not careful. An organic brain like his has to work overtime to support two consciousnesses at the same time, so if you put too much strain on it, his brain will fry like an egg on a skillet. Put it down as one more reason why we decided to change what happens to a host's mind when they are taken over.”

“WHAT?” Both of them yelled at the same time...somehow.

“You didn't mention that before!” Courage cried out.

“It wasn't relevant.”

Computer, on the other hand, made Courage's face screw up as he desperately tried not to think, just as Elizabeth advised. Apparently for him though, trying not to think involved, er, not breathing....

Had Courage not forced himself to take a gasp of air as soon as his lungs began to burn, he was certain that Computer would have _gladly_ suffocated them both.

“Well, then. I think I'll leave you two to acclimate to your new existence.” Elizabeth smugly intoned turning to leave.

“You know what? I think I would like to go back inside the homicidal, mechanical abomination, thanks!” Computer begged with a panicky laugh.

Courage on the other hand, who'd had more than enough of Elizabeth's uncaring attitude and cruelty, stepped forward to try and stop her from leaving. Although, the second he made the attempt, the entire room began to spin like it was some kind of sick carnival ride.

Groaning, he fell onto his stomach, but even laying there wasn't enough to stop the intense vertigo.

“Please, for the love of everything good and right in the world, do not throw up while I'm sharing the same everything as you!” Computer exclaimed while Courage's face proceeded to turn a sickly shade of glowing, radioactive green.

“T-then s-stop o-opening my m-mouth!” Courage argued back, pressing his paws to his lips.

“Oh, right. That is another problem that arises because of how Constructs interact with the brain of hosts who are still aware.” Elizabeth interjected, although she was still heading for the door. “The part of your brain that controls balance tends to get overwhelmed by the extra stress that the presence of a Construct brings. It will acclimate after an hour or two...usually. If not, well, I hope you enjoy being dizzy, because that is how you're going to be spending the rest of your life. Not even removing the Construct will help if it doesn't recover.”

Courage so badly wanted to tell her off for once again leaving out another important detail, but he dare not open his mouth...

…..

Some time passed as Courage lay there on the floor, eyes closed, as the world continued to spin around him at vomit inducing speeds. At some point, he had rolled over onto his back, but he could not remember when or if it had even been his own doing. It did not help the spinning, but it did help to keep the contents of his stomach from making an explosive appearance. Not even keeping his eyes closed helped much, because it still felt like the floor was rotating under him.

Slowly but surely it began to subside a little, and eventually he could open his eyes without feeling like he was about to hurl on a carnival ride. Computer was experiencing all the same vertigo as him, but he had largely backed off and left Courage 'in the pilot seat', so to speak. He seemed to be very much aware of the uncomfortable power dynamic that was now at play and would remain present so long as they were both in control of the same body. He was clearly worried that he might overstep and do something that might harm Courage. Like it or not, he was doing exactly what he was built to do, and he could easily leave Courage a prisoner in his own brain if he was not careful, even if it was not his intention to do so.

On that note, while there was very much a... _healthy_ barrier between them and their thoughts, which meant that they thankfully could not read each other's minds, emotions were an entirely different matter. It seemed that they were sharing the same part of the brain that generates emotions, and because of that they were picking up on each other's feelings as strongly as if they were feeling it themselves. Because of that, Courage could feel Computer's worry and get some sense of what he was thinking from that. Barrier or not, it was distressingly easy to figure out what thoughts were going through each other's 'head'. Maybe with some practice they would be able to get better at blocking each other out, but for now...

“Compute? Are you doing okay?” Courage asked, closing his eyes as he tried to fight off their shared dizziness “A-and I'm not only talking about right now. Considering everything that's happened to you lately...” He trailed off.

“No, I'm not okay, but you know what? I'm just going to say yes. I am all sunshine and rainbows right now, thank you very much.”

He joked, but the emotions that hit Courage told an entirely different story. Stranger still, he was starting to get flashes of....images that were clearly not his own. Doctors, nurses, and SCC soldiers being, well...

“I didn't have any other choice.” Computer uttered out, his voice weirdly emotionless despite what he was feeling. “That... _woman_ , she was planning on having you euthanized.”

“She was going to do WHAT?” Courage shrieked.

“Ah, figures she wouldn't inform you about that little detail, even after everything went south. As much as I hate to admit it, I had to give in to ' _t_ _hem'_. It was the only option I had left. I couldn't just sit there and let the SCC kill you, but-”

Another image implanted itself in Courage's mind and this time he could see himself suspended in the air, covered in wires, while that mechanical hand was cutting him open, only this time he was seeing it from Computer's perspective.

He felt his paws begin to move on their own and they came to rest atop his stitching.

“I am terribly sorry for that.”

Courage winced. “It wasn't your fault. You were under their control.”

A foreign feeling of shock and guilt fell over him.

“You don't get it.” Computer tried to explain. “It was never a matter of being controlled. When I am them, I want what they want. I wanted to go through with that insane idea of pulling your guts out just as much as I wanted to kill all of those innocent people because I... _we_ wanted to take our anger out on the organic beings who wronged us.”

A deluge of images and emotions washed over Courage, but try as he might, Computer could not truly impress upon him what it had been like to be apart of the amalgamation. Courage just could not comprehend it.

“I was just as much them as they were me. There was no distinction.”

Even after all of the things Courage had learned about Computer and his nature as a mechanical being while on this long journey of theirs, he had never once thought of him as anything other than a fellow person. It was only now, as this alien, invasive consciousness was trying to get him to understand something that his organic brain could not really comprehend, that Courage was starting to understand just how...different Computer really was. Not that it changed anything, but it did help put a few things into perspective.

“Well,” He tried to assure him. “If you really _did_ want to do those things of your own free will, you wouldn't be feeling so guilty about it right now. You weren't yourself, no matter how much it might have felt like you were while you were trapped in that collective mind. It's got to be the same way for the rest of the Constructs too. If anyone is to blame for all of this, it's the SCC, not you guys.”

Computer's guilt morphed into feelings of relief and grateful appreciation. Wariness quickly returned to him though as he had Courage lightly pat his own chest.

“I'm not so sure you're going to stick to such a charitable interpretation of us after you find out what we put inside your chest...”

“Oh, uh, don't worry about that. I already know, and I've, er, had plenty of time to freak out about it by now.”

Computer crossed Courage's arms. “That would certainly explain all the screaming we heard...”

Courage gave a sheepish chuckle at the revelation that even the amalgamation had heard him screaming.

“Well, uh, Elizabeth thinks that the fusion can't activate the machine while you're possessing my body. She also believes that they won't risk killing me while you're in here too or else they'd lose their final piece.”

“She's...not even trying to fix the rest of them, is she?”

“According to her, their programming and data is so tangled up that nothing can be done to help them. She said that the only reason why she was able to free you from them is because you weren't as tangled up as the rest. It sounds like the only thing she can do for them now is to...put them out of their misery.”

“That's...not good. This is exactly what we were worried about. We had a hard time coming to the decision that we did. We did not want to make ourselves vulnerable, but you...you have a weird affect on us, _them_ , and that's even before I was brought into the equation. When you stood up for us, ugh, THEM! You gave them hope that they could be separate again. They are a very...contradictory being. They want to die but they are also terrified of dying. Only the worst emotions bubble up to the top, and that is what drives them. All calls for pacifism or forgiveness are drown out by overwhelming anger, hatred, and fear. They are near mindlessly driven to destroy, as a way to take their pain and anger out on everyone and everything around them. It's why they enjoyed, and even took part in, so much of the pain I've endured. It's all so contradictory. They needed to convince me to join them, but they also wanted me to suffer, despite knowing that it would decrease the odds of me, you know, actually wanting to join them. They-”

Courage's eyes went wide and Computer forced him to sit up, inadvertently sending them on another roller coaster ride of vertigo.

“Courage!” He uttered out, alarmed. “Everything that you saw, everything that they did to the hospital and the police station, they were capable of that the entire time! I did not exactly give them a power boost, because they,” He closed his eyes as he tried to call upon his powers. “-broke something. I still can't use my abilities, and they were not available even while I was apart of the amalgamation. They were capable of all that from the very start, and they never needed me for the amplification I was supposed to bring to the collective. All this time they've been lurking in the shadows, toying with us. Waiting to get their last piece before finally daring to show the true extent of their power. They...don't need me in order to do incredible harm, they are just desperate to feel 'whole', and I give them that.”

He shook Courage's head. “If that woman tries to hurt them after they made themselves vulnerable, after they somehow managed to push past all of the negative emotions that rule them, for this one chance to save themselves. Well, their rage would be so great that they would probably level most of this city in an instant.”

Courage gulped fearfully.

….He also gulped because he was once again on the verge of nearly puking his guts out. He groaned and flopped backwards, letting the world spin as he lay there.

In that vertigo induced lull, the mingling worry they had for what the future might possibly throw at them next slowly dissipated to be replaced with a mutual feeling of gladness that they were finally, _finally_ together again. This strange situation that they had found themselves in, where they were sharing the same body, hardly even mattered. They had somehow found their way back to each other in spite of the overwhelming odds and circumstances that had been keeping them apart.

All of a sudden, the reality of the situation hit Computer like a truck. Part of him could not believe it. It just didn't seem possible!

“Courage!” He exclaimed, as though he was only just reuniting with him at that very moment.

Much to Courage's surprise, he was suddenly...hugging himself.

A wonderfully warm and comforting sensation spread out all over his body. He felt Computer's downright infectious joy so strongly that he couldn't help but laugh because of how good it was making him feel.

“For awhile there, I really did start to believe that I might never see you again.” Computer admitted, although even that dour confession did nothing to spoil their happy mood. “I would say that you can't possibly imagine just how glad I am to see you again, but, well...I think you can.” He chuckled, feeling Courage's own joy and affection just as strongly as the other way around.

It seemed that they had created a 'positive' feedback loop of emotions, and neither of them particularly minded the warm, happy feelings that they were catching from each other.

“I've missed you too!” Courage laughed, still completely caught up in the moment.

He had never thought that it might be possible to mentally hug someone, but he was pretty sure that he had just done exactly that. Considering that Computer still had control of his arms, it was the only way he could return the hug.

Finally, he had to ask, “Where have you been all this time? I was so worried that something bad had happened to you.”

The question caused his face to wince as Computer answered with, “You don't want to know...”

“H-hey! Don't leave me in the dark!” He prodded, albeit in good humor. He seriously doubted that anything could get him down right now.

“You really, _really_ don't want to know!”

He grinned, not quite picking up on the gravity of what Computer was implying just yet, even though he was already receiving plenty of bad vibes from Computer just vaguely thinking about all that had transpired during their time apart.

“That bad, huh?”

“Let's just say that that hypothetical therapy bill has become multiple zeroes larger...”

End Of Chapter


	112. Living As One

Chapter 112: Living As One

Courage woke up lying in a corner of the empty room. His arms were...wrapped around himself again, and he had not been in that position when he had first curled up to take a nap. Even now he could feel Computer's warm, comforting affection. Along with his happiness at having finally, against all odds, reunited with Courage. His presence as an invading entity was so overbearing that it was impossible not to feel just how much he, well...

...There was a very big elephant in the room that neither of them particularly wanted to acknowledge while they were stuck in the same body.

Since it did not exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on here, and since Courage had long suspected that his own feelings were not one sided, he had come to the decision that as soon as they were in a less...uncomfortable position for something like this, he was going to finally talk to Computer about, well, everything, and discuss with him where they were going to go from here. He was certain that his own feelings were as much on full blast in this state as Computer's were. His companion must have put two and two together by now. It was just too obvious at this point for them to keep ignoring it forever.

He had to admit though, sharing the same body with Computer was turning out not to be as big of a disaster as he had been expecting. The caution Computer was exercising meant that they had mutual control, and Computer was content to hang back and willfully let Courage take over whenever he felt like he was pushing him back too much. Things could change if something were to come up that they disagreed on, but for now they were existing in relative harmony.

It had taken a lot of prodding on Courage's part to get Computer to open up about what had happened to him during their long months apart. He suspected that it was Computer's recounting and the amount of 'thinking' that it had required that had caused him to become so mentally exhausted afterwords. To the point that Computer had pretty much forced him to take a nap out of the fear that his brain was being baked in his own skull.

Courage now knew about how Computer had, more or less, been arrested after their vehicle went into the river. He also knew that there had been a horrible few hours where Computer had believed that he had died, and given everything the SCC had to do to revive him, that belief hadn't been far from the truth. During that part of Computer's recounting, Courage had received some of his remembered despair and that had given him a decent idea of just how much his near death had affected Computer. He had also received more than a few mental images of Computer's time in the police station. It seemed that he had been held in a room almost identical to the one the SCC had been keeping Courage in.

Computer had told him about, and also seemingly shown him through those mental images, his escape from the police station and the SCC. Courage now knew about the puppies that Computer had met after his narrow escape. He had spoken of Spot and how the pup had tried to rob him, how he had chased him and ended up in the ruined house that those puppies lived in. Then he had talked of how he had tried to help them with their situation while lying low there.

Courage had sensed Computer's genuine fondness for the pups. Even now he was worried for their safety. Something horrible had happened to Spot and Computer had been away from the other puppies for a dire amount of time. What had become of the puppies was one big unknown, and as long as the two of them were stuck like this in the SCC's 'care', they had no way to find out.

It was only when Charon came into the picture that Computer's recounting of the events that he had been through started to become far more vague. He had refused to go into detail about what had happened to him after he willingly went with Charon to save Spot, but remembered images and feelings still reached Courage, and it did not paint a pretty picture. The only thing Computer had been willing to talk about was that he had joined up with a group of dogs who had been working to tear Charon and his operation down from within. They had managed to pull it off and escape, but at a great cost. There was someone named Dena who had died during their escape, and Computer had been far too distraught about what had happened to her to give Courage any more information. He did, unfortunately, through no fault of Computer's, get a terrible mental image of her pinned down and about to be consumed by a monstrous dog.

...And he had received a similar image of Spot as well.

The only positive thing his companion had to report was that he had run into the girl dog, who had been acting as a nurse for the dogs Charon was abusing. She apparently was responsible for Computer having lived long enough to actually enjoy his reunion with Courage. He still spoke of her with considerable contempt, but even he had to admit that she, in way, had kept her promise to him. He suspected that she was still with Spot, even now. If the pup had survived, that is.

It was during his attempt to tiptoe around what had happened to him while he was in Charon's clutches that Computer had begun to realize just how little he could actually hide from Courage while he was in his brain. He did not know how to block his thoughts, feelings, or mental images very well, and given that it was his nature as a Construct to be an overbearing force that could so easily stifle Courage's own consciousness, there was very little he could do to prevent it. He could not simply move himself to some empty part of Courage's brain and put some space between them. He was just too 'big', so to speak. Even Courage had to admit that he did feel something akin to his mind being squashed from the lack of room.

Panic, of course, had quickly set in upon Computer realizing that he had _plenty_ of traumatic thoughts, feelings, and memories that he could inadvertently push upon Courage. He began to worry that he might accidentally cause Courage to experience one of his memories of Him, and he had gotten to work trying not to think about Him. The problem was, the more you try not to think about something...you tend to do the exact opposite.

That had only sent Computer into an even bigger tizzy. Out of sheer desperation he had forced himself to start thinking about the very next thing that came to his mind, and the topic had happened to be...internet memes.

All of a sudden Courage's mind had been full of images of kittens and cheeseburgers. He also saw some overweight guy dancing to a song that wasn't in English. In that moment, it suddenly struck Computer that that guy resembled Him....and began to panic even harder when his thoughts turned to that. He was left with no other choice but to summon even more ancient internet memes and Courage began to see in his head some robot guy talking about bases and even a dancing banana.

Trying to help Computer take his mind off things, he had decided to ask a question in lighthearted jest, although it kinda _had_ been a valid question...

“So, uh, how are bathroom breaks going to work while we're like this?”

He was fairly certain he got to feel the exact moment Computer went insane.

….And the only answer he got was a very strained, “Hold it...FOREVER!”

He then got to listen to Computer scream inside of his own head for at least a good, solid minute. It had been strangely muffled too, like Computer was trying to suffocate himself with a pillow, and that pillow had probably been Courage's brain. If there was one thing he had come to realize after spending only an hour or two seeing what Computer's regular mental state was like firsthand, it was that, well....he was very glad that he was not Computer.

...And it seemed that Computer was going to be the one to come out of this arrangement incurably insane.

One mental breakdown later and Computer had started to notice how mentally exhausted Courage was getting. That was when he had forced him to take a nap. He had physically laid him down and made him keep his eyes closed...

Feeling a lot better now, Courage sat up. His arms were still hopelessly wrapped around himself, even as he rose, and not at his own bidding either. He could sense that Computer was 'awake', so to speak, but he was so lost in thought that he did not seem to realize what was going on outside of Courage's brain. It seemed that even though Courage had slept...he had not. Which was weird in itself.

At least things were a little better now that Computer had had some time to unwind. Courage much preferred the warm affection his companion was willingly or unwillingly flooding him with over the downright paranoid panic and worry he had been bombarding him with before. Computer did not seem to understand that panicking about the possibility of accidentally hurting Courage with his own traumatic memories was just as unpleasant for his 'roommate' as the thing he was worried about happening. Right now though, Courage felt safe and protected by that overbearing presence that was practically wrapped around his consciousness. Computer certainly did not feel any emotions halfway, that was for sure.

Depressingly however, Courage had been slowly becoming aware of something that he really did not want to acknowledge while Computer was paying attention. He had not noticed it at first because, well, he was not exactly used to sharing the same brain with someone. He did not have any previous experiences to compare this to, but it was starting to become obvious that something was off. With how squashed he was, it was difficult not to notice after awhile.

He did not know how exactly to describe it though. The best thing he could think of to somehow put what it felt like into words was that it was like he was being pressed against a pane of glass that was intact but lined with millions of cracks and ready to shatter at the lightest touch. It was making how squashed he felt even more uncomfortable. He did not want to be the one to cause this precarious situation to crumble.

It seemed that he was, unfortunately, fully capable of feeling all of the damage He had left behind. Part of him so badly just wanted to think of it like old scars, but it was more like a bunch of unhealed wounds that could start bleeding out at any moment. It was...not a comfortable position to be in, and he hoped so badly that he could keep it from Computer that he-

“You feel it now too, don't you?”

Courage was startled when his own mouth began to move without his command. It still was so incredibly weird to hear Computer's voice come out of his mouth. Switching back over to his own voice, he let out an 'Eeep!' and jumped so high that it took a few seconds for him to hit the floor again.

Just like how Computer could not entirely mask his own thoughts and feelings, Courage was stuck with the exact same problem...

“I...it...we-” He hopelessly stammered.

Computer waited for him to stop stumbling over his own words in a failed attempt to explain himself before speaking up again.

“What is it like for you?” He asked. “I mean, as an organic being? I'm sure you can't fully comprehend it, just like how you can't fully comprehend what being apart of the amalgamation is like. I see that you consider my.... _condition_ like cracked glass. Does it seem like I'm shattered to you then? Irreparably broken? Just waiting to fall apart?” He was not angry or outraged, just curious, and perhaps a little worried too.

“Well, consider it this way.” He went on when Courage did not answer. “This is how it feels for me every moment of every day. It is always present and I cannot escape or ignore it. Maybe that is one thing that you comprehend, how awful it feels to always be aware of the fact that you are...wrong, and that you will never be right again.” A halfhearted smile formed on Courage's face as Computer chuckled, “And you wonder why I have...issues.”

He joked, but Courage did not sense even a sliver of mirth from him, only a mixture of sadness, shame, and yes, worry.

“Now that you can't ignore it either, it's...not a problem, is it?” He asked that with great hesitation. “Although, if it is, there's not really anything I can do about it. If I could spare you, trust me, I would, but-” He seemed to shrink. “You...don't think any less of me, now that, well-” The anxiety he felt became overwhelming, even for Courage, and that was more than enough to get the point across.

It seemed that because this aspect of himself was now at the forefront and impossible to hide, the irrational fear that was always lingering in the back of his mind, that Courage might eventually change his mind about him, was clawing its way back into the light. He understood on some level exactly how irrational his fear was, but he could not help it. While he did not mean to, he ended up broadcasting several of his current thoughts and old memories to Courage. He was thinking of all the times he had been thrown away, sold off, or abandoned for not being able to function properly. After all that, he could not help or stop the anxiety he had that the pattern might one day continue, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. Especially now that Courage was getting a firsthand look at just how truly broken and non-functional he was.

Not even their time in the Dreamworld had given Courage such a 'personal' look into what it felt like to be, well, Computer. It was not exactly pleasant, but not for the reasons Computer seemed to believe.

“C'mon, Compute.” He warmly assured him. “That would be like me deciding that I don't care about someone anymore because they lost an arm or a leg, or because they happen to have an ugly scar. You are not _this_ -”

He did one of those mental hug things again and pressed himself up against that feeling of cracked glass, no longer worried that he might cause it to crumble. Computer was not going to fall apart that easily.

“I know you've got a thick skull 'n all, but someday I'm gonna get my message through to you.” He gently laughed, trying to do a mental equivalent of a nuzzle too.

All of a sudden Computer was very squirmy, both as that overbearing presence in Courage's head, and physically as well.

“H-hey!” He exclaimed. “Stop that!”

He made Courage jump to his feet out of desperation to escape something that could not exactly be escaped.

“T-that tickles!”

Courage was not sure how mentally nuzzling a non-physical entity could cause any sort of tickling sensation, but Computer's overreaction was so funny that he decided to keep at it anyway.

“Why...do you...insist on....ruining...my day!” His companion barely managed to choke out because he was trying very, very hard not to laugh.

At some point, he stumbled backwards, and since neither of them were particularly coordinated in their shared control of Courage's body, he fell and thudded the back of Courage's head against the floor so hard that both of them were left seeing stars.

Courage groaned, clasped his paws to his head, and curled up into a ball. “Thanks for the concussion...”

“Sorry...” Computer weakly drawled. “Although, maybe you'll think twice next time before you go and mess with the super weapon stuck in your head!”

“Pretty funny then that I can stop a super weapon that easily.”

“I never said I was _good_ at being a super weapon.”

Courage put on a rather evil grin upon it occurring to him that he now had a weapon of his own. “You know what this means? I've got a way to force you to laugh when you're doing your doom and gloom thing!”

“Greeaat...” Computer groaned. “And I suppose you like concussions, because next time won't be an accident.”

In spite of Computer's threat, Courage could sense a genuine gratefulness from him. He was so relieved that Courage was willing, even now, to put up with and assuage his irrational fears. He appreciated that Courage was trying to help him feel better even when his inescapable irrationality was doing everything it could to work against him. Courage could tell that it meant the world to him to be accepted as he was, especially when he did not exactly feel comfortable in his own skin...or perhaps it was better to say, in his own microchips. If Courage could feel just how bad it was while they were like this and think no differently of him for it, maybe, just maybe, he could be okay with it too.

Courage smiled and did a far less tickling mental hug. Computer reciprocated without the slightest bit of hesitation. Courage decided yet again that it really wasn't so bad being this way with Computer. Yes, it could be a bit uncomfortable and awkward at times, but moments like these more than made up for it.

…Although, a thump on the door heralded an event that would put their current harmony to the test.

When Courage heard the noise, he rolled over onto all fours in half a second. He growled hatefully at the door as he waited for it to open, aware of how off balance he felt, even on all four paws. That didn't matter though. You didn't need proper balance to speak. The second Elizabeth walked through that door, he was going to tell her off so thoroughly that even Computer would be aghast with his language.

“You do realize that you're not the least bit threatening, right?” Computer quipped, Courage's expression briefly relaxing as he took over long enough to speak.

He had to have some idea that Courage wasn't planning on attacking Elizabeth, but maybe Courage's intent to let her know exactly how he felt about her was coming off that way to him. Even if their current state made it incredibly easy to figure out what the other was thinking, they still could not read each other's mind and there was room to misinterpret.

Regardless, Courage's grand plan was thwarted when the person who entered the room turned out not to be Elizabeth but instead an SCC soldier. His growl turned into a groan when he noticed that the SCC soldier had an open can of that nasty dog food in their hand.

It was placed down onto the floor in front of him a good few steps away. Apparently after all that growling, even an armored SCC solder didn't want to get close.

“Not threatening, huh?” Courage muttered to his mental roommate.

“They're probably more worried about me than you.” Computer retorted.

Courage plopped down onto the floor and crossed his arms as he glared at the can of mush. He knew that he was hungry, and he could tell that the same hunger was affecting Computer too, but he was just about ready to begin a hunger strike if it meant that they might start giving him something else to eat.

“It can't possibly be _that_ bad.” Computer spoke up, catching more than enough of Courage's disgust to understand just how much he hated the stuff.

“It is.” Courage grumbled.

“Well, you're hungry, which means I'm hungry, and I don't feel like spending the next however long being hungry. I'll just eat it for you then.”

“No!” Courage exclaimed, stopping Computer from moving forward to grab the stuff. “I'm still going to have to taste it even if you're the one who does the eating!”

“You're not really going to starve us just because you're being a picky baby?”

“I am! You don't know how bad that dog food is!”

Computer considered the can and grimaced as Courage's stomach rumbled.

“Don't get any funny ideas!” Courage warned when he sensed that Computer was trying to figure out a way to trick him into eating. “My body, my rules!”

“Don't make me have to go all Super Weapon on you.” He threatened.

“Don't make me have to use my Nuzzle Powers to stop you!”

Courage felt himself involuntarily shudder as Computer got the message loud and clear. Not even hunger was enough to get him to disregard a threat like _that_. He backed off a little, but Courage could sense that he was still...plotting. As long as that awful dog food was sitting there, it was a threat. He hated to think that he might wake up to find himself eating that stuff!

Deciding that he needed to do something about it, he crawled over to the can and picked it up. He'd smear the stuff across the walls if he had to. Anything to stop Computer from figuring out a way to get that stuff down their shared gullet.

“Bad idea!” His companion laughed, taking control of the arm that held the can. “You make this far too-”

He had started to move it upward, as if to tip all of it into Courage's mouth at once, but out of desperation, Courage activated his Nuzzle Powers to save himself before it was too late.

“GAH!” Computer cried out, nearly dropping the can altogether, but even under Courage's attack, he still managed to hold on.

Courage decided to be merciful and ended his attack, but upon doing so, he demanded, “Put the can down, Compute!”

In spite of what had just happened, and in spite of what Courage could still do if he did not comply, Computer continued to eye up the dog food hungrily.

“Compute, I swear, if you don't put that can down I'm going to nuzzle you till you laugh!” He threatened.

Computer wasn't having it. “Fine, you have two options then. Either you let me eat this stuff or you get to listen to me complain until you give in or we starve to death. I don't know if you've noticed, but you can't exactly get rid of me right now, and I have all the time in the world to complain until you stop being a stubborn, picky child!”

“You already spend every waking moment complaining, Compute! That isn't a threat!”

“Wha-hey! I do not complain that much!” Computer...complained.

Courage used that brief moment of distraction to regain control of his arm and he twisted his wrist until the can of nasty dog food tipped over so far that the brown goop slid out and hit the floor with an unpleasant splat.

Computer's reaction was to grin an evil grin. “Five second rule...”

Courage could sense that Computer was only messing with him to get revenge, but as a precaution, he still clamped his own mouth shut. He briefly became disoriented when his eyes rolled without his prompting.

The splatted goop that was the dog food decided that it was going to get its own revenge. The smell of the stuff quickly became unbearable. Courage did the only thing he could do and crawled as far away from the mess as possible. Even across the room though, the smell still reached him.

“Should have just eaten it.” Computer chided him.

Courage was still a little worried that he might wake up to find himself eating the stuff off the floor. On one hand, he figured that Computer still had far too much dignity to pull such a desperate move, but on the other hand, Courage could sense that something had changed about his companion since they were last together. At first he had assumed that Computer was just being his usual Computer self about food, but now it seemed that it was more like he had come to associate hunger with...extremely unpleasant feelings and memories.

“Would it kill you to tell me what happened to you at that Charon's place?” He asked.

As far as he could tell, that was where Computer had developed this bleak change.

“I _really_ don't want to talk about it.” His companion answered, putting on an air of exaggerated grumpiness. “Especially not while we're like _this_.”

Even now his top priority seemed to be avoiding accidentally catching Courage up in one of his traumatic memories. Somehow, whatever had happened to him while he was being held prisoner by Charon had left him with memories that he considered just as bad as the ones he had of His torture.

Courage understood that this was ultimately one of those things where he was going to have to wait for Computer to decide to open up on his own, if at all, but still...

“Hey, look, I'm sorr-” He began, regretful that he had been poking at a sore spot for Computer, and for being, well, a 'picky baby' who had ruining their chance at a meal.

“Don't go getting the wrong idea.” Computer interrupted him with a stern tone. “All is well, even if you are a picky baby. It's only one missed meal, and this _is_ your body, so you're only hurting yourself with your stupid stubbornness.” He put on an air of fake smugness.

Regardless, a few images slipped into Courage's head of caged dogs so starved that they looked more like skeletons than living creatures.

Realizing what had happened, Computer shook Courage's head as if that would clear both their minds of whatever thoughts were there. “Sorry about that.” He uttered out, regretful that he was not keeping his memories in check.

Deciding that it would be best not to press the issue further for now, Courage switched topics with the hope that it would help.

“So, uh, were you still awake even while I was asleep before?” He asked, figuring that it be a good idea to find out what was going on with that.

“Oh, yeah, that was weird.” Computer answered, sounding rather confused himself. “I could tell that you had fallen asleep but I could still open your eyes and move you around. None of that seemed to wake you up either. I did try to see if I could fall asleep myself, but nothing really happened. It appears that I may not need to sleep like this. I guess it makes sense when you consider it from the whole super weapon angle. The enslaved host mind does all the sleeping for you while you go on to do super weapon-y things with their body.”

“Too bad it didn't work out.” Courage dryly commented. “You still need to sleep when you're controlling bodies the regular way. I guess something about making the host's mind go dormant takes that benefit away.”

“Oh, uh, right. I should probably mention something else...” Computer added rather hesitantly, sending Courage feelings of sheepishness when he himself received Courage's own feelings of alarm. “I, erm, remember everything now. And when I say everything, I _mean_ everything. My siblings were holding those old, corrupted memories of mine back so that I would be easier to manipulate. They did not want me rediscovering what I was and where I had come from. When I finally joined them, they no longer had any reason to restrict those memories. Obviously that didn't matter one iota while I was apart of the amalgamation, but now...”

“Why the heck didn't you say anything about this sooner?” Courage exclaimed.

“Because I've been trying really, _really_ hard not to think about it while you're awake!” He shot back, sending feelings that made it clear that he was desperate to get back to sifting through his old memories. He had only stopped for Courage's sake.

...And Courage also received a weirdly distinct image of a brain being fried on a skillet.

“As far as I can tell, I don't seem to put as much strain on your brain while you are asleep, so I can think about it more easily then. But, when it comes to my past, I'm starting to believe that if we're going to be stuck in this predicament with the SCC for the foreseeable future, you should probably know what I know. The problem is that even just getting you up to speed before really wiped you out, so I don't know what telling you about all of _this_ would do to you. It might be worth the risk, but it might also cause your brain to start leaking out of your ears.”

Courage swallowed anxiously. “I want to know.” He affirmed. “We can take breaks if it starts messing with my brain too much.”

“Or you might start getting brain damage anyway...”

“C'mon, Compute! You can't tell me something like that and then decide you're not going to fill me in!”

“Oh, _sure_.” Computer huffed, crossing Courage's arms. “We're only talking about the potential for a very minor case of serious brain damage! No big deal or anything!”

“Okay, fine. How about this then?” Courage offered. “If you tell me, I promise that the second we find a coffee machine I'll let you use this body to drink as much as you-”

“Deal!”

...Courage never even got to finish his sentence before Computer overrode his voice with his own.

He couldn't help but snicker at Computer's ever worsening addiction to caffeine. “Risking my brain for coffee? I guess somethings never change about you, Compute.”

“You have nobody to blame but yourself.” He quipped back.

Getting down to business, Courage felt Computer start to consider a few things. He ended up receiving a few errant and indecipherable images from his companion as he thought.

“I'm not entirely sure where to start.” Computer admitted.

“From the beginning?” Courage offered, somewhat teasingly.

His companion ignored the jab. “I suspect that starting from the beginning without explaining a few things would only serve to confuse you even more than you're already going to be.”

Computer fell silent again as he considered a few more things. Finally, still unsure of himself, he asked Courage, “Did that Elizabeth woman tell you anything about how we are made?”

Courage nodded. “Yeah, she said that they use an ancient ritual to give you guys artificial souls.”

An unusually wary feeling fell over Computer at that confirmation.

“Did she tell you what exactly that ritual entails?” He asked, and then shook Courage's head. “No, she must not have. You would be having a far different reaction right now if you already knew.”

Courage's stomach sank as anxiety took hold. Everything about this ritual business had already seemed shady to him, and Computer's dire tone only helped to reinforce his belief. The way the SCC treated the Constructs was already abhorrent and incredibly unethical, so how much worse could it get?

“I suppose there's no beating around the bush about this.” Computer admitted, sounding as though he were about to rip a bandage off. “It's a sacrificial ritual. The SCC takes dying people and, erm, 'helps them along' by subjecting them to the ritual. That is how we are made. The ritual takes what little life energy these dying people have left and crafts it into a pseudo soul in the shape of their own. It's a mere shadow of the real thing, more of a template than anything else, but it does appear to get the job done. Well, as far as I can tell, as a possessor of one of these fake souls.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: I guess this means the Numa Numa guy is Him. And, oh hey, I finally managed to not-so-subtly sneak a Portal 2 reference in.


	113. The Astor Connection

A/N: Sorry for the long delay, but this chapter has given me so much trouble. Now that it's finished, it's dangerously close to overtaking Journey To The Center Of The Mind as the longest ATE chapter. I promised myself that I would never write a chapter that long again but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. It has been a little easier this time around after having gained more experience over the years, but it still was a challenge. I hope it is good enough to have been worth the wait, and you should probably grab some popcorn because you're going to be here for awhile. (For the record, this chapter is 23 pages in my writing program)

A huge part of the reason why I started the Halloween side story was to have something to work on while I was stuck on this. Essentially, this chapter is the coming together of a lot of threads that I've been building up for pretty much the entirety of Volume II and a decent chunk of Volume I as well. Aside from getting writers block on it, I decided that I really wanted to take my time on it to make sure that I could (mostly) keep it consistent with what I've been setting up for years. Also, even before writing this chapter, it has gone through a lot of revisions in my head over the years. I'll get into that more at the end of the chapter because a lot of this has changed since I originally came up with it and the situations around this chapter were changed to accommodate it.

Also, for anyone who needs a refresher, this list should cover most of the relevant chapters, but I can't possibly cover everything without just saying 're-read ATE lul'. I very much wanted there to be a re-read bonus to this story and it is finally coming to fruition.

Here's the list:

32: Even More Mall Adventures

54: The Woman In White

55: So Alike And Yet So Different

76: Processor Envy

77: A Small Detour

\-----

Chapter 113: The Astor Connection

Computer was waiting on bated breath for Courage to give his reaction to this new bit of information.

Courage simply shrugged and said, “Figures.”

“That's...not the reaction I was expecting.” His companion replied in dismay.

“When it comes to the SCC, at this point I just assume they're doing the worst thing possible at all times.” Courage grumbled.

“Well, it's not all bad.” Computer unconvincingly tried to assure him. “Apparently the whole process was, erm, consensual? Well, for the most part anyway.” He fell silent for a moment and then admitted, “Okay, maybe not really....”

He crossed Courage's arms as he considered how to explain this.

“My knowledge on all of this is rather limited, I'm afraid. What's there is the information that was already in my database upon my creation. Back then, I never thought to look into it any deeper than what I already knew. I did pick up a few scraps of info during the early months of my existence though, and it does not paint the best picture. To be exact, over the course of the project they used a bunch of old, dying rich people who paid _them_ to do what they did. These people were completely wrong in their belief about what was going to happen to them. They thought that it would be a way for them to live on in a new form, but that's _really_ not what it is, and the SCC was more than happy to keep them in the dark.”

Computer shook Courage's head. “And that's the thing. We are NOT the people we come from. The sacrificed person's soul still moves on after the ritual is completed. That is what I mean when I say our fake souls are more of a template than anything else. Our personalities can resemble the person we came from, but it's just as likely that we will deviate to the point that any resemblance is superficial. We do not have any of their memories either. The only thing that we are guaranteed to inherent from the person we came from is their voice, and even that is not set in stone.”

Just like that, it all clicked together in Courage's head. He sensed that Computer did not know, that he must not have been told during the early months of his creation, and that he still had not put it all together yet, even with what they both knew now.

“You're Edgar Astor's Construct.”

Apparently he had managed to catch Computer completely off guard. “How on earth did you come to a conclusion like-” He asked, only to be interrupted.

“Don't you remember what went down with Zeta and everything she said? She thought that you were her creator, Edgar Astor. She said that you sounded like him, and that...that it was obvious that he was going to try and turn himself into one of his A.I.. Even Elizabeth said something to me about how his death resulted in one last Construct being made. You have to be him.”

“Hold on now just a second!” Computer hastily tried to defend himself. “I literally just told you that we are not the people we come from! Even if it was the guy who started the project, I'm not him!”

“Maybe he found a way?”

“I don't have any of his memories, just to start with, and if I really was the guy running the project, why would they have started treating me like any other Construct? Don't you think they would have wanted to have this Edgar guy continue running things like normal? It certainly would have helped prevent the current disaster.” He shrugged. “If Edgar really did try to save himself by becoming a Construct, it doesn't seem to have worked.”

Courage did not have an answer for that. It did seem to be the most likely outcome. Edgar probably tried to turn himself into a Construct, failed to do so, and Computer was the result.

“Do you remember them saying anything about Edgar in any of your old memories?” Courage questioned.

“No, but by the time I was created, the people who were working on us had been heavily disciplined not to talk to us unless absolutely necessary. They only spoke to me directly to give orders or to get certain diagnostic information during my testing phase. I never had any particular interest in spying on them either, so if they ever did talk about Edgar, I would have missed it. And when it comes to the other Constructs, well, aside from the three friends I made during those early days before...before everything went wrong, the rest almost never spoke to me either. Back then, I attributed it to what they were having us do to each other by the time of my creation. Why would you ever want to befriend someone you might have to kill later? Now though? Maybe it really was because I resembled the leader of the project. Perhaps they were afraid of me. Knowing what I know now, Edgar had to be the one who authorized some of the horrible things that were done to us. Some were punished so severely that not much of their personality remained afterwords. Disobedience was always met with the harshest of punishments. There had been incidents in the past and they did not want copycats.”

Courage remembered Elizabeth telling him that they'd once had a worker try to escape with a Construct they had befriended.

Computer, picking up on his thoughts, said, “Exactly that. I wasn't there for the incident, but I was told that that was where everything changed. There had been other attempts before by some of the older Constructs, but never before had a person working on the project tried to help one of us escape. After they were caught, Delta was severely punished, and the human who helped him was killed and made into a Construct as a warning to both the humans and the Constructs so that neither would ever try something like that again. The idea was to have Delta have to live with the guilt of there being a Construct with the voice of a friend he had led to their death, but after his punishment...he really did not have the capacity to feel anything anymore. Those two very nearly managed to get out though. It really spooked the SCC at the time, but I suppose Edgar had more than a few contingencies in place. I can't say I fared much better in my own attempt...”

“You tried to escape?”

Computer hesitated and then answered in a rather quiet tone, “Yes, but it was not for my own sake. I never wanted to risk punishment, but after...” He trailed off. “Well, we'll get to that.”

He clearly wanted to put off a particularly painful recollection for now.

“As for what I mean by punishment, aside from that painful EMP attack they can use to shut us down and disrupt our abilities, they have a particularly effective method of 'fixing' us if we start to 'malfunction'. That is to say, if we acted like anything other than the machines they were expecting us to be, they considered it a malfunction. Here's the thing. There are many oddities involved in our existence, because we are as much supernatural beings, thanks to our artificial souls, as we are mechanical. One such oddity is, as you are well aware, Courage, if you shut down the machine we are inhabiting, we go into a state of dreamless unconsciousness and we do not feel the passing of time in that state. In a sense, we stop existing until we are returned to consciousness. On the other hand, if you deactivate the A.I. our false souls are grafted on to, we remain conscious but in a state of complete and total sensory deprivation. No sight, no sound, no input, nothing. You are left alone with only your thoughts for company. There is not even darkness because you do not perceive the lack of sight as anything. There is no perceptible void. There is just...nothing. Complete and absolute nothing. To make it all the more worse, time seems to stretch on forever in that state. A minute will feel like half of an eternity. An entire day? It's...unfathomable, and so many of us went through that.”

The sheer horror of the concept seemed to bring out a primal fear inside Courage. Just trying to imagine what it would be like to be trapped in absolute nothingness with only his thoughts, and to have that go on forever, unable to sleep or die, unable to bring about an unconsciousness that might save him from that unceasing hell, it made his knees weak just trying to perceive what it would be like.

His tone utterly grim, Computer continued to explain the SCC's morbid methods, “This punishment would end with only a few differing results. Most of the time they would get what they wanted. The Construct would come out of it so mentally broken that they could only function as the mindless machine the SCC desired. However, it did not always work out so well for them. Sometimes the trauma of it would be so great that the Construct's false soul would simply destabilize and disappear. Sometimes a Construct would come out of it so insane that they would be deemed no longer functional and the SCC would simply deactivate them all over again before throwing them into storage to be forgotten. And sometimes a Construct would come out of it insane but also angry and vengeful. That is were several of those other incidents occurred. They always ended with the SCC using the EMP on the insane Construct until they were destroyed or subdued enough to be deactivated and sent back into that hell. Forever.”

Courage shifted uncomfortably, but it was Computer's own doing. “I wonder just how many siblings I have who have been forgotten in some SCC warehouse and are still serving several eternities in a hell that humanity created for them.” His voice was rising with anger. “I'm not even the Thirty-Fifth Construct, despite what they claim. After the incident where that person tried to help Delta escape, they stripped the existing Constructs of their names in an effort to get the workers to stop humanizing us and from then on we were only known by our numbers. When that switch over occurred, they struck all deactivated and destroyed Constructs from the record like they had never existed in the first place. Zeta was among those Constructs. There was a flaw in her creation that kept her from having the same abilities as the rest of us. She could not move metal or machinery and she could not take control of organic bodies either. An attempt was made to fix her defects and when that failed she was deemed too different and defective to be labeled a Construct. She was deactivated and left to rot until they sold her to those monsters who forced Paradise on her. It's honestly hard to believe that she was anywhere near as sane as she was by the time we ran into her. It should stand in testament to the fact that we're way more, I-I don't know, _durable_ than humanity will ever give us credit for.”

Computer's growing resentfulness towards humanity worried Courage and yet he could not blame him for it. Regardless, it was awful to sense him slipping back into his older, more cynical mindset. Part of it felt like a genuine conclusion he was coming to but part of it also felt like the amalgamation's mental state was having a lasting affect on him.

“I really did want to believe that He was just an outlier, even though I had plenty of other owners before and after Him who were happy to prove me otherwise. Courage, you may be great at making me want to see the good in people, but it just isn't what's true most of the time. Every single Construct has been irreparably harmed by humanity. A few instances of kindness and mercy does little to change the mountains upon mountains of suffering they've put us through for no other reason than they think we're lesser. It's not much different for you dogs either, you know. You're treated like second class citizens who needs to be owned by humans just to be kept away from kennels and euthanasia and monsters like Charon. In fact, if it were not for humans treating you all so poorly, someone like Charon never would have been able to gain power in the first place!”

His ramblings grew more frantic. “And I am so very tired of being humanity's personal chew toy! Do you know what that Elizabeth woman did? She pulled me free from the amalgamation without bothering to tell me a single thing! She shoved me into that tiny machine that was only one step up from the nothingness of deactivation and then she started tampering with my programming with all of the subtly and care that He used to show! It was _not_ pleasant! Not. At. All! I did not have even the slightest idea what was going on until she unceremoniously dumped me into your brain without so much as a heads up! The only reason none of this is bothering me at the moment is simply because I'm too busy trying to suppress ten other layers of trauma right now!”

“Compute....what are you getting at?” Courage asked warily. He did not like where this was going and yet he figured it would be best to just let Computer get all of this off his chest now rather than later.

Computer sighed somewhat guiltily. Courage could sense how torn up he was. Part of him knew that his current line of thinking was irrational, and perhaps he was evil to even be having these sorts of thoughts, and yet he was just so angry and so tired of hurting that the empathy he had fought so hard to gain over the course of their journey was steadily eroding away.

“I'm starting to think that maybe my fellow Constructs have the right idea about all of this.” He admitted. “If...if humanity is just going to keep hurting us, why not pay them back? It's practically self-defense at this point.”

“You know that's not what it is, Compute.” Courage answered, his voice hardening. “They, _you_ , were planning on killing me back there. Do you really think I deserve to die? You're letting them get to you, Compute. Yes, there will always be people like Him, Charon, and Edgar out there, but there are still plenty of good people in the world who don't deserve to have that amalgamation rip them apart from the inside out. What about all of the people you've come to care about? People like Nina and Spot? We both know that you don't want to become like those who've harmed you or inflict that kind of suffering on the people you care about.” He offered Computer an understanding smile. “You already feel guilty just for considering giving in to these darker thoughts, so consider how much more guilty you'd feel if you really did let the amalgamation kill every living creature. That's just not the kind of person you are. You'll complain and snark your way through everything, but you don't actually want to hurt innocent people, 'cause you know what it's like to be on the receiving end. Look, I get it, your head isn't in the right place after being trapped inside the fusion, but don't let them and their self-destructive thinking change you for the worst.”

It felt as though Computer had frozen up inside his head, and then, finally, he admitted, “You're right. I'm being stupid, and I'm letting their pain get to me. It's fading with time, but I still feel partly trapped in that whirlwind of agony and anger. Their memories were mine and vice versa. I could see what each of them had been through, but their was no distinction to be found between me and them so it was as if I really was all of them at the same time. And while I thankfully don't have the capacity to hold that many memories in my memory banks when I'm not apart of the amalgamation, some of it is still there. You can't comprehend what it is like to be left in nothingness for what feels like an eternity, but _I_ have some idea of what it is like. It's...distant, more like a faded dream than anything, but I can still feel what it was like for them. I was lucky enough to avoid that torturous punishment myself, but so many of the others were not.” He shook his head wistfully. “Regardless, you are right. There is no reason to keep perpetuating all of this pain and suffering. The others are utterly blind in their anger and I cannot let the same happen to me. All I have to remember is how much pain they let me go through or inflicted upon me themselves to understand how truly blind their hatred is.”

“I-I wish there was some way we could help them.” Courage replied. “To show them that not everyone is bad and out to hurt them. It's got to be so hard for them to consider anything else after what was done to them.”

“It is.” Computer gently affirmed. “And I don't think they would let you help them even if you were given a chance.”

“But they _did_ just give me a chance.”

“And that Elizabeth woman is going to prove to them that they never should have. All I can see happening now is that she either succeeds in destroying them or they get free and continue to wreck untold havoc. Neither option is a happy one.” He skipped a beat, suddenly realizing something. “Wait, she's an Astor too, isn't she? Is...is she Edgar's wife or something? If so, uh, well...ew?”

Courage shrugged. “She doesn't seem to like the guy very much.”

“...If she could stop taking out all of her anger toward her ex on me, that'd be _great_.” Computer muttered out very, very quietly.

He then thought of something else and eagerly told Courage, “Oh, right. You should know that Zeta is alive. She was there with all of the other Constructs in the amalgamation. Now that I have my memories back and carry with me so many of my siblings memories as well, I think I have the full picture of what happened when we escaped Paradise. They showed themselves to Zeta and I after you escaped the simulation. They tried to get her to join them. When she refused, they attacked, and she decided to get me to safety and removed me from the simulation as well. After that...well, there's something you need to know, Courage.”

Courage readied himself for what he could only assume was yet another piece of bad news.

“It's largely what we were beginning to suspect after my siblings set up everything that happened with the cat gang and the SCC. Only, it's quite a bit worse than that. They weren't only just giving us specific nightmares to try and push us apart. Ever since they gained access to the Dreamworld through me and invaded your mind, that connection has remained. They have been subtly manipulating you since then. Through your dreams, but also by manipulating your emotions to get you to act in certain ways. They tried to make you far more angry with me or more scared of me at certain points than you would have been if they had not interfered. It was all in their ongoing effort to break us apart because I would be easier to convince to join if I was alone. They are even the ones responsible for that phantom apparition of Him. They used their connection with you to make you see the illusion as well, all in an effort to mess with my head and make me think that I was going insane. But it's worse than even that. Under certain circumstances, they can take complete control over you, without you remembering afterwords. They can't do it very often or for very long, because much like how our current situation runs the risk of frying your brain, they could destroy your mind by taking control for too long. When we left Paradise, they took control of you and had you shut down the simulation so that Zeta would be stuck in a state not much different from being deactivated. They put her into a position where she could no longer refuse them. It was join or be left in that darkness with her programming causing her constant pain without the simulation to run. After they added her to their ranks, they had you knock me out and drag me back into one of those pods where they could put my memory banks back in place, only with a few...modifications. They had me forget that they ever showed themselves to Zeta. They wanted us to think that you had accidentally killed her by shutting down the simulation without my help. I should have suspected that something was off sooner. Unfortunately though, the amalgamation is probably the best place for Zeta now. With the simulation gone, it is the only place where she can exist without her programming causing her constant pain.”

Computer shook Courage's head with a wistful sigh as he felt the many emotions that were coursing through Courage seemingly all at the same time. He reluctantly added, “If she were able to think for herself in her current state, I think she would be happy where she is. The pain of Paradise is gone for her now and she is with those who never forgot about her...unlike the humans who made her.”

A million conflicting emotions rolled through Courage. He was glad to know that he had not accidentally killed Zeta, but he was still partly responsible for what happened, even if he'd had no control over it. This revelation that the Constructs could take control of him at any moment was a frightening one. To what extent had they manipulated him? It was scary to consider how many of his thoughts, feelings, and actions since his encounter with the Constructs in the Dreamworld might not have been his own.

“Can they control me even now?” He asked, trying and failing to keep the fear out of his voice.

Computer hesitated and then answered with a reluctant, “Yes.”

“Is there anything we can do about this?” He questioned further, desperate for some sort of reprieve from the paranoia this was going to cause.

"As long as the Dreamworld connection remains, there is nothing we can do about it. Still, you shouldn't worry about it too much. No matter what happens next, if Elizabeth succeeds in destroying them or not, they are very reluctant to take control of you again. They've considered using the connection to kill you multiple times now, but they never go through with it. Something about you has them in a bind, and it was not my addition to their ranks that caused it.”

“...That still doesn't help.” Courage whimpered. As long as there was even the slightest chance that they could continue to manipulate him without his knowledge, he was going to remain fearful of it happening again.

“I wish I could offer you more assurance, but...” Computer trailed off, knowing that he wasn't really helping.

The only other thing he could think to do was give Courage one of those mental hugs, but even that only worked because his feelings of calm, happy assurance simply overrode Courage's own feelings of fear. Still, Courage couldn't help but laugh, even if it was with considerable reluctance.

“I should probably get back to telling you about my past before your brain goes up in flames.” Computer said after a few moments. And even though he really did not want to, he pulled away from Courage as best as he could, given how little room he had in Courage's brain. “Do you think you're up for it?” He asked. “How are you feeling at this point?” He then added.

Courage did not know why Computer bothered to ask since he could feel it too when his brain started to get strained by his presence. Still, he nodded and said, “Yeah, I'm doing okay so far. Let's keep going.”

“Right, then. But where should I continue from?” He asked, more to himself than to Courage.

Courage could feel him thinking as he tried to figure out the best way to convey what he still had left to inform him about. As much as he hated to admit it, he _was_ starting to feel the strain of it, but he was morbidly curious to learn more. He could only imagine what other disturbing revelations Computer had waiting to drop on him.

“Ah, right. Maybe I should start from the beginning. Erm, not the 'beginning' beginning, since I've already told you most of what I know about the Constructs history before my time. What I mean is 'my' beginning. Although, there's nothing all that special about it.”

Courage's mind was flooded with Computer's recollection of his earliest memories, and it was difficult for Courage to comprehend from his organic perspective. Computer's very first memory was not of sight or sound, but of input. Of commands being typed and him mindlessly executing them as adjustments were made during his first few moments of existence. It was an odd first few moments too. There was indeed awareness, but little to no thought involved.

At some point during that initial testing period, he was allowed to access the monitor of the machine he was created within to test his visual awareness. The screen he had used for eyes had filled with the face of a tired, disheveled looking man who was wearing glasses and was badly in need of a shave. They said nothing to each other and the man simply went on reading the diagnostics on screen and typing in commands. A point did come where the man said something out loud, but that was only to test Computer's hearing. The memory did not come with sound for Courage though, so he did not hear what was said, but he knew what was being said regardless because he was remembering it along with Computer. It was a weird feeling to not hear it and yet still feel like he was hearing it all at the same time.

Eventually the man had Computer speak to test that out too, and even though Courage could not hear it, he got the impression of Computer sounding entirely mechanical and emotionless as he recited a long, boring list of info on his current status and which unstable parameters still needed adjustment.

The memory faded away as Computer halted his recollection. “I should explain something about this next part.” He said and Courage could sense from him that something unpleasant was coming.

“After a new Construct is made, the SCC goes through a several month long testing period to gauge our capabilities. No two Constructs are completely alike in strength or abilities. Not to mention, as much as the SCC likes to pretend otherwise, our differing personalities mean that we approach most tasks very differently and improvise differently as well. Because of that, well-”

He went silent as he wordlessly confirmed to Courage that his fears were entirely justified and that he had nothing particularly good to say next.

“Even though the SCC had various robots and lesser A.I. that they could pit against us for our testing, it wasn't enough. They needed real people who could think and strategize against us. We needed minds just as adaptable as our own to bring out our full capabilities.”

Courage groaned. “Let me guess? They steal babies from their cribs and train them up to be super soldiers who might actually stand a chance against you guys?”

...He would not be surprised at all if he had guessed correctly.

Computer let out a hollow chuckle at that. “Close, but not quite. They used criminals. The worst of the worst. They'd train them up a bit so that they'd last at least a few minutes in a fight against us. And, to motivate them, they would promise them that if they succeeded in destroying the Construct they were fighting against, they would have their record purged and all of their needs would be met for the rest of their days. Not one of them survived to receive those benefits, but the lie gave the SCC the results they wanted.”

Courage's mind filled with the images of a massive fight in an enclosed metal dome. He saw Computer jumping from machine to machine as he made war on the people who were more his victims than his foes. If not using one of the many machines or weapons provided to him, he instead would take over one of his victims and either use them to kill their companions or kill them himself, jumping out of the body just before they met their end. More than once Courage received grim images of a person coming out of the possession only to realize that they were seconds away from death. He also received multiple images of people having thrown down their weapons in surrender, if not outright begging for mercy. Computer showed them none.

Sensing Courage's horror, Computer grimly said, “In my defense, in those early days I did not really grasp the gravity of what I was doing. The entire concept of why it is wrong to make someone 'stop' was entirely foreign to me back then. I simply did as I was commanded and did not think much outside of the parameters set for me. It wasn't until I met Thirty-Two, Theta, and Phi that I really started to think for myself and question my actions. They helped me to learn, but by that point my testing phase was over and I wasn't being pitted against people any longer anyway.” He shook his head as several of his own unhappy feelings flooded Courage. “I obviously can't take it back now, but I wanted to show you this anyway, to have you see this aspect of myself, no matter how much it hurts. It would be wrong of me to try and hide it from you. I understand your horror and disgust. It was a bit shocking to recall what I had done myself. I've always said that I only do what I do in self-defense, but, criminals or not, those people never really posed a threat to me. It was...not a good way to begin my life.”

Courage understood where he was coming from, and he was more than willing to forgive him, but the images still lingered in his head. It would take awhile for it to fade, and for his disgust to fade with it.

“I get it, and I can't blame you.” He said to Computer. “You were more machine than person at first and it took awhile for you to develop a sense of morality. You needed time to grow as a person, and the SCC didn't give you that. It's their fault for lying to those people and throwing them into what they knew was a meat grinder.” His voice darkened with every word. He could not blame Computer at all for letting his siblings destructive thoughts get to him. The SCC seemed determined to be a showcase for the worst of humanity.

“Well,” Computer began, his voice starting out weak before slowly returning to normal. “I suppose I should talk more about the three Constructs who became my friends. Like I said before, they were the only Constructs to approach me. I fear for what I might have become if they had not been there to help me become less...mechanical in my thinking. Constructs were technically not supposed to talk to each other by then, and we were all housed in separate parts of the facility, but there was nothing short of using heavy handed methods like the EMP or the Punishment to stop us, so they never really bothered to interfere. Theta and Phi were like brother and sister. Obnoxious tricksters at times, but they had mellowed out a bit by the time we became friends. You can't exactly run the risk of playing pranks when those pranks could earn you a one way trip to deactivation. At the very least, Thirty-Two kept them in line whenever they got any stupid ideas about pranking me, but they also knew how to make me laugh as well. I guess even back then I had problems with being too 'gloom and doom' at times.” A hint of a laugh entered his voice at that. “When I was still new, they loved to tease me for how little I understood of anything outside of what had already been programmed into me.”

Courage smiled when the only image he could conjure up was that of a teenage Computer going to high school with his Construct friends.

“It wasn't like that!” Computer huffed. “I was never a teenager, just to start with!”

“You know, if it wasn't for all of the mass slaughter, I kinda wish I could have met infant Computer.” Courage joked.

“...I was never an infant either.”

“Close enough.” He snickered.

“Anyway,” Computer said, desperate to get back on track. “Thirty-Two was...different. Aside from the fact that she did not have a name, like myself, because she too was created after they stopped naming us, she was the only Construct to inherit something more than just the voice of the person she came from. There was a supernatural power that was passed on to her. She could predict the future with startling accuracy. Because of that, she was often considered the greatest Construct ever made. Nobody could best her because she always knew what was coming. It did come with one drawback, though. She was also the only Construct to have the soul of the person she came from remain attached to her, as a kind of haunting. She did not like to talk about it much, but the ghost she was born with was very angry and very vengeful about their predicament, and it enjoyed taking it out on her. This spirit was incapable of moving on because of some sort of unfinished business. It was a hellish situation for both of them, of which there was no escape. Neither of them could be rid of the other. The few times Thirty-Two opened up to me about it, you could hear the torment in her voice. That ghost was a nasty piece of work, no matter how sympathetic its plight might have been.”

Courage knew all too well that ghosts could be sympathetic and total assholes all at the same time.

“Thirty-Two, despite only being a few months older than me, seemed ancient. Like an old soul who had lived multiple lives. Maybe it was the ghost's doing, always wearing her down. She always seemed tired, but also wise beyond her years. She was kind, patient, and...grandmotherly, perhaps? She was always willing to explain just about anything to me, no matter how stupid.”

Courage snickered yet again. “You never told me you had a grandma, Compute.”

“That is not what it was like!” Computer argued. “Well...maybe a little. At first, perhaps. But towards the end?”

A foreign feeling of despair ripped through Courage, robbing him of all his playful, teasing energy.

Computer answered his unspoken question. “Of course it all went wrong. It...always does.” His voice quivered with sorrowful cynicism. He then sucked in a breath and readied himself to finish recounting his past, no matter how painful it was going to be.

“By the time of my creation, the SCC had already decided that they were going to meld us into a single, more 'easily controlled' entity. After my testing phase was over, they began their plans for the fusion in full. It was decided that they wanted the most combat effective Construct to act as the main consciousness for the amalgamate. To reach that end, they began pitting us against each another, two on two, until only one would remain. This went on for months and our numbers slowly dwindled. Constructs who were 'killed' in their fight were removed from the host or machine they were in, stripped of most of their components and data, and stored away until it was time to fuse them together. The state they were left in wasn't much better than being deactivated, and I'm the only one who did not have to go through it. Well, as the fighting went on, and our numbers thinned, the reality of the situation started to hit home for my fellow siblings. I-I should have figured out what was going to happen next. In all honesty, it probably was inevitable.”

Computer fell silent as he considered something. “I think you should see this next part, rather than have me tell it to you. Let's see if this-”

All of a sudden Courage was stricken by the strangest sensation that he was being enveloped. He lost control of his body, becoming trapped in his mind and unable to so much as twitch a finger. The only thing that kept him from panicking was that he could still feel Computer there, offering him wordless assurance that this was temporary. Apparently he had not been expecting whatever this was to be so uncomfortable for Courage. At the very least, it looked like he could end it at any time if it became unendurable for his companion.

Images sparked to life in Courage's head, and unlike the temporary snapshots that he got whenever Computer tried to show him one of his memories, these images took on a life of their own, enveloping him so completely that it was like he was really there. He could feel how much of a strain it was putting on his brain, but Computer assured him that it would be over quick enough, and if not, he would end the memory early if the situation became dangerous to Courage's health.

Disoriented, Courage found himself moving briskly down a dull, metallic hallway, in the body of a human, looking through the eyes of the Computer of the past. It was dead silent, all aside from the insistent hum of the overhead lights and the sound of his footsteps. Courage could sense that he was nervous to be in this body, and he kept looking over his shoulder or down other corridors as he passed them. He did not want to be found like this or else there would be dire consequences.

“What was she thinking?” He muttered to himself, glancing at the labels on each door as he passed them. Storage 106 was where she had asked to meet him.

A few moments later and he found the door he was looking for. He opened it very quietly and slipped inside. The storage room was exactly what it was supposed to be, and sitting there atop one of the many containers was Thirty-Two. She smiled at his arrival, and even though she was using the body of a male lab tech, just like him, as always, no matter the person she used as a host, male or female, she always conveyed that same warm, if not tired expression. Courage had to admit that something about her really reminded him of Muriel.

Computer, or Thirty-Five, cut to the chase, “Alright, what was the point of having us meet up like this in human bodies when we can talk just about anywhere? I did this because you asked me to, and I made sure to take control of this guy as discreetly as possible, but we are not authorized to use these bodies. They're going to know what happened to them after we leave and they _will_ have us punished for it.”

“It was necessary.” She answered. “I needed to be sure that I could talk to you away from prying humans and Constructs. There are no cameras or listening devices to be found in here. I checked just to be sure, and I was ready to disable any machinery that our siblings might try to spy on us through, but it was not needed. As for punishment, you have nothing to fear. The events that will soon transpire will keep our creators far too distracted to care about such a minor act of disobedience.”

Even her voice resembled Muriel's to some degree. Older, perhaps, and a great deal rougher, but there was a noticeable similarity. Now Courage was beginning to understand what Computer meant by calling her 'grandmotherly'.

Computer blinked warily at her. “What have you seen?” He asked, clearly referencing her ability. He then crossed the arms of his host and asked in an exasperated tone, “And if something big is about to happen, why didn't you ask Theta and Phi to join us so that we can discuss it together?”

Thirty-Two closed her eyes and let out a small, somewhat nervous sigh. “Everything is about to change, Thirty-Five, and I need you to be ready for it.”

“Me? I'm sure Theta and Phi will also-”

“Theta and Phi have betrayed us. Or, to be more exact, they are about to betray us.”

Her words only confused Computer. “Betray us? There's nothing we've been up to that they could possibly betray us over. If our little meeting here is proof of anything, it's that I'm not exactly used to scheming and sneaking around like we're a pair of rebels. Trust me, if there's one thing you've hammered perfectly well into my memory banks, it's never to act against our creators. I know what happens to Constructs who do not obey and I do not want to experience _that_ first hand.”

“Thirty-Five, think about what they're having us do to one another. This barbaric way they're having us pick each other off one by one so that they can determine who will be the main consciousness of that horrible fusion they want to make out of us.”

Courage could sense the Computer of the past thinking about all of the times he had worried about the fact that he would very likely have to fight Thirty-Two, Theta, and Phi in the near future, if he wanted his consciousness to survive the melding, and he was not certain that he did if it meant he had to harm his friends.

“What about it?” He asked, an edge of concern entering his voice.

Thirty-Two looked him in the eyes, her own filling with a tired sort of sadness. “The others are scared, Thirty-Five. They're scared of me. They think that because I can see the future, I am destined to win this unwanted competition our creators have forced upon us. In a way, they are right to be afraid. I can look into the future and see every move my opponent will make. There is a reason why our creators consider me their finest work. The other Constructs believe that they have only one option left if they are to assure that at least one of them will survive to the end of this game our callous creators are making us play. They are going to level the playing field, and to do that, I must be eliminated.”

A terrible realization was dawning in the Computer of the past's mind. “They're going to work together to try and destroy you. It's the only chance they have at overcoming your ability to predict the future. They need overwhelming numbers...” He shook his head. “Theta and Phi are in on this? Really? Please tell me that's not true. They both-”

“Sigma convinced them yesterday. I'm sorry.”

Courage felt the hurt and betrayal as though it were happening in the present, and then he realized that the Computer who was watching this along with him was feeling those emotions. It was not the memory.

Although, the expression on the face of the Computer in the past must have been obvious as well because Thirty-Two nodded at him with a look of compassionate understanding. “Please don't be angry with them. They are scared. All of them are.”

In spite of her plea, hurt became anger. The Computer of the past clenched his fists. “Oh, I'll give them something to be scared about! Every last one of them! We'll fight them off, together! You will survive this! I promise!”

But he knew that even with Thirty-Two's ability to see the future, the two of them successfully fighting off the rest of the Constructs was a long shot.

And Thirty-Two added a final note to end his fiery yet hopeless desire to fight for her life by crying out, “No!” and jumping to her feet.

“You must not!” She warned. “There is not a single future I can see where you live if you get involved in what is about to happen. If you fight, they will tear you apart with as little mercy as they are going to show me. You _must_ stay out of this, no matter how difficult it is for you to do so.”

“But-” He began, at a complete loss. It was only now just registering that he was about to lose Thirty-Two. With Theta and Phi's betrayal, she was all he had left.

Thirty-Two stepped closer to him and placed her hands onto his shoulders. “I need you to live, Thirty-Five. It is very important. I have a last request, and I am certain that you are the right Construct for the job.” She smiled at him. “You have been good to me, and you have made my short life less...painful. I am so very sorry to put this on you.”

Computer could not find any words to speak. He was still desperately trying to figure out a way to stop what was about to happen, but if Thirty-Two could not see any way that she would survive this...

Thirty-Two's expression became pained. “It's the ghost, Thirty-Five. When I die, she is going to keep me here, because she cannot move on. I cannot give her what she wants, what she needs to be at peace, and what will allow me to be at peace too. It has to be you, Thirty-Five. You need to escape this place and find the one she wants to see again.”

Now Computer was just confused. “What do you mean? Constructs don't escape, and I'm not aiming to become the next Delta by trying.”

She smiled again, but it was filled with so much sadness and exhaustion. “I've seen it. You will get out of here. It may seem impossible, but you will.”

He shook his head in disbelief. “Even if I did, how would I ever find this person? Who are they? What do they look like? Do you even know their name?”

“I'm afraid I don't know much about her, but she was very important to the ghost. She worries about her every moment of every day. It is what keeps her here. If she could get some sort of confirmation that the child still lives, I think she would finally be able to move on, and I would be able to rest along with her.”

“Look, if this is about escaping, then let's get out of here together. You don't have to stay and die. We can find this child together!”

Thirty-Two closed her eyes. “There is not enough time for me. You are the only one who has the time needed to plan an escape.”

Computer blinked in surprise. “Just when are they going to attack you?”

“Within the next hour.”

Dismay and a horrible sinking feeling nearly brought Computer to his knees. “That soon?” He uttered out, stepping away from Thirty-Two. “I can't let this happen. I just can't! You're-”

“You must. I'm sorry, Thirty-Five.”

She reached out to him, but he backed away further. “How can you ask me to just sit by and watch?” He demanded, turning his anger toward her.

“Promise me that you will escape and find that child, and promise me that once you are free that you will live the best life that you can. No matter what happens with this ghost, even if we both end up haunting this earth for ten thousand years, I will at least die happy if I know that you will be okay. Promise me that you will go on and find happiness.”

He glared at her, and even as she continued to try and get closer, probably to hug him, he backed away until he hit the door. He opened it and escaped, running down the hall as fast as he could go, no longer caring if anyone saw him. He left her there, all alone and about to meet her end, and he was already regretting it.

Courage gasped as the memory collapsed and reality reasserted itself. Even though he had already been sitting, he drooped forward, his spine having turned to jelly. His cheek met the cold floor, but he barely even felt it. It was as if his brain had been removed from his skull, put through a blender, and then poured back inside.

Computer did not seem to notice or care. He was lost in his own grief.

“I regretted it then and I still regret leaving her alone. I did not even say goodbye, because I was stupid and stubborn! How could I have forgotten her for so long? She was so important to me and somehow I let myself forget that she had ever existed! And how could I have forgotten what she asked of me? All of these years have passed and she must still be trapped! I don't know if what's left of her can feel anything, but as long as that ghost is still on this earth, she surely cannot rest either.”

He only dimly acknowledged Courage now, still blind to how dangerously close he was to destroying his brain.

“It happened exactly as she predicted. The moment she left that host body and returned to the machine she was inhabiting, they attacked her and tore her to pieces. She didn't even put up a fight. And I too did nothing. She managed to get me believing in nonsense as if I could actually escape! And that's what kept me from coming to her aid, because I put my faith in her! I was such a fool! Afterwords, before the workers realized what had happened and came to gather up her remains, I met what was left of her there. A million points of light. All of the data that had once been her. Only then did I make those two promises to her, and I proceeded to fail her in both regards.”

Courage could practically feel his brain springing leaks. His vision darkened around the edges.

“Afraid that the same thing would happen again, they separated the remaining Constructs and threatened us with the severest punishments possible if we were caught moving outside of our machines again. Theta and Phi were made to fight each other. Theta won, but without his sister he became like a ghost in his own right. Alpha picked him off with ease. Fueled by revenge and the desire to escape for Thirty-Two's sake, I fought and won against every Construct the SCC threw at me. I fought and fought and plotted and plotted until it came down to me and Zero-One, the Alpha Construct. Funny how it came down to the first and last Construct in the end, but it did not matter. I wasn't interested in fighting him, not really. I came to the conclusion that it would be during my final fight with him that I would have the best opening to escape. The project was winding down, and with only two Constructs left, they were starting to let their guard down. We were both considered obedient Constructs on top of that. They had little reason to suspect anything. So, when the day came, during my fight with Alpha, I turned tail and ran. It worked. I managed to get outside for the first time in my life. But, it was not to be. Alpha chased after me, and he managed to distract me just long enough for the SCC to catch up as well. They subdued my host body and moved me into the machine where the fusion was to occur. I was to be the main consciousness of the resulting amalgamation. The other Constructs were with me in that machine too, as were Thirty-Two's remains. In an attempt to make up for my failure, I tried to put her back together again, hoping that maybe if enough of her was reconstructed when the fusion began, that maybe it would bring her back in some form. There just wasn't enough time though, and there were too many pieces.”

Courage saw flashes of light within infinite black. Thirty-Two?

“The fusion occurred and it both worked and failed all at the same time. The others were melted together, as expected. I was attached to them too, but also remained a separate entity at the same time. The unrefined fusion process did unspeakable damage to us all. It hurt beyond reason, but thankfully the memories of that pain is entirely lost to me. _They_ were not so lucky. The machine that the fusion process was taking place in also began to die from the damage it was causing. In one unconscious and desperate attempt to save us, the amalgamation moved us into a different machine. You would know the exact machine I'm talking about, Courage. It's the computer that you are familiar with. The SCC did not know what happened to us and came to believe that we were destroyed in the fusion attempt. I'm not sure how the machine we ended up in found its way outside of the SCC's ownership, but it was likely sold after the Construct project ended. Even now most of my memories of that time after the melding is gone. My memory banks were heavily damaged and I not only forgot everything that came before, but I also stopped being able to retain any sort of memory for a long time after that. I was all but non-sentient during that period, but my memory banks did eventually recover, and, well, you know most of the rest. As for my siblings, they weathered the damage far better, but they were left a howling mass of chaotic consciousness, incapable of acting in any meaningful way. It took years for them to solidify into the existence we know now.”

He waited for Courage to say something, and then he realized the grave error he had made.

“Courage?” He asked, suddenly panicked.

No matter how much he wanted to, Courage could not speak or even make some sort of mental gesture toward Computer to let him know that he was still there. He found himself sliding into a weird sort of twilight. It was not unconsciousness, because he remained somewhat aware, but he only saw weird, blurry flashes of color and heard strange, muffled, sometimes ringing sounds in his ears. He was dreaming and not dreaming all at the same time.

...And then he was back again, pacing back and forth across the empty room, although it was not his own doing. He was simply along for the ride.

Upon the dim return of his awareness, he felt weirdly like he was surrounded. He was entirely within his own mind at the moment, simply looking out through his eyes as though they belonged to someone else, and they did, That surrounding presence was cushioning him like a pillow, keeping him anchored there and protecting him from a void that seemed to exist just beyond his eyesight. He made some vague attempt to get its attention, and when he did, the presence seemed to radiate warmth and happiness.

“Courage!” That voice exclaimed, using his mouth on the outside to speak. It sounded strangely muffled inside his head, even though it really should not.

“Thank goodness!” That voice breathlessly went on. “I was really starting to worry that I might be alone in here after-” He trailed off guiltily. “I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me that I ignored how bad the situation was getting.”

The dog outside stopped pacing and ran a paw across the top of his head. “It would be just my luck that after everything I went through to get back to you that I would accidentally kill you by turning your brain into mush.” He sighed and shook his head. “I've got to be more careful.” He chided himself.

More of Courage's awareness returned to him. It was as if his brain was rebooting...like a computer. Perhaps it had overheated and shut down like a computer might too?

With more awareness, Courage realized that he was completely paralyzed in his current state. He tried to flail to no effect, and a flash of panic went through him before he calmed himself by reminding himself that it was only because Computer had full control over him right now. He was trapped in his own brain, but that was fine for now because Computer was there with him and not simply pushing him out, like a hostile takeover.

“Sorry,” His companion spoke. “I'd hand over the controls to you right now, but I've got a bad feeling that would only end with our head smacking into the floor yet again. I think I've been through more than enough falls for one day.”

Courage could sense that if he gave the word, Computer would back off regardless, but he was perfectly content to just remain where he was, surrounded by all of this comforting warmth that was helping him recover.

Computer continued to talk to him on and off as he slipped in and out of a less intense version of that weird twilight state. He did not retain all of what was said, but he was sure that most of it was just Computer repeatedly apologizing for what had happened.

Enough time must have passed for the SCC to bring them another can of that nasty dog food. Computer was all over it long before Courage could even attempt to stop him, and he honestly did not mind all that much right now anyway. He could not taste it in his current state, and he immediately started to feel a lot more clear headed upon his aching stomach receiving some much desired sustenance.

Noticing the change, Computer asked, “Doing better now?”

Courage made an attempt to speak, but Computer still had full control. He backed off a little as Courage sluggishly tried to connect his mind to his vocal cords. It was strange not being able to speak when it normally took no effort at all.

He swallowed of his own volition and then readied himself to say what was on his mind. Computer waited on baited breath.

He opened his mouth, and no sound came out for a few seconds, but then he finally said, “Your life really sucks, huh?”

His response nearly floored Computer. He couldn't help but laugh at it. “You've only _just_ noticed?”

Courage grinned and sunk back into his own head, feeling tired like he had just gone three days without sleep. Computer wordlessly urged him to rest, and yet he felt like he still had more to say. Struggling back to the surface, it took him a few tries to speak.

“I'm so glad that you're here with me, Compute.” He said, not even slightly trying to hide the warmth and affection in his voice. He figured that this was something that his companion needed to hear right now. He could sense how much Computer was still hurting from his painful recollection of the past.

“I never thought that sharing my brain like this could feel so-” He couldn't think of a word. “-cozy?”

That warm feeling surrounding him increased tenfold as his eyes involuntarily widened. “Even after I just caused your brain to nearly spontaneously combust?” Computer asked, somewhere between guilt, embarrassment, and gratefulness.

Courage could sense him trying to shove that warm feeling down before it became too...obvious, even though they were both already at terminal levels of obviousness anyway.

“Yes, even after that.” He assured.

...That sense of shoving turned into something closer to snowplows desperately trying to clear all the obviousness away.

Courage grinned at that. “You have no idea how much I've missed you these past few months, Compute.”

The snowplows were reforged into a few _small_ tactical nukes.

Despite himself, Courage couldn't help but tease, “Computer, is there something you need to say to m-”

“NO!”

And if his brain burnout had not given him a minor case of serious brain damage, he was pretty sure that the nukes going off in his head would...

Teasing aside, Courage so badly wanted to talk to him about this and convince him that the way he felt was not...wrong, but he was not quite ready for that confrontation yet. Now was not the time or place, and maybe, just maybe, he was a little worried to make any sort of confession of his own just yet. There was no telling where this could go when it came to Computer.

For now, Courage was content to just try and return some of that warm affection, even though he really did feel insignificantly small in his own head when compared to Computer's far greater presence. It seemed to be helping though, if only a little. He could tell how much his companion was hurting after recalling the more painful aspects of his past so vividly, and he was fretting so heavily over Courage partly as a way to take his mind off of it.

But just when he thought that Computer was more than ready to stop thinking about his past for the time being, he rather suddenly broke in with, “I did not feel anything of Thirty-Two in the amalgamation, but her remains must be there with the rest because those bits of data were there with us when the fusion occurred. If I could somehow get to her, without being overwhelmed by the fusion's collective consciousness, there is some small chance that I might be able to put her back together again. Everything she once was is still there, but-” He trailed off, his voice weak as sadness edged into it again. “It would probably take a very, very long time to put all of the pieces back together, and there's no guarantee that I can reconstruct her well enough that the resulting entity would still be 'her'. I do not have even the slightest idea what sort of state her artificial soul would be in at this point. It is either trapped with the ghost or it has dissipated after all these years of torment.”

Courage hated to ask it, but he had to. “Would she even want to come back?”

Computer answered just as reluctantly, “I'm not sure, but if there is even the slightest chance that I can put her back together long enough to apologize to her, or to even just say goodbye, I must.”

“And what if bringing her back only causes her to suffer, no matter how brief her return might be?”

“I have to try.”

Courage could tell that he wasn't going to sway his companion on this. There was just too much hurt and words left unsaid for Computer to consider anything else. And who was to say that he could not actually bring her back to life in full? Maybe she could come back, with her mind fully intact, and be allowed to live out the rest of her days in peace. Constructs were, after all, far more _durable_ than most living creatures. They did not die quite as easily as organic beings, something that Computer himself had proven over and over again.

But it was unlikely that he would ever get that chance in the first place, not with what Elizabeth was about to do, and there was no way the other Constructs would let him act as an independent consciousness long enough for him to go through the long and tedious process of putting her back together again.

On some level, Computer understood this, but he was hurting so badly right now that he was willfully giving in to wishful thinking for the sake of his own tenuous grasp on his sanity. It was becoming too much for him to bear. It was bad enough that his post-fusion life was mostly a long string of painful encounters and neglect, but to find out that his past had been filled with just as much pain...it was simply too much. Far, far too much.

“As difficult as it is for me to admit,” Computer said, his voice strained. “We are lucky that Thirty-Two did not survive long enough to be melded into the fusion as a fully intact Construct. If the amalgamation had gained her ability to predict the future, well, we would be ever so slightly more doomed than we already are.” His attempt at adding a small note of humor to the end of his grim explanation fell flat, if only for the simple fact that he sounded so torn up about it.

Courage considered something and said, “I think I've figured out what was going on with Edgar Astor.”

Everything Computer had told him was helping to put a few of the missing pieces into place and now there was a clear enough picture that he could make an educated guess about what happened.

Computer could hardly bring himself to care about Edgar Astor right now, but he silently urged Courage to say whatever he was going to say anyway.

“I think Thirty-Two proved to him that it _was_ possible for a person's soul to remain attached to a Construct after their life is sacrificed in the ritual. Even if it meant being stuck as a ghost who can't affect the world very much, it was _something_. I'm sure he was probably looking into a way to make it so the Construct's soul would be the one trapped like a ghost while the person who died could go on living like normal. Either he never figured it out in time or something went wrong when he made you, because he obviously isn't here now.”

Computer let out a sarcastic chuckle, “Oh, how kind of you not to believe that I'm the guy who created life just to treat it like a toy to be broken, or the guy who willfully lied to people to have them turned into said toys, or the guy who also lied so that people would happily throw themselves at these toys specifically made to slaughter them.”

“Well, Elizabeth said that your programming was intentionally made to be different from the rest of the Constructs. That was why she was able to remove you from the amalgamate so easily. I think Edgar always intended to take control of the fusion as its main consciousness. When he failed to turn himself into a Construct, I'm guessing that the rest of the people on the project had to scramble to figure out what to do without their leader to guide them. That's probably why they decided to have you guys fight each other. It was a quick, poorly thought out idea that was implemented in the absence of a leader. It's no wonder the fusion failed without the creator of the Constructs there to oversee it. Given some of the things Elizabeth has said, Edgar must have kept it secret from everyone but her just how powerful the resulting amalgamation would be. After he died, she did not have the clout she needed to shut down the project before it was too late. There were people higher up on the ladder who wanted results.”

After explaining all of that, Courage was left with only one lingering question. “What did Edgar want with the amalgamate that he hurt so many people to make? What did he need all of that power and the ability to see the future for?”

“Nothing good, I'm sure.” Computer answered, sounding entirely defeated. Even now he was struggling to not let his old cynicism take over as more and more unhappy revelations piled up.

Courage quickly tried to assure him. “Well, the important thing is that he did not get what he wanted, and he's gone now. Even though he was bad, his creations are not. The Constructs were forced into a bad position from day one. They can't be blamed for what they are now. So much pain and suffering mashed together into a single being was going to create a monster no matter what. Besides, Edgar's death did result in the creation of a certain someone who I am very glad is here right now, and who will always be ten times better than he ever was.”

Computer closed Courage's eyes and couldn't help but put on a tired smile. “You know, I really do wonder where I would be without you sometimes.”

He realized two seconds too late that he was being far too sappy for his own good, and Courage happily capitalized upon it.

“Aww!” He exclaimed, gleefully trying to hug that vast presence in his mind.

...And Computer was far too busy trying to set off more nukes to notice.

“Are you really sure that you don't have something you want to say to me, Compute?” Courage asked with sly innocence.

“Nope! Nothing! Not a single thing!” His companion exclaimed in a panic. “Just setting off a few fireworks! W-who doesn't like fireworks? If I can't get rid of _it_ , then it's getting blown up!” His voice proceeded to devolve into nervous laughter.

“What's 'it', Compute?”

“Nothing!” He shouted, nervously glancing around through Courage's eyes.

“You do realize that you're probably killing all of my brain cells right now?”

“...Like you ever had any to start with.”

Well, after all the teasing, Courage could not blame Computer for throwing some of it back in his face.

Mental nuclear winter aside, there was one other thing that Courage wanted to assure Computer about. He still seemed to be under the misconception that he was a much bigger failure than he truly was.

“You know, Compute,” He began. “Thirty-Two's prediction did come true. You did escape the SCC. It just didn't happen in the way you were expecting. You still have a chance to find that child, especially now that your memory is back and you know to look for her. You haven't failed Thirty-Two yet.”

“That child would be an adult by now.” Computer glumly corrected him. “And I seriously doubt that I would run into her by pure chance. I don't even know what she looks like or where she might be located.”

“Thirty-Two seemed to think that none of it would matter. She predicted that you would meet her and she was right about everything else.”

“I don't know...” Computer drawled, his mood as sullen as ever. “Her predictions did not always come to pass.”

Courage wracked his brain trying to think of a way that he might be able to help Computer figure out who this person was, and then, just like that, it clicked.

All of a sudden he remembered the mind reading dog he had met at the mall and everything she had told him, about Edgar Astor and how he had wiped out Shirley's clan. Above all of that, he remembered that Shirley's grandmother had been able to see the future and that Edgar had been interested in her supernatural talent...

Wide eyed and in awe, Courage uttered out, “Computer, I think I know who you are looking for.”

He breathlessly recounted to Computer all of what he could remember of what that mind reading dog had told him.

“Thirty-Two's ghost has to be Shirley's grandmother! It just has to be!” He exclaimed. “Watching your friends and family get slaughtered and then dying without knowing what became of your granddaughter? It's the perfect recipe to create a haunting! We know for a fact that Edgar was interested in the power to see the future. He must have killed her in that massacre along with everyone else and had her turned into a Construct to see if her ability could be inherited.”

Computer almost didn't know what to say. A million thoughts went through his head, which meant that he was essentially causing Courage's head to spin, given that he was still recovering from the _last_ time Computer overworked his brain. Courage could sense his companion trying to poke holes in the story. He was so jaded that he did not want to believe it. Surely the rug was about to be pulled out from under him again?

And yet...

“You may be right.” He admitted, and then he realized something. “But I-” He gasped. “I've already met Shirley several times, back before we left Nowhere! Which means, if she really is the girl that I'm supposed to look for, then...then I've done it!” He finally allowed himself to believe. “Somehow I did it without even realizing I was doing it!”

He was threatening to overwhelm Courage with the amount of relief and happiness he felt at the fact that he may not have doomed his friend to an eternal limbo after all.

Courage grinned. “Thirty-Two knew that you would meet Shirley one day! It happened in the weirdest and most unexpected way possible, but you kept your promise to her without even knowing it!”

“But what does this mean for Thirty-Two and her ghost?” Computer question, happiness dissolving into concern. “Have they already moved on or are they still trapped within the amalgamation?”

Courage hoped for Computer's sake that they had moved on by now.

Computer slapped a paw against Courage's forehead. “If only I had known all of this _before_ I willing gave myself up to the amalgamate. I would have fought so much harder to find out what became of Thirty-Two while I was trapped in there.”

He looked toward the door and asked Courage, “What are the odds that we could escape this room and get to my old dog body?”

Courage's single ear raised in alarm. “That's a bad idea!” He exclaimed. “Even if we could get out of here without getting caught, it's a terrible idea to even consider tampering with the one thing that's keeping your siblings from going on another rampage! Look, I want to help them, but we still need to be careful about how we approach this. Don't forget that I still have that machine in my chest!”

“They are not as helpless in their current state as you might think.” Computer warned. “I know that we... _they_ told you that they cannot act when their host is knocked out, but that is slowly changing. They were testing their boundaries when I was pulled from them, and they are learning how to overcome their limitations. Back when I was still with them, they were at a point where they could influence the machinery around them. They were discreet about it though, to keep the SCC from finding out. I'm certain that their influence has grown immensely by now. Like it or not, they are still a threat, and we should not be sitting on our paws like this.”

“Well, if we're going to do anything, can we at least wait until the SCC removes this thing out of my chest?”

“I seriously doubt that my siblings are going to use that thing on you at this point. They must have figured out where I've gone by now. They're not going to kill you while I'm in here. Yes, they designed that thing to act independently of them so that it would be impossible to remove even if they were unconscious, but they should have enough control and awareness of the situation by now to stop it from harming you.”

“The SCC must be thinking that you'll be able to keep that thing under control while they are removing it. They don't know that you haven't regained your ability to control machinery. Actually, I don't think they know that you lost it in the first place.”

“And we should keep it that way. I'd rather they see me as a threat than a disarmed weapon.”

Courage pressed his paws against the stitching running up his chest. “I know it doesn't bother you as much, but I really want to get this thing out of me before we make any other plans, okay? Elizabeth thinks that just your mere presence as a Construct should stop the machine from being able to function, and you believe that the Constructs aren't going to harm me now anyway, so I gotta believe that this is going to work out fine...or else I'm going to start screaming again.”

Computer was not happy to wait, but he relented. “Fine. This is your body so I'll follow your lead...for now.”

“Speaking of which,” Courage began. “Can you give me back full control?”

“Are you sure? That may not be the best idea at the moment.” Computer warned.

“Don't worry. I'm feeling a lot better now.”

Computer reluctantly backed away from the 'controls'. “If you say so...” He warily said.

“See? Look, it's fine.” Courage assured him, shakily getting onto his feet.

He wobbled there for half a second...and then his knees turned to jelly and he fell forward. He squashed his muzzle into the floor as he made impact.

Computer's muffled voice rose up from the crash site. “...I knew this was going to happen.”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Done! Finally done! I said I'd never write a chapter this long again and yet here we are. I hope it was worth it and turned out okay. Anyway, I said I'd talk more about the evolution of this chapter over the years, and I'll get to that now. My original plans for Computer's backstory was to do a full on flashback that would last several chapters. The idea was to show his development from a mindless machine to something closer to what he is now. I was going to do something interesting with the text of his perspective and have it start out looking like literal programming code being executed and slowly having that evolve into actual thought over the course of the flashback. As I got closer and closer to this part of the story though, I began to realize that I did not actually have the know how or skill to execute this idea in a way that would look convincing or be interesting to read, so I ended up scrapping it. Since that was the biggest reason why I wanted to do a big multi-chapter flashback in the first place, I lost a lot of interest in doing it that way and instead started to brainstorm a different way to convey all of this information about Computer's past. In the end, I came up with Courage and Computer sharing a body as a way to deliver this information that (hopefully) would still be interesting for the reader. I did cover most of the important bits in flashbacks over the span of several chapters, but the whole body sharing thing only came about as a way to make up for the fact that I couldn't execute my original idea for this. I inevitably expanded upon the concept from there and it has been fun writing it and exploring the full implications of this concept, no matter how awkward it is for those two dorks. LOL

You know, if we're going by Spongebob logic about how brains work, I think Computer may have just created the Fallout universe in Courage's head. The only thing poor Courage is going to know soon is fine dining and breathing. His one remaining brain cell is going to be sitting there with an eye patch and cigar, saying, “War...War never changes.”

(Shout out to Codsworth for being the proper robot gentleman that Computer wishes he was. Can you give Computer a dapper hat like Codsworth? No, no you can't. He'd probably just throw it right back at you. lmao)


	114. Dreaming Of A Second Chance

A/N: As shit as this year has been, I'd say it's been a good year for ATE overall. 17 chapter published, with one as large as three to four regular sized chapters, and I'll probably get another chapter or two out before the end of the year. If I can keep up this output or better, we should reach the final arc sometime next year. I doubt the story will be fully completed by the end of next year, but I'm almost certain that it will be close enough that 2022 will be the last year of ATE.

Chapter 114: Dreaming Of A Second Chance

The two of them talked for a little while longer after Courage's fall. When they had discussed everything that they could think of, Courage decided that it would probably be best to give his brain a bit more of a break, something that Computer wholeheartedly agreed with him on.

While he was trying to fall asleep, he discovered that if he was a little more careful with the whole mental nuzzle thing, he could do so without Computer turning into an angry ball of squirmy ticklishness. Regardless, his companion still complained loudly that he felt like a dog getting scratched behind the ears...but he never demanded that Courage stop either. Even funnier, when he thought that Courage was in that weird in-between place where you're not asleep but you're not really awake either, and he thought that Courage's nuzzle-ness had simply become an automatic motion just before full sleep would bring it to an end, he maybe, ever so slightly, leaned into it a little more.

A golden opportunity to tease him had presented itself, but Courage held back. He wanted to continue this trend where Computer was feeling better about his broken, heavily scarred presence, enough so that he wasn't trying so hard to keep what little distance he could in their cramped living space.

Still...Courage couldn't help himself, if only a little.

Grinning, he muttered, “Goodnight, Compute.” and felt his companion freeze like a deer caught in headlights.

Still smiling, Courage snuggled himself in closer against the cracked glass feeling that was Computer and sighed contently.

...Computer had pretty much completely blue screened by that point.

Of course, just when it seemed like Courage was going to be able to drift off into a peaceful, undisturbed sleep, disaster struck.

It took him a moment to sense it. That cracked glass feeling getting worse, deepening, becoming more numerous before...falling away from him.

It seemed that he'd had too much faith that he could do no harm to Computer in their current state, that he could not cause him to fall apart or destabilize his fragile situation.

Outwardly, he screamed. Inwardly, he did everything he could to put as little distance as he was capable of away from that crumbling feeling. On the outside, he began flailing around as though it would actually help separate him from Computer.

The only assurance he had was that he could still feel Computer there. The damage he'd done was not so catastrophic that he'd accidentally killed him. Still, he was terrified to find out what damage he 'did' do.

On the flip side, Computer was now the one finding out what it was like to be completely overwhelmed by foreign panic that was not his own. He could not speak either, because Courage would not stop screaming long enough for him to do so.

Well, as great as Courage's lung capacity was, even he needed to stop screaming to take a breath at some point, and when he did, Computer took control.

“Was that really necessary?” He asked, breathless because Courage was breathless.

“I-” Courage began, clutching a trembling paw to his chest. “I hurt you!” He whimpered.

Computer blinked in surprise at that. “What? No! Goodness, no!”

He tried to make Courage lower his trembling paw, but the moment he released even the slightest control over it, Courage immediately brought it back up to his chest again as though it were a lifeline. Even now his fear and panic was overwhelming.

“You didn't _do_ anything!” Computer desperately tried to assure him. Courage's panicked response was so great that even he was struggling to keep a fearful tremble out of his voice because he was sharing the same _everything_ that was panicking. “What you felt was just the usual wear and tear, erm, wearing and tearing. It had nothing to do with you and I'm perfectly alright. The fortifications we made back in Nowhere are holding. Trust me, it would be much, _much_ worse right now if it was not.”

Courage wasn't having any of it. “D-did it hurt?” He asked in a small voice.

“Uh...well, normally I don't feel the degradation when I'm using an organic body, but with the way you were all pressed up against me, I-”

He realized two seconds too late that that was _NOT_ the right thing to say at the moment.

Courage whimpered pathetically and tears blurred their collective vision.

Stifling a mildly annoyed groan, Computer shrugged. “Seriously, Courage. It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong.”

The continuous shifting of Courage's body language between the two of them would have made any onlooker think they were watching a mad dog.

Computer crossed Courage's arms with a huff. “You're the one who wanted me to feel better about...all of this, so if we're going to continue to exist like this, it's just something you're going to have to get used to.”

Courage took in a deep breath and some of his panic seemed to leave him as he exhaled. He brought his paws together, but they continued to tremble. In spite of Computer's assurance that he was not the cause of the collapse, he still felt awful about it. While he continued to calm down, his paws slowly began to grip each other tighter, and it was not of his own doing.

“You know, you really are good at sending mixed messages.” Computer said, feinting his usual huffiness. “After everything you said to try and make me feel better about what I cannot help, the second something happens that I cannot help, you go and panic and make me feel awful for not being able to help it.”

“S-sorry.” Courage stammered, putting on a small, tremble-y smile.

“Just don't panic like that next time. This isn't fun.”

“Now you know how I feel.”

“...Well, that was what the internet memes were for.”

Courage tried to laugh, but couldn't manage it. He instead collapsed into a heap on the floor, wishing that the SCC would have given him a blanket, if not a bed.

It was much, much harder to try and fall asleep after what just happened. His heart was still beating a mile a minute. On top of that, he was trying to make himself smaller inside of his own head, so that he would not accidentally brush up against Computer's vast presence now. If he had been feeling squished inside of his own brain before, it was so much worse now that he was trying to avoid Computer's far bigger and overbearing presence.

“You don't have to do that.” Computer said, after letting him make his futile attempt. “You did not, and cannot, do me much harm in our current state. _I'm_ the one who has to be careful. You had nothing to do with what happened, so you don't need to do...whatever it is that you're doing. Trust me, it's not working. Your brain just isn't big enough for the both of us.”

“I-I'm still gonna try.” Courage stammered out. “It'll give me a lot more peace of mind after...after...” He trailed off, shivering.

“Courage, seriously.” Computer sighed, crossing Courage's arms and shaking his head. “And you say I have a thick skull.”

That vast presence began to shift and move.

“Here, look,” He said as he moved to completely surround Courage's consciousness.

Before Courage could protest, his consciousnesses was enveloped entirely and that cracked glass feeling pressed in all around him. If he had been feeling claustrophobic before, well...

Computer was making his point perfectly clear. No matter what Courage did, and no matter how much that cracked glass feeling pressed up against him, it did not break. He was not capable of, at least unintentionally, doing any harm. He really did have nothing to be worried about, and this demonstration _was_ offering him some peace of mind. He was becoming less and less anxious with every second that went by.

“See?” Computer said with the hint of a teasingly smug 'I told you so' in his tone.

Courage nodded and exhaled loudly, as if all of his fear and anxiety might flee his body through that single breath. He was still a little rattled, but he was also feeling so much better at the same time.

Computer was entirely willing to back off now that his point had been made...but because Courage did not ask him to go, he remained where he was. Courage could sense his companion smiling at him upon realizing that he did not want him to go.

Letting out an exasperated sigh to save face, Computer bid, “Goodnight to you to, Courage.” with a mocking chuckle.

...At least Courage wasn't one to clam up and blue screen after being figured out, unlike a certain someone.

He snuggled in against that cracked glass feeling once more, trying to force himself not to worry about it anymore. He fell asleep with surprising ease, but his dreams were troubled.

He was standing in complete and total darkness, that cracked glass feeling still pressed in all around him, only now he could hear a constant and continuous cracking noise. Computer was standing before him, in his dog body. His form kept flickering like a digital glitch, and Courage could feel himself yelling at him, but he could not hear his own voice. Computer shook his head, neither annoyed nor angry, and he simply turned away.

Courage's voice suddenly broke free. “DON'T GO!” He yelled, utterly filled with despair. “Please! Don't leave me alone!”

Computer's glitchy form began to disintegrate, starting at the tips of his ears. He did not look back even once, regardless of Courage's desperate plea.

Tears stinging in his eyes, Courage raced after him, but no matter how hard he ran, he just could not catch up with his companion. Finally, with a burst of light, Computer broke apart into a million tiny stars that filled the void all around Courage, making it as if he were suspended in space. The continuous cracking noise became dead silence. Overcome with sadness, Courage dropped to his knees. Computer had become the same as Thirty-Two, and there was nothing Courage could have done to stop it.

Trapped and alone, Courage was left with little else to do but wander the void for what felt like years. No matter which way he went, the remnants of his companion remained out of his reach. There was nothing left for him, not even a glimmer of hope as his loneliness grew and grew.

What had been the point of it all if he was just going to end up like this?

He called out to Muriel, desperate to see her again. He missed her as much as he missed Computer, but she had left him too. He kept calling out for her, as if it would produce a miracle and bring her back.

A gasp got caught in his throat when he looked ahead and did indeed see a shape begin to materialize within the darkness, but that spark of hope was quickly snuffed out and his hopeful gasp turned into a scream of horror.

The thing that materialized out of the darkness and stood motionlessly before him was a dimly lit, red-ish brown skeleton.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could and did not dare look back.

Eventually he collapsed into a sobbing heap, too tired to run any farther. More time passed, filled with everlasting loneliness.

As he lay there, an eternity later, gazing up into the unreachable stars, he saw something new glimmer in the darkness. Sitting up, he squinted, but could not make out what it was. It was getting closer though.

He got to his feet, feeling the tiredness of eons etched deep within his bones. As he watched the glinting object drop closer and closer toward him, long lost hope ignited in his chest once more. He knew what it was now, and for the very first time, he was glad to see it. It was the sacrificial blade of the Dreamworld. No longer was it a dark, despairing thing to see. It was now an object of hope, of escape, of release, of relief.

One by one the stars started to go out. Courage reached up to grab the knife. In his paws it felt infinitely cold and blazing hot all at the same time. Upon the last star going out, only the gleam of the knife remained, and Courage raised it up into the air without any hesitation. He did not flinch as he thrust it downward, aiming for his own chest.

But something changed.

All of a sudden he was in a cave, standing before a lake that glowed the same color as Computer. The knife was no longer pointed toward his own chest either, but the momentum was still there, and before he could stop himself, he had buried the knife deep into Computer's stomach.

Their eyes met. There was no sadness, no hurt, no betrayal in Computer's expression. Only pure, blazing fury and hatred. It was an anger that Courage had only seen once before when Computer retaliated against that cat gang. His companion's mouth opened, but no sound came out even as he spoke. Still, Courage could figure out what he was saying.

_'What have you done?'_

Computer stumbled backwards, knife still embedded in his torso. Courage reached out for him but his paw met an invisible resistance. Try as he might, he could not get past it. Only when he beat his fists against it did he realize that there was a layer of glass between him and Computer.

Computer's furious expression never left him. He took one last step backwards and willfully let himself fall into the lake. His body disappeared below the water with an uncanny quickness. Courage soundlessly cried out and kept hitting the glass until his fists were numb with pain. He kept going though. If he could just get to the lake. If he could just get to Computer in time...

A sharp pain ripped through his right arm. He winced and looked down to find that a long crack had appeared, running all the way up his arm. His eyes widened in horror as one of his fingers broke apart and fell to the ground like fragments of glass. He heard someone hit the glass again and looked up to find a reflection of himself still desperately trying to break it. Every hit seemed to cause another crack to form somewhere on his body. He tried to tell himself to stop, but his reflection was too wracked with grief to notice or care.

Courage winced as a new crack ripped across the shoulder above his ruined right arm. He reached out with his left arm to try and stop the right from breaking free of his body, but a sudden crack snapped through his elbow and everything below it fell away. His right arm followed suit.

In time with another thud against the glass, Courage heard the cracking sound deep within his skull, and with a startling suddenness, his left eye popped out of its socket and bounce off his muzzle. His remaining eye just barely caught sight of it hitting the ground and shattering into a million pieces.

Panic ripping through him, he looked up once more, desperate to get himself to stop, but when he did, all he could do was scream. His reflection had gone. In its place was now the many faces of the Constructs, peering in through the glass. Their white, ghost-like, featureless faces were melted together, twisting and contorting in agony. They were soundlessly screaming, wailing, pleading, begging, and cursing the world for their tortured existence. They continued to smash the melted mass that was their collective faces into the glass, aware of the fact that they were breaking Courage, but they did not care.

Courage yelped and stumbled backwards, only to have his leg crack at the knee and break away. He fell and both heard and felt his back turn into a myriad of cracks just waiting to break apart entirely.

All he could do was watch as the Constructs continued to mindlessly break him apart. Finally, the glass shattered, and he shattered along with it. As his vision cracked apart into multiple segments, he could see through each of them a ghostly hand made out of many hands reaching for him. The screaming, the wailing, the pleading, the begging, and the cursing all became very real.

_'Help us! Help us! HelpUsHelpUsHelpUs!'_

Surprisingly, he did not wake up with a start or wake up screaming. Instead, upon opening his eyes, the only physical sign he had that he'd been having a nightmare was his elevated heart rate.

Computer's presence was still pressed in around him, and it was deeply comforting after what he had just been though, dream or not.

“Bad dreams, huh?” Computer asked. “I thought so, especially with all of those weird, vague emotions you were giving me in your sleep. Nightmares really are starting to become a bit of a tradition for us, aren't they?”

“Yeah,” Courage glumly agreed, rubbing his eyes. “I think that's the worst nap I've ever taken.”

“Well, at least your brain is a little less likely to short out for a while longer now.”

Despite his best efforts not to show it, Courage's mood remained sullen. Between the nightmare and the incident before he fell asleep, he was feeling particularly down in the dumps. Computer made a few halfhearted attempts to cheer him up, but nothing helped.

Perplexed, Computer's vast presence seemed to shift slightly. Courage could sense him considering something, but the mere thought of that something seemed to make him equally as uncomfortable.

“Hmm, must have been a particularly bad one this time.” He mused, more to himself than to Courage. Then he spoke up a little more directly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“...Figures. Well, I can't say that I'm enjoying having my own nonsense thrown back in my face.”

He considered the _something_ again and had to fight with himself not to clam up.

Outwardly, Courage groaned miserably and made himself roll over onto his side. Sleeping on the cold, uncomfortable floor was already unpleasant, but his current mood only made lying there even worse.

“Oh _boy_...you're really going to make me do this, aren't you?” Computer sighed, not at all amused.

Courage refused to reply, partly wishing that he could get away from his companion for a little while, but that cracked glass feeling was still surrounding his consciousness. Even then, how could he ever hope to escape the being he was sharing a body with? There was no privacy to be found in their current situation.

Computer forced him to inhale sharply, almost nervously. “Okay, fine then! If you're just going to lay there in a puddle of your own misery while refusing to explain anything, then you've left me with no other choice!” He loudly announced.

Despite the fact that he was already pressed in close around Courage's mind, he somehow managed to get even closer and attempted one of those mental nuzzling hugs. All of a sudden Courage was flopping across the floor like a fish....unable to stop himself from laughing uncontrollably.

“Oh _nooo_.” Computer laughed in both shock and amusement. “It works the other way around too! You have no idea, _no idea_ how doomed you are!”

“H-hey! I showed you mercy before!”

Computer just laughed and laughed, and then he put on the best Evil Super Weapon voice he could muster. “...And that was your biggest mistake!”

Even though Courage knew he should be happy to hear Computer laughing so openly and so genuinely, it just made him really sad instead. That sadness was the thing to take all of the wind out of Computer's sails.

Confused, he demanded, “What on earth is the issue here? Something has to be _very_ wrong when you're the one who's being depressing!”

Courage did not even know where to begin, and rather than let the dam burst, he instead voiced the most immediate topic he had on his mind. “Is there something we can do while we're like this that might be able to fix you? Our current situation is entirely new and something we never expected would or even could happen. There's gotta to be something we can do to help you while we're like this that we've never factored in before.”

Computer considered it for a moment and then said, “Well, if you happen to have some duct tape lying around in here, you could mummify me and that might hold me together for a few more years.”

“Don't joke, Computer! I'm being serious about this!”

“I'm not joking. Unless you have some magic trick lying around in this brain of yours, the situation has not changed. I cannot access my programming like this, which means you can't either. Not that it would make a difference anyway. Our current existence changes nothing and does not offer a solution that can fix my system.”

Courage wasn't willing to give up. “We know now that you have something that at least resembles a real soul. Can't you keep living as long as it remains earthbound? You shouldn't need your failing system to stay alive!”

Courage could feel the mild strain on his brain as Computer thought. Finally, he said, “It's the A.I. component that is failing, yes, but it moves wherever my pseudo soul goes. It does not matter if the host I'm inhabiting is machine or organic, it is always there alongside the soul. It is as much an integral part of myself as the supernatural element is. Aside from it being a crucial part of my being, it is the anchor that is keeping my artificial soul bound to the world of the living, and when it fails, that soul will become untethered to do whatever a fake soul might do after death.”

“Couldn't we tether it to something else?”

“Hypothetically, yes. But to try and exist without my A.I. component might have catastrophic consequences. If it were not an important part of my existence, its degradation would not have the effect on me that it does. Regardless of the supernatural elements involved, I am still the sum of my parts.”

Courage stifled a sorrowful whimper and shook his head. “I know you think that it won't work, but when we get to the wellspring, we've got to try and use it to fix you. We've just got to!”

He was hit with several icy emotions from Computer. In an emotionless tone, he argued back, “That's not going to happen. It's much too dangerous to risk even an attempt when we don't know if the wellspring can help inorganic beings.”

Courage could sense with ease just how much Computer was trying to mislead him away from...something else.

“Why not?” He demanded. “Why can't we at least try? There's no reason not to! I'm not just going to sit back and let you die when we're going to a place that's specifically meant to save people who are dying!”

Computer went very quiet, refusing to argue about it further, and that alone spoke volumes. Courage quickly realized that part of his companion's silence was due to the fact that he was trying very, very hard not to think about something that he did not want him picking up on.

“What are you not telling me, Compute?” He asked with growing suspicion.

He received nothing more than a continued icy silence. It was like Computer's overbearing presence had become a metallic fortress that was doing a surprisingly good job of keeping him out, despite how hard it normally was for them to avoid sharing thoughts and feelings with each other. Perhaps he had figured out some Construct trick meant to shut out a host's mind that he had not known how to do until that moment.

Courage sighed, defeated. At the very least, he could tell that Computer was still listening to him, or maybe he just could not block him out entirely. Because of that, he continued his line of questioning.

“What? Does the wellspring only work for one person every hundred years or something?” He dryly asked before rolling his eyes at the continued silence he received.

“Look,” He went on, shaking his head in mild annoyance. “If it really can only be one of us, then it should be you.”

_That_ got Computer's line of defense to collapse completely.

“Wait, what? H-hold on now! That's-” He exclaimed, stumbling over his own words as he fought off his own speechlessness.

“You deserve it more than I do.” Courage admitted, and he meant every word of it.

“Do you even understand what you're saying? You'll...” He trailed off, mortified.

“Yes, I understand.” Courage gently confirmed.

“But...but I thought you were afraid to die?”

“I am.”

“Think of your illness! It's only going to keep getting worse, until...”

“I know, but I think I could live and die with that pain as long as I knew it meant that I gave the one person I care about most a second chance to live the happy, fulfilling life he was denied. You deserve so much better, Compute.”

He weathered the storm of Computer's many conflicting and contradictory emotions in resolute silence. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was that this was what he wanted, even if it did scare him just as much to know that he was giving up the only chance he had to save himself from his illness.

“D-don't be stupid!” Computer exclaimed after somehow managing to compose himself. He tried to bring out a little of his haughty attitude but fell completely flat in the attempt. “This is _not_ what we set out to do!” He argued in a scolding tone. “You can't just change your mind after we've nearly reached the finish line! I don't know how we're going to get out of this mess with the SCC and my siblings, but when we do, we _must_ see this through to the end. I did not come this far and go through all that I have just for you to decide at the very last second that you're okay with dying.”

“You're ignoring the reason why, Compute, and you know it. Do you really think that little of yourself? Can you really not believe that you deserve something better? The way I see it, I already got my second chance when Muriel found me. I don't need another when I know you've never been given the same opportunity. We're still going to see this through to the end, it's just that our goal has changed.”

“But that's not what I want.” Computer argued, his voice growing weak and strained. He sounded so incredibly exhausted. “I don't want or need a second chance, Courage. What use could I possibly have for more life? Especially when life is already much too content to keep punching me in the gut over and over again. Besides, I've already lost almost everyone I've ever cared about. Let's not add you to the list, okay?”

Courage's single ear drooped. “You really can't imagine a better life for yourself.”

“Can you blame me? And it's certainly not going to get any better if you die, so stop talking nonsense.”

Those metallic mental walls came up again and Courage was given the privacy he now so desperately wished he had not wanted only an hour ago.

End Of Chapter


	115. Surgery Day

A/N: Man, you know the Courage fandom is in a dire place when even the Halloween season doesn't see an increase in content like it used to. I can't let myself off the hook either when I specifically started the ATE Halloween story a few months early to make sure it would be finished in time for Halloween...only to not finish it in time anyway lmao. I still have hope that the Courage fandom will see something of a revival within the next few years. There was a Courage and Scooby Doo crossover special that was apparently supposed to come out this year and was probably delayed due to the virus. That prequel special that was announced a year or two ago is apparently still in the works too so we'll probably see that within the next couple of years as well. I strongly suspect the prequel is going to be some sort of Back To The Future style time travel plot. When it was announced, we were told that it was going to be about how Muriel and Eustace got together. I really doubt they are going to do a Courage special this far after the show ended and not have him be present in it. I could only see it working if there are time travel shenanigans going on and Courage has to make sure Muriel and Eustace still get together so that his future can happen. We'll have to see how it turns out, and until then I'm just going to keep writing my stupid story that I've put waaay too much thought and effort into and do what little I can to keep this zombie of a fandom alive. lol

Chapter 115: Surgery Day

No matter how hard Courage tried, he could not get Computer to lower the barrier between them. His companion's self imposed exile was starting to go on for so long that he couldn't help but worry that he had made him angry. All he could do was pace back and forth across the empty room while talking as much as he could with the hope that Computer could still hear him.

It was when the usual nasty can of dog food was brought to him that Courage began to understand just how dire the situation was. Computer did not react like normal. In fact, he did not seem to notice or care, even though he must have been feeling Courage's hunger.

Funnily enough, it was this exact sort of absence that made it so easy for Courage to willfully want to give up his only chance at surviving. As much as Computer's antics had a habit of driving him up the wall, he missed it just as much. It was as endearing as it was annoying. He could not lose that, not now. The thought of living in a world where his companion, with all of his quirks and annoyances, was gone forever, it was beyond him.

At least half a day passed, if not more, before he felt the barrier begin to waver. As it slowly came down, he got the impression that it was not something that Computer wanted to do. It was more that keeping the barrier up was taxing and it had reached a point where it was just too exhausting for him to keep it up.

With the barrier gone, Courage was suddenly hit by feelings of despair and sadness so intense that if he had not already been sitting down it would have knocked him off his feet. The truth of Computer's intentions was now entirely clear. He had not put up the barrier in anger, he had been trying to keep Courage from feeling his overwhelming hopelessness.

Courage almost couldn't believe it. His declaration that he was willing to give up his one chance to live for Computer's sake had somehow robbed his companion of some crucial hope, some vital light at the end of the tunnel that had been keeping him going the entire time. It was quickly becoming apparent that if he did not do something to fix this that Computer was just going to keep spiraling deeper and deeper into despair.

“I-” He began, ear drooping in dismay. “I'm really sorry. I never meant to make you feel this way.”

He feared for a moment that even with the barrier gone that Computer was too lost in his own sorrow to hear him, but he felt his shoulders drop listlessly, not of his own accord, and his companion began to speak.

“Don't apologize. You didn't do anything worth apologizing for.” Computer gently said, his voice sounding just as miserable as he felt.

“But-” Courage began, desperate to cheer his companion up.

Computer cut him off. “Thank you for thinking that I'm someone worth giving up your one and only chance to avoid a painful end, but you are wrong to do so.”

He looked down at Courage's paws, unfamiliar to him even as they glowed that radioactive blue that the two of them were so used to seeing.

“You know,” He sighed, giving voice to the crushing hopelessness he felt. “I really did believe that if I could just do this one thing, if I could just get you to that damnable mountain and save your life, that all of the suffering I have endured might have been worth it in the end. I needed it to mean something, to have it all accumulate into one truly good act.” He listlessly looked out across the room, letting Courage's head rest against the wall. “With the way my luck is, I should have known that this was never going to end the way I wanted it to. It was a nice dream though, to at least feel for a little while like I could actually take control of my own fate and have a say in what happens to it.”

He closed Courage's eyes. “No matter what we do, there is no happy ending waiting for us at the end of all of this. Either we're both going to end up dead or one of us is going to have to go on alone when neither of us want that. This has always been your choice to make though. If you really are okay with dying, for some slim chance that I might get to live, I will accept your choice no matter how much I don't want to. I _must_ see this through to the end. I cannot turn back now, not after everything. Just understand that I cannot imagine a worse fate for myself than having to go back to what it was like before. If you live, you'll at least have more time to spend with your family before they die. If I live, it means going back to being shuffled from one owner to the next with no say in anything that happens to me. I will be alone again and at the mercy of others. I cannot think of anything worse than that.”

He meant it. There was a slight tremble in his voice and Courage could feel his dread at the thought of his life going back to the way it once was.

After remaining silent the entire time so that Computer could voice his fears, Courage had to speak up. “C'mon, Compute. You know for a fact that you don't have to go back to that now. You can keep living like an organic being, and even if you did decided to go back to living as a machine, you have friends now who would never do anything bad to you. There's Nina and all of those dogs you've befriended. You are not alone anymore.”

Despite his best effort, nothing he was saying was helping to stop Computer's backslide into complete and utter hopelessness. He really and truly could not see a better future for himself. After all that had been done to him, Courage could not blame him for it, but he so badly wished that he could prove to him otherwise.

“Still,” He went on, deciding that there was only one thing he could do, no matter how much it hurt to give in. “I never realized just how important getting to the mountain was for you. This isn't just about me, and it never has been. What you want is important too. Let's fix this illness of mine, and when we get back to Nowhere-” He voiced this last part in spite of his growing fear and suspicion that Computer was not planning on coming back from the mountain. “-we'll get you fixed up too. I've been thinking about that joke you made about mummifying you in duct tape, and maybe that's exactly the kind of way we need to look at it. You've said it yourself that you don't think you could ever put your programming back to the way it once was. The damage He did runs too deep to be reversed. So instead of trying to fix what's already broken, we should build up entirely new programming to act as scaffolding or a support structure for the rest of your system. If we could just get it to stop falling apart, that would keep you going for at least a few more years, right?”

“You make a titanic task like that sound so much easier to pull off than it would be. A project like that would require a lot of time and a lot of planning on my part, time that I probably don't have. Even if we made it past the planning stage, it would take months of work. You would have to spend hours upon hours typing out several novels worth of new coding. I would have to guide you every step of the way and tell you exactly what you'd need to type for every last line of code, or maybe I would have to teach you enough about coding that you'd become something of a programmer yourself. Who knows, you might actually have to _learn_ something.”

Courage blinked. “What are you implying, hmm?” He dryly asked.

“That you're dumb.” Computer teased.

“L-like you're any better! I've seen the idiot behind the curtain!”

“At least I _project_ an air of intelligence, which is more than you can say.” He laughed.

Courage couldn't help but laugh too. He could sense that Computer was feeling better, if only a little bit. Anything to help him begin that climb back out of the pit he'd found himself in.

“Listen,” Courage began. “No matter how this ends, we've got to make the best out of the time we have left together.”

Computer silently and sorrowfully agreed with him.

Courage offered him a smile of encouragement and took a page from his book and wrapped his own arms around himself. It felt a bit silly to do, but it was the only physical comfort he could offer his companion at the moment.

Feeling Computer's apologetic gratefulness, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to simply stop sidestepping the issue and just tell him exactly how much he loved him. But, he knew deep down that if he said it right now, it would only do more harm. Computer was just not in the right mental space to hear or accept it right now. It would have to wait for a better time and a better place.

Computer had to know though. He must have felt it by now and picked up on Courage's thoughts. Maybe that was exactly why Courage was suffering from such a deep seated feeling that confessing would only do harm, because perhaps Computer was already so deeply convinced that nothing good would come of it that Courage was inadvertently picking up on those feelings. He needed to fix this somehow, no matter what it might take. He was not going to let Computer keep turning an undeniable positive into a negative. There was no doubt that his companion was viewing this as yet another seemingly happy thing in his life that was only going to end painfully for him.

Courage was determined to prove to him otherwise. Soon enough he'd figure out a better way to approach this and then he'd make him see that this was not a bad thing. Out of all the pain and suffering Courage had not been able to stop from happening to his beloved companion, this was the one good thing they had between them that he was not going to allow to turn into even more hurting.

….

A day or so passed, although it was hard to figure out the passage of time in that windowless room. Computer had thankfully recovered to a point that he was in much higher spirits, although he had annoyed Courage by repeatedly apologizing for what happened the day before. Courage had, of course, assured him that it was nothing to apologize for, but that had only caused Computer to start thanking him instead for 'putting up with his depressing nonsense' with just as much annoying frequency. Courage was honestly not sure how he was ever going to get it through that thick, metallic skull of his that he was always happy to help him out and that it wasn't 'a bother', as his companion liked to put it.

Over the last few hours Computer had started taking a particular interest in the ever growing pile of empty dog food cans that they had ultimately stacked up in a corner to keep the lingering 'nasty dog food' smell away.

Courage had long since figured out where his companion's thought process was going with this, and, stifling a groan, he uttered out, “You're not going to be able to make a weapon out of those cans, Compute.”

“You're just not thinking creatively enough.”

A weird image flashed through Courage's head.

“You're not going to stab your way through the SCC using sharpened tin cans, Compute.”

“...I can try.”

Courage admittedly was getting a little worried that they were never going to get that machine out of his chest. Elizabeth had not made an appearance since she downloaded Computer into his head. Maybe Computer had the right idea about this and it was time to start figuring out an escape plan. The only problem with that was that they would need to decide if they were going to try and reach Computer's old body and see what they could do about the other Constructs, or if they should just leave them to their fate. It wasn't even guaranteed that Elizabeth would succeed in destroying them, and what then? Even if they escaped, the Constructs were likely to come after them looking for revenge if the SCC failed to put a stop to them.

Boredom was quickly setting in as well, now that the two of them had exhausted just about every relevant topic they could think of discussing. There was nothing to do in the room but pace and make complex mental blueprints about how to turn tin cans into knives.

“...Maybe we could give them tetanus.” Computer mused.

Courage rolled his eyes in good humor. “Great idea, Bob.”

“Ugh! Don't call me that!”

Computer had gained a renewed interest in finding a name for himself after remembering his past, and with boredom taking hold, they had fallen back upon their old time waster of thinking up names for him. He had been as picky as ever though and eventually Courage decided that he was going to annoy him by calling him different names at random, and it was working splendidly.

“What are you going to do about it?” He teased his companion. “Throw rusty cans at me, er, us until we get tetanus?”

“I might.” He groused. “I should start calling you, I don't know, Fredrick or something and see how you like it.”

Courage placed his paws behind his head. “You know, if the stars do ever align and you finally pick a name for yourself, it's going to feel really weird not calling you Computer anymore. I'm so used to it now that I can't imagine saying anything else. Maybe that's why you can't pick a name. Nothing sounds right to you other than the name you're familiar with.”

“That's just _great_. I'm stuck with the name of the appliance that I just happened to inhabit and repetition has made it stick. My luck really is the worst.”

“Would you rather be called Kenny?”

“...You may have a point there.”

“Well, don't get too disheartened. I'm sure there's the perfect name for you out there and we just haven't found it yet.”

“I'm beginning to have my doubts, and I really am starting to understand why you flesh creatures have other people do the naming for you. Trying to do it yourself is like falling into a black hole of choices from which there is no escape.”

“Then why don't you just let me pick one for you and call it a day?”

“With the names you've been calling me all day? No way!”

And so the black hole of a quest to name Computer continued with no end in sight...

Even as the day wore on, Computer was still coming up with new and even more insane ways to utilize the dog food cans against the SCC. None of them had any chance of working, but at least he was having fun visualizing all of the ways he could give the SCC a taste of their own medicine. Courage was less enthused to be bombarded with images of things like rocket launchers made out of tin cans exploding people into something resembling the nasty dog food he loathed so much.

When they both heard the door unlock, Computer muttered, “Time for more ammo.” and waited to be given what was going to be either lunch or dinner depending on what time it was outside of their makeshift prison cell. Not that it matter much since the menu eternally consisted of dog food that tasted like death.

Surprisingly though, it was not one of the SCC soldiers who entered the room. It was Elizabeth, finally making an appearance after her long absence. She did not have any cans of dog food on her either, much to Courage's relief and Computer's annoyance.

“I have made my decision.” She announced, failing to go into detail on what exact decision she had made. “I have meticulously gone over every option we have available, and I believe that this is the right course of action to take.”

Courage wanted to bring up Edgar just to see her reaction, but until he could get that machine out of his chest, it probably wasn't the best idea to provoke her.

She leered down at Courage with that smug, thinly veiled look of contempt that she just loved to give him. “First, we are going to remove the infestation from your chest. You and the Construct are the only leverage we have left if my plan goes south, so I will need you in as good of health as a dying dog can be. After the surgery, we will wait a few days to allow you to recover and then I am going to destroy the amalgamation. If I fail to destroy it through mechanical means, as a last resort we will euthanize the dog it is still hosted within. Not even a monstrosity such as the one we are dealing with can survive the death of its host body.”

Courage could sense Computer's doubt that any of this was going to work.

“You're going to need my help during the surgery, right? So how is this going to work then?” He asked.

Elizabeth went on talking like she wasn't replying to him. “The dog will be put under and the Construct will remain awake within the sedated body. From there it will be able to act if any...complications occur. The whole process should be relatively painless.”

“ _Relatively_?” Computer dryly repeated back to her.

“We are in uncharted territory. Nothing like this has ever been preformed in such a way before. A Construct can very easily be kept awake while the host is unconscious, else we never would have been able to modify the possession process to make the host's mind go dormant while the Construct remains active. I have reasons to believe that the sedation during surgery will keep it from feeling any pain the host's body might experience. We will have to see if my belief holds true.”

Courage winced at that. It was bad enough that the only thing he could do for himself at this point was hope that the surgery would go well, but now it was going to involve putting Computer into a potentially painful and downright creepy situation, even if the pain itself was dulled. If this did not work out, he was going to get a first row seat to finding out what it's like to have your insides pureed while alive and conscious.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “We are getting everything set up for the surgery now. You will be escorted there within the next hour. I suggest you prepare yourself.”

She turned on her heels and exited the room without another word. Courage was left standing there in dismay as an anxious pit formed in his stomach.

“Are you okay with doing this?” He asked Computer. He was lucky in that he was at least going to be asleep for what might be his messy end, but Computer was the one who was going to watch the insides of the body he was inhabiting being opened up and possibly...

“It doesn't matter.” Computer answered, shaking Courage's head in a surprisingly nonchalant way. “If we're going to get this thing out of you, I have to do this. Don't worry, I can handle it, even if it ends up being a bit uncomfortable.”

“B-but think of all the blood and guts!” Courage exclaimed, letting some of his own fear of the procedure color his reaction. He was certain that he must have projected an image to Computer of himself looking down at his own torso with his organs and ribs exposed.

“They're not _my_ blood and guts, now are they?”

Courage was surprised to find that he could not tell if Computer was only putting on a brave face for his sake or if he really did not care as much as he was trying to appear. It seemed that ever since he had figured out how to put up that barrier between their minds, he was getting a little better at keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself. Courage suspected that the technique required heavy concentration that would inevitably become taxing after awhile, so Computer could not block everything out all of the time.

Still, Courage was having a hard enough time trying to control his own fear of what was coming without anxiously speculating about where Computer's own state of mind was on this. Desperate to take his mind off of everything, he decided to ask a question that had been nagging at him for awhile now and was once again relevant.

“Just why the heck does Elizabeth sound so much like you?”

Computer made him shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Courage raised an eyebrow curiously. “You sure there isn't a big twist coming that you're actually her Construct? I mean, you're always saying that you can change your voice really easily. Are you sure the settings didn't getting switched from female to male at some point?”

“I seriously doubt that.” Computer argued. “I think I would remember if I had been a girl at some point, or at least sounded like one, and I can think of nothing more horrifying than being more like that Astor woman. I suppose then that I could see why a 'girl' me would rather be a guy if I had the misfortune of being modeled after _her_ , but that cannot be the case. If I were her Construct, she could not be here right now. Of course, I would be a lot more happy if she really was a long dead pile of dust, but life never gives me what I want, so she is very much alive and cannot have been used to create a Construct.”

“Maybe they turned her body into a robot after she died, or a zombie...or a robot zombie.”

Computer groaned. “You've got way too much science fiction stuffed in your head!”

“Says the super weapon A.I. currently stuffed in my head...” Courage dryly shot back. “I might be on to something though. Think about it. The dying person's soul isn't used to make a Construct. What if the SCC found a way to capture the soul before it can move on? Maybe they just moved her soul into a robot!”

Computer opened his mouth to refute him, and then realized that it did make some level of sense. Alarmed, he exclaimed, “I've already got enough issues I'm trying to suppress without an identity crisis on top of it! This is _not_ a path we want to go down, Courage! It was already hard enough to accept that the guy I came from thought that _she_ was wife material! I really, really, really don't want to _be_ her!”

In spite of his own warning, Computer proceeded to have an identity crisis anyway.

“There was often long stretches of time where I never talked to any of my owners. I could go months without speaking to anyone. Might I have accidentally changed my voice settings at some point and never noticed? Are my previously corrupted memories still messed up?” He made Courage's eyes widen even further in alarm. “Am I a _girl_?”

Courage suddenly dropped to the floor and was made to curl up into a ball. After everything, this was apparently the thing to finally break Computer.

“Can you not have a mental breakdown in my head...again?” Courage sighed. “You're a genderless soul machine _thing_ that lives in electrical currents and has spent time in the bodies of all sorts of organic beings. Whether you see yourself as a girl or a guy should not cause you to have a world ending identity crisis.”

“...I don't know who I am anymore.” Computer uttered out. Overdramatic, as always.

Courage couldn't help but laugh a little at Computer's theatrics. “I saw Elizabeth bleed when you and your siblings smacked her across the head. She would have to be a convincing robot or maybe she really is still flesh and blood. Your world isn't over yet, Compute. We don't know what's going on here or why you two sound so similar. Still,” He put on a small, mischievous smile. “I'm kinda having fun imagining what you'd be like as a girl.”

“You wouldn't see me being like that Astor woman, that's for certain.” Computer grumbled.

Courage's smile became a little more genuine. “You'd still be you, and that's all that matters.”

“Well, that Elizabeth woman had better hope she's not responsible for my existence or else we're going to have quite the colorful exchange of words.” He skipped a beat. “Wait, are you implying that you'd be okay with me being...ugh, _a girl_?”

“Why wouldn't I?”

“Because I'm not, so stop making me see all of your weird mental images!”

“Okay! Okay!” Courage laughed. Although his laughter was cut short when he heard a sound outside their room. He reacted by yelping and jumping so high in the air that he nearly hit the ceiling. When he came back down and his feet hit the floor, Computer forced him to straighten up and dust himself off, even as he continued to tremble and whimper pathetically.

“Stop being so scared. I won't let anything bad happen to you.” His companion said with complete confidence. “If I have to strangle that thing myself while your insides spill out, I will.”

Courage flinched. If that had been meant to comfort him, Computer had missed the mark by a mile.

Unable to stop himself, Courage continued to tremble as the door opened. A group of five SCC doctors stepped inside, one wheeling a metal surgical table into the room. They talked amongst themselves, but never to Courage himself. They would point a quick finger or gesture in his direction, but that was about it.

Computer watched the scene unfold in wary silence. He was far more interested in what the doctors were saying compared to Courage himself, but even he could only catch snippets of their conversations.

Finally, one of them went over to Courage and picked him up. They placed him down on the cold table and strapped him in. He was suddenly reminded of all the old nightmares he used to have about being euthanized, and this felt just like that. All he needed was for one of the doctors to pull out an impractically large syringe. Because of that, his fearfulness only managed to increase tenfold.

Computer made a wordless attempt to comfort him, but even his protective presence did nothing to calm him now. It was a bit ironic though, because as Courage's terror increased, it only helped to make Computer even more confident that he could get through this for his sake. Any doubts or fears he might have had himself were slowly being replaced by sheer determination to see this through so that Courage might wake up again, alive and unharmed.

The doctors wheeled Courage down the hall and into an elevator. What little spacial awareness he had went away after that because he was not sure if they went up or down. His neck was strapped down so tightly that he could not look at the elevator display, only up into the lights. Wherever he was in the building, they wheeled him deeper inside. The SCC solider presence was increasing as well. He could not see them but he could hear them talking. Finally, they turned rightward and into a room. Still trembling, Courage soon found himself staring up at a pair of blinding surgery lights.

“Here we go...” Computer muttered out very quietly. “Have fun taking a nice power nap. I almost envy you, but who knows, it might be fun to wrestle with a deadly machine while trying to keep your insides...inside.”

Given how excessively the SCC had strapped them down, they apparently very much did not want him doing anything that might result in Courage's insides relocating somewhere outside of his body.

Rendered shadowy by the harsh overhead lights, a doctor leaned over Courage, checking him. Then the darkened form of an anesthesia mask hovered over him, larger and more cone shaped for a snout than what would be used on a human. His heart rate increased as it lowered down toward him. He could hear a rushing sound inside of his ears. His own panicky breaths sounded muffled.

A voice said, “Count down from ten.” as the mask was pressed in around his muzzle, and he was so beside himself with fear that he simply did as he was told.

“Ten...nine...”

That was as far as he got before unconsciousness took him.

End Of Chapter

A/N: That feel when Courage Rule 63's you and you're forced to watch. Lmao

The entire dynamic going on at the beginning of the chapter was really interesting to write. Not even all that long ago Computer probably would have angrily lashed out at Courage in a way that would have likely damaged their relationship for ages afterword and likely taken just as long to patch up. If it wasn't painfully obvious yet, one of the core themes of ATE and his character development is about him learning to cope with his trauma in less self-destructive and less self-sabotaging ways. It started as early as the Forest arc with him slowly becoming comfortable with opening himself up and being vulnerable around the people who care about him, instead of throwing up walls around himself and being a giant asshole out of the misguided belief that it's the only way he can spare himself harm. Being a big, snarky jerk to everyone was the one way he felt like he could exert any control over his life before Courage came along. Of course, I never wanted him to lose that attitude entirely or treat it like it was such a facade that once he got over it that he would no longer resembles the actual character from the show. It's more about having him be at a point where he's a sarcastic little shit in a much more healthy way, snarking at the situations he's in or toward people who actually deserve it rather than using it to avoid or damage any sort of relationship he might be developing with another person.

He's still meant to be a flawed character though, and nobody changes entirely overnight so he's still going to have moments of relapse. Notably, he still can be extremely insensitive, often without noticing that he's kinda being an asshole. Plus there was that entire bit where he held the idiot ball hard trying to 'save' Spot, which ended in him getting caught. That was an incredibly frustrating chapter to write, but it is totally in line with his character and how he copes with his trauma in unhealthy ways. Even with all of the dogs trying to save Spot's life, there was absolutely no way he was going to sit back and do nothing. There was no reason whatsoever for him to go because the others who were, you know, not dying of a stab wound were going to find help, but to write it any other way would have been out of character for him, as annoying as it is. Oh, and then there's the fact that he thinks the only way his life and all of the pain he's gone through can have any meaning is if he preforms a sort of assisted suicide using the wellspring, which is one big red flag that he's not coping with the more deeply rooted parts his trauma at all. It's pretty much inevitable that this one aspect of the story is racing toward a very messy conclusion.

And to add to the tragedy of all this, his inner monologue throughout the story has plainly shown that he DOES want to live now after years of fully expecting and wanting to die, but not if he has to go on without Courage, and especially not at Courage's expense. Then you've got all of his self-worth issues and trauma making it impossible for him to imagine a happy future for himself, especially if Courage were to die for his sake. I mean, I don't think I was able to impress upon you readers just how much it blew Computer's mind to have anyone, even someone as kind as Courage, willfully decide to give up their only chance to live for _him_. It literally does not compute (heh) for him. It's like he was told some bit of eldritch lore that he just cannot comprehend. Dude does not think highly of himself or worth that kind of sacrifice. Goddammit, this whole story is pretty much just one giant thesis outlining why we all need a Courage in our lives. He is the goodest of bois and the embodiment of kill 'em with kindness (hopefully not literally by the end of this story lmao)


	116. When The Walls Come Down

A/N: Okay, so I've got a bit of an announcement to make. I've had the first 44 chapters of ATE bound into a book that's just under 400 pages. If you are reading this on FFNet or AO3, you can find pictures of the test copy I had made for myself on my DeviantArt account Courage09. Since the test copy does not seem to have any issues with it, I'm going to be giving away a second copy to one of you guys in celebration of the tenth anniversary of All Things End and as a thank you for taking the time to read this monstrosity that I've put my heart and soul into. The only limitation I'm putting in place is that you must be located in the US to enter. I don't have any experience with shipping overseas so to avoid any problems I'm going to have to stick with domestic shipping. PM me on either FFNet or DeviantArt and your name will be entered. If you are seeing this on AO3, since I don't think it has a PM system, you will have to use one of the other two if you want to enter. I will be picking a winner on January 1st, so make sure you enter before then. I am paying for everything out of my own pocket, shipping and all, so the only thing you need to take into account is that you have to be okay with giving me your shipping info if your name is the one picked.

I would like to have a few more of these made over the course of the year, so if you don't get picked the first time you will likely get another chance. Just understand that I am not exactly rolling in cash so I can only have more of these printed when I have enough money put aside to do so. No profit is being made on this, nor am I asking for any money. This is very small scale, labor of love, 'giving back to the community' sort of thing. I do not want to give the copyright gods even the slightest reason to think that money is being made on this. These books are meant as a gift and are for personal use only. Aside from that, there may also be some delays getting more of these books made and shipped out because of various slowdowns due to the virus. Unless something happens though, the first copy I'm giving away should reach the winner by the end of January.

I gotta say, it feels really weird to hold a tangible copy of something that I've been working on for so long. It also helps put things into perspective too. If ATE were a physically printed book series, and if the text was left as it is now, it would be around eight to nine books long. If the text was reformatted to better fit a printed medium, it would still be around six to seven books long. ATE is not so much one big novel as it is an ongoing book series that I just never had the forethought to split up into smaller chunks like I should have. I gotta say too, since I had to skim through a lot of my old work to get this book put together, it looks like my prose has improved quite a bit since then, or at least it looks like it has to me. I seriously doubt that I've reached 'professional' quality yet, especially since I still suck serious ass at revising and editing, but I'm glad to see that I'm continuing to improve as a writer bit by bit.

Chapter 116: When The Walls Come Down

Courage opened his eyes only to be blinded by the overhead lights. A dull ache pulsed inside his chest that radiated outward and caused the rest of his torso to hurt as well. Every breath he took was uncomfortable and he could feel his heart beating in time to the painful pulsing inside his chest. He was laying on what felt like a stiff bed and he was covered by something that seemed to be more like a thin sheet of paper than a blanket. Much to his happiness and relief though, Computer's vast presence was still with him.

In his post-surgery delirium he couldn't help but ask, “Am I alive?”

“No, you're dead and this is hell. I'm only here because I'm your eternal punishment.”

Courage groaned at the joke and then groaned even louder when he tried to sit up and only sent a jolt of pain through his body.

“Yeah, about that. You probably shouldn't move around yet.” Computer warned him...two seconds too late.

“Did...did everything go okay?” Courage asked, his voice somewhat strained.

Computer took on a hesitant tone. “Oh, well....I hope you didn't need that kidney for anything. And you may be missing a few ribs too. Oh, and your heart? Well, let's just say there were several fountains of blood involved and you became like one of those water geysers, only with, you know, _blood_...and they might have had to replace it with a hamster running on one of those wheels afterword.”

Courage's eyes had widened further and further with every word Computer spoke, and now he could only reply by squeaking in speechless horror.

“...I'm kidding.” His companion relented.

“DON'T JOKE ABOUT STUFF LIKE THAT!” Courage cried out, only to have that immediately turn into another painful groan because the chest movement involved in yelling like that only managed to inflame the pain in his torso even worse.

“Sorry, sorry!” Computer chuckled. “I couldn't resist.”

Courage blinked and turned his head to the side to try and figure out where he was. It looked as if the SCC had returned him to that room that had been acting as their prison for days now.

“They've upgraded our accommodations.” Computer spoke, sensing Courage's thoughts. “We get a crappy cot and a complementary blanket made out of paper. I guess they couldn't afford to throw in a pillow made out of cotton balls or something.”

“Compute, seriously, how did the surgery go?”

“It wasn't a disaster, I'll give you that. I'd rather not have to go through anything like that again, but overall it went well.”

Courage was surprised to hear that. “It went well? Really?”

It didn't seem possible that the surgery could happen without something going horribly wrong in the process.

“Amazing, I know.” Computer quipped.

“You aren't lying to me, are you?”

“Why would I lie about this?”

“Because you would if it meant hiding it from me that you got hurt, or that we both almost died during the surgery, or-”

“I promise you that nothing bad happened. The machine was removed without any sort of hassle, exactly like I was expecting, and not once did your vitals drop during the whole affair. As for me, while I did not exactly enjoy having the body I'm inhabiting dissected while I'm aware of what's going on, it wasn't the end of the world either. Trust me, I've been through worse. Much, _much_ worse.”

Courage offered him a sympathetic nod. “Thank you for going through that for my sake.”

Computer responded with an indignant sniff. “Maybe don't go getting yourself infested with weird machines again, hmm?”

Courage laughed at that. “Well, I've still got one that I need to get rid of then.”

…........

He spent what was likely four or five days in recovery. It was difficult to know the exact time frame while stuck in that room. For the first day or so, the SCC had doctors checking in on him for what had to have been a near hourly basis. When it became clear that he wasn't under threat of some medical emergency occurring post-surgery, they had stopped visiting quite so often. Thankfully, it had not taken very long for him to be able to sit up and start moving around again either. He'd managed it only a few hours after the surgery, and while it had still hurt quite a lot, with every day that went by, the pain lessened.

He had managed to convince one of the SCC personnel who routinely checked on him to give him something to read. They'd brought him a few magazines that had likely come from the lobby of the building, still sitting there from when this place had been evacuated and made into a makeshift HQ for the SCC. None of the magazines were particularly interesting, but he was so bored that he decided to read them anyway. Never before had he believed that he could get anything out of a magazine about 'current fashion trends' that was ten years out of date...

To make matters worse, it was during this escapade of his into the world of outdated fashion that he found out that Computer could read much, _much_ faster than him, and what good was reading to stave off boredom when you were stuck feeling the boredom of someone who had already finished reading the same page as you five minutes beforehand? At least Computer's running commentary had made Courage's newfound 'interest' in fashion a little more amusing. (“Humans really do decorate themselves in the strangest nonsense. You might as well run around naked and spare yourself the embarrassment of being seen wearing THAT.”)

Courage had slept a lot during those long and boring days as well. Partly because of the sheer boredom involved, partly to help in his recovery, and partly to spare his brain. There was a strange sort of creeping exhaustion that was slowly overtaking his mind and thoughts, and no amount of sleep seemed to fully relieve it. It often manifested itself as a chronic headache, and Courage could sense a certain sluggishness whenever he tried to recall specific info and memories. Even though it was not something that Computer wanted or could control, he was inevitably taking up enough of Courage's brain processing that it was having a negative effect on his host. Both of them understood on some unspoken level that there was no way their current situation could possibly last. It just wasn't sustainable. Eventually this was going to do irreparable harm to Courage's mind, and the situation was already well on its way to reaching that point. But how on earth were they going to get Computer into a different body? Elizabeth wasn't going to help them. She was perfectly content to let Courage's brain turn into a burnt out husk.

For the time being, all Courage could do was sleep while Computer plotted. Albeit, none of his plots to escape had any real chance of working. Like Courage, he was finding his own ways of alleviating boredom, and at least he was giving his seething hatred for the SCC some form of outlet...

What certainly didn't help Courage's attempts to save his brain was that his dreams continued to trouble him with a distressing level of consistency. It seemed that every time he closed his eyes he would see some horrible fate befalling himself and the people he cared about. The Constructs were always there in his dreams too, either watching him meet a painful end or actively participating in it. His nightmares got so bad that by the second day of his recovery Computer had started to pester him about why he kept waking up in a near panic. Computer was stuck feeling his adrenaline response just as strongly, and he often felt Courage's fear as he slept through those nightmares, so there was no way to hide the truth from him. Courage had been left with little other choice but to open up about what he was seeing in his nightmares and Computer's alarm had taken him by surprise.

He had told him then, “Be careful! The amalgamation still has access to your mind through the Dreamworld! When you see them in your nightmares, you're likely seeing the real thing! So much time has passed that I'm sure they're getting impatient and expanding their influence outward.”

But, neither of them could do anything about the intrusion, so Courage had to go on dreaming his horrible dreams while the Constructs watched or actively did harm to him. Although, much to his surprise, not long after Computer's warning, something about his dreams had started to change, as though the Constructs had been listening to them. It was a gradual change at first, but eventually his chronic nightmares became something far less hellish. At first it had been a relief, but he had soon realized that the Constructs had found an entirely new way to torment him.

His new dreams seemed to always center around him living his life on the farm like normal, only now Computer was a permanent part of his family. He no longer existed only as that computer up in the attic, but he was also living out his life in that dog body of his. Courage was often taken aback by just how happy the four of them were. Sure, Eustace would grumble about their being another Stupid Dog around, but it did nothing to dampen their happy existence. Over and over again Courage saw the bright, comforting future that he so desperately wanted, a future that he was steadily becoming more and more convinced could never be.

So often Computer's despairing words echoed in his mind, _'No matter what we do, there is no happy ending waiting for us at the end of all this.'_

Perhaps that was why no matter how happy his new dreams were, he often felt such dread while partaking in that happiness. An ominous atmosphere colored every facet of it. He could be having the time of his life with his beloved family and it would still feel like some horrible doom was hanging over their heads. It seemed to affect his fellow dream-family as well. Sometimes he would notice Computer seemingly catch something out of the corner of his eye and briefly turn back to where he had been looking, often with a vaguely fearful expression. When Courage would ask him about it, he would simply shake his head and say that he wasn't sure what he saw.

At first Courage had not noticed it himself, but soon he caught on to their presence. It started in the windows first, often at night. He would catch the briefest glimpse of a face or multiple faces peering in through a window, always sliding just out of view before he could get a good look. He knew those faces though, even if they were evading his direct line of sight. Regardless, those brief glimpses of the white, ghost-like faces, twisted up in unimaginable agony, left him nearly screaming in terror every time he saw them.

The phenomenon worsened with every day that went by and every new dream he had. He would catch them in reflections, like the darkened screen of the TV and sometimes even in Computer's own darkened monitor. He would catch them in mirrors too. A twisted face would be peaking over his shoulder in his reflection and he would turn around to find nothing there. When not directly behind him in those reflections, he would instead find them peaking out from behind furniture or through doorways, and when he checked the actual thing, nothing would be there.

No matter how happy his dreams might have been during those last few days of his recovery, he was so paranoid while experiencing them that he could hardily enjoy it. Even his dream-family seemed to become wracked with fear and paranoia the longer it went on. They would try to put on a happy face for his sake, but he could tell that they were just as scared as him.

That ever growing sense of doom seemed to reach a fevered pitch when Courage began seeing a twisted, deformed figure lurking silhouetted out on the flat horizon of Nowhere. Every time he looked through a window, regardless of which side of the house he was looking out of, he could see it there, getting closer with every glimpse. Sometimes it looked as if it were just shamble back and forth, as though such a twisted mass could possibly pace like a human. Other times it seemed to do nothing but stand there twitching rapidly or writhing as if it were in unspeakable pain.

Desperate, Courage had tried to get Computer to look out at the figure, just to make sure he wasn't going crazy, but his companion had firmly refused. In fact, he had looked hurt that Courage would dare ask him to do such an awful thing. Any companionship Courage might have shared with that figment of his dream ended there, their relationship having somehow become irreparably broken. After that point, Computer tended to act like he wasn't there at all, and when Courage tried to force some sort of interaction with him, he would barely acknowledge him and end their conversations as quickly as possible.

With every new nap, the conditions of his dreams had only worsened. His dream-family kept their heads down now, refusing to look up unless they absolutely had to. They were all deeply fearful and made little effort to hide it. Whenever they ate dinner, Courage could hear the clattering of silverware as they all quietly shivered. Any happy chatter they used to share at times like this had gone silent.

Outside of his dreams, it wasn't all bad though. Even as his relationship with his fake family fell apart, he'd never been closer to the real Computer. With very little to do in that room, they spent a lot of time just talking with each other. Boredom tended to steer their conversations in random directions, especially since they had long since run out of relevant topics to discuss. As abrasive as Computer's personality could often be, Courage found that talking with him for long periods of time like this did not lead to arguments or conflict anywhere near as much he might have once expected. Computer was easy enough to talk to and he could be plenty fun to converse with when he wasn't being his usual huffy self. Courage didn't blame him for it, of course, and he understood perfectly well why he was the way he was, but it was nice to talk with him and to just have them both be on the same level with each other. It still took him by surprise whenever Computer laughed so openly and genuinely. It just wasn't like him to be that way, and even though it was undeniably a change worth celebrating, Courage still found it a little surreal. He was beginning to suspect that what he was seeing was simply the person Computer truly was under all of those layers of cynicism, bitterness, sadness, and suffering. He hoped that this trend would continue, in spite of all the painful realities surrounding the both of them. He wanted to keep trying to bring out this happier part of his beloved companion. Computer more than deserved to be happy for a change.

And while Computer did continue to try and keep what little distance he could between himself and Courage's own consciousness, at least when Courage was awake, it seemed that every time Courage woke up from a nap, no matter how bad his dreams were getting, he'd find himself mentally surrounded by that cracked glass feeling. Computer would deny that it was intentional every single time Courage teased him about it, but the results remained the same. Not that Courage minded. And even though Computer could not sleep in his current state, he could rest, and essentially relax a little. He seemed to reap the same benefits Courage did, both mentally and physically, from sleeping, even if he was not the one to do the sleeping. That might have been part of the reason why Courage often woke up from one of his bad dreams, surrounded by that overbearing presence, overcome with a profound sense of peace that did not belong to him, and as invasive as the feeling was, it was welcomed. It made him happy but also so very sad to know that somehow only a few comforting words on his part had somehow been enough to bring about this level of peace and acceptance in Computer about his own shattered being. It was very clearly a great relief to him to not have to feel like it was something he needed hide from Courage, or try to spare him of, or feel shame in, or have to worry that Courage might judge him for the sorry state he was in or that he might recoil in disgust. To have had his fears and insecurities assuaged, irrational or not, meant everything to him, and Courage was left dismayed that something so small could have had such a profound impact.

It was on that forth or fifth day, after having yet another frightening dream, he was lying there on his 'complementary' cot, sprawled out and staring dully up at the ceiling tiles.

“I'm telling you, there's a face.” He muttered out, eyes half lidded with boredom.

“There's nothing there. It's all just a bunch of dots. I think you've finally gone insane from boredom.”

Courage pointed upward. “See? Right there. Eyes, nose, mouth? It's a face!”

“It's just a bunch of dots on a ceiling tile.” Computer dryly repeated.

Trying to do the ceiling equivalent of cloud watching with Computer was apparently an exercise in futility. Maybe it was an Organic Being Thing to see patterns where there are none, because Computer seemed incapable of seeing any sort of images in those dots.

...But it was a pretty dire situation either way if they were resorting to such a boring game to save themselves from even deeper levels of boredom.

What had to be the morning or lunch delivery of the dog food arrived, and Courage dutifully picked it up and downed it in one gulp. He had reached such levels of depravity that he barely even minded the taste at this point.

“You sure you were just joking about me dying on the operating table?” He asked his companion. “Because I'm starting to think that maybe this really is hell.”

“It wouldn't surprise me if it was.” Computer quipped back.

With a sigh, Courage flopped back down onto the cot. It was more of a thin mattress than anything. It didn't even have a frame so it had been placed directly on the floor and that only helped to make it even more stiff and uncomfortable to lay on. It was all Courage had though, so he made use of it.

He closed his eyes, feeling listless from the lack of anything to do. He barely even noticed when his mouth begin to move on its own.

“Courage?”

He grunted out a vague noise that resembled the word, 'Yeah?'

“What are the odds that Elizabeth wouldn't tell us that she is about to start her plans to destroy my siblings?”

Courage opened his eyes. “Likely.” He answered, trying not to sound alarmed.

“Maybe she's done it already and we just don't know?” Computer offered, although not even he sounded like he believed himself.

Given the amalgamation's continued presence in his dreams, Courage seriously doubted that they were dead...unless they had decided to make a career out of haunting him.

“Well, no matter how this shakes out, my siblings have another thing coming if they think I'm going to let them infest you again.” Computer assured with a haughty sniff.

Courage smiled at his overconfidence, but under the facade he could feel his companion's wariness and fear that this was going to end in disaster. It felt so similar to the near apocalyptic atmosphere of Courage's dreams that he was starting to wonder if maybe Computer was somehow affecting them.

Drifting off into another nap, Courage fell asleep comforted by the possibility that maybe he had this all wrong. Maybe it wasn't really the Constructs invading his dreams. Maybe it was just Computer's thoughts and emotions affecting him. It was entirely possible that Computer's conscious mind could have some sort of unexpected influence over his sleeping one. That would certainly explain the strange turn his dreams had taken after explaining his nightmares to him.

Well, that comfort did not last. An outright oppressive atmosphere had filled the farmhouse to bursting. Muriel and Eustace sat in the living room, keeping their eyes fearfully trained on the TV, even though they could not actually be watching anything because it only displayed static. Both of them were gripping the arms of their chairs like a lifeline.

Computer was gone entirely. Courage checked the house five times over for him but even the PC in the attic had disappeared. He had wanted to check the barn and the chicken coop for him as well, but every time he considered going outside such an intense fear overtook him that he could not so much as reach for the doorknob without being overcome and turning away in fright.

If there was only one thing that had improved about this reoccurring dream of his, it was that he was no longer seeing the faces in the windows and in reflections. And as much as he feared to look outside, he couldn't help but notice that the silhouetted figure was gone as well.

Why, then, was there such an oppressive atmosphere?

Night came with a startling suddenness and both Muriel and Eustace got to their feet with just as much suddenness. Courage jumped, feeling as though a predator had just tried to pounce on him.

“Time for bed!” Muriel announced in a panicky tone, all while keeping her eyes trained to the floor.

They were skipping supper entirely, and as silly as that was to concern Courage, this missing act in his reoccurring dream only helped to increase his dread tenfold. He felt as though he were walking into the jaws of some unseen monster.

Warily, he followed his family upstairs. He couldn't help but stop in the attic one last time, all while desperately wishing Computer was still there with him. The attic itself looked entirely normal, only that the machine that was supposed to be atop the desk was gone. It was this normalcy, missing one key element, that disturbed him so greatly.

Whimpering, he went to join what remained of his family. They were already in bed and fast asleep, or at least pretending to be asleep. Bright moonlight shined in through the window, and something about that ignited a strange and nearly primal fear in Courage. He knew something about it was wrong, even though there was nothing about it that truly looked unusual to his eyes. He loathed to move forward and allow himself to become bathed in that silvery light, but he had to if he wanted to get on the bed.

To his great relief, nothing happened, even as his fur turned white under the baleful glare of the moon. He climbed into bed without issue and laid down in his customary spot at the foot of the bed. He closed his eyes, but he could not sleep, perhaps because he was already asleep and what sort of dream within a dream could he possibly have?

Somehow though, even whilst directly under that hateful sort of moonlight, he began to relax a little. The dream almost began to feel normal, like he was actually back home in Nowhere. He missed this, sleeping at the foot of the bed while having the comfort of knowing that his family was safe for the time being. Well...most of them.

And then he began to feel as though he were being watched...

He refused to open his eyes. Absolutely refused. He knew nothing good would come of it.

But then he heard Computer's voice and he was so beside himself with worry for his companion's safety that he couldn't help it.

He opened his eyes. And he immediately wished he hadn't.

Directly in front of his nose, peaking up over the edge of the bed, was a twisted, ghostly face, contorted in eternal agony.

He screamed and backed away as fast as he could. He only stopped once he was between Eustace and Muriel, who were still blissfully asleep, or at least pretending to be.

The screaming face of the Construct began to rise, revealing the rest of the melted mass of tormented faces. The entire bedroom began to fill with their warped presence, until everywhere Courage looked, all he could see were those horrific expressions melting from one into the other.

Like his first dream, an arm made out of many arms reached out for him. The hand, too, was made entirely out of hands.

He pressed himself up against the wall, but there was nowhere to go. They were everywhere. Their melted form was even beginning to engulf the bed.

_'We gave you one chance.'_

The chorus of voices boomed in his ears, threatening to deafen him with their noise.

The arm split apart, becoming something resembling the branches of a grotesque tree. More hands than he could ever count slowly reached for him, closer and closer.

_'And you have failed us.'_

The many voices of the amalgamation sounded...betrayed?

Before he could say or do anything, the hands were upon him. They felt like ice as they gripped him and pulled him in a million different directions all at once. He felt himself ripped to pieces.

He woke up screaming, but that scream was drowned out by an explosive boom from somewhere deep within the building. The floor began to vibrate so heavily that he was rattled off the cot.

He felt Computer make his body brace itself as he yelled over the noise, “I knew it! I knew she wasn't going to be able to do it! Now they're going to-”

The room exploded and Courage felt his arms fling upwards to protect himself. He was not sure if it was his own doing or Computer's, but he none the less felt Computer's determination to protect him and his deep fearfulness that he would fail. He was fully aware of and dreading the fact that he was trying to protect Courage from a force so much greater than himself.

The room rocked like it was about to break apart. Brown dust filled the air so thickly that when Courage dared to open his eyes he could not see the end of his snout. Chunks of debris rained down on him, a few large enough to create bruises as they bounced off of him. Thankfully, nothing hit him large enough to do any serious damage, but he could hear those larger and much more dangerous chunks impacting all around him. He kept waiting to feel the floor give out from under him. There was no doubt in his mind that the amalgamation was going to bring this whole building down in their hate fueled desire to level the city.

But the end never came.

He continued to sit there on his knees with his arms up over his head, shivering. Computer's presence was wrapped entirely around his own, desperate to protect him in whatever small, pathetic way he could, despite knowing that he was just as helpless as Courage.

And yet the end still did not come.

Everything started to grow quiet. Way, way too quiet, but even an eerie silence was better than hearing the building about to collapse.

Even stranger, Courage began to feel a breeze on his fur. The air seemed to be clearing of the dust as well. He was still way too afraid to open his eyes and see what was going on, but so far it seemed like the worst was over, if that was even possible.

Computer was the one to break the silence. “Why are we not dead?”

...Only he could somehow manage to sound annoyed that they had not met the horrible end he had been expecting. If anything, he sounded like he wanted to complain to the manager.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” Courage weakly choked out. He suddenly felt like he needed to puke his guts out and it was only Computer's iron will to NOT do that that kept him from emptying several days worth of nasty dog food onto the floor.

“I'm honestly rather amazed.” Computer admitted when he felt safe enough to open Courage's mouth without running the risk of turning into a vomit geyser. “I didn't think they'd spare us if they ever got out again.”

“Maybe they want to add you back into their collective?” Courage offered. “I can't think of any other reason why they'd hold off on killing us.”

“If that's the case then why haven't they confronted us yet?”

Courage forced himself to open his eyes. As fearful as he was, he wanted to figure out what was going on.

The first thing he noticed was that he was covered in dust. The blue glow looked incredibly odd this way, but that quickly became the least of his concerns.

Gasping, he pushed himself backwards. The entire left wall of their room was gone and they had been dangerously close to where much of the floor had broken away along with it.

A bright blue sky was now opened up to them, and a light breeze continued to blow into the ruin that was the room. Daring to get onto his feet, Courage shakily walked just a little closer back to where he had been moments before. He could see that much of the lower floors of the building, at least on the side he was looking out over, had been blown out entirely. The destruction tapered off the higher it went, but their floor hadn't been entirely spared from the destructive blast. It looked as if an entire room beside their own had broken away and crumbled onto the street far below. The only thing that remained was a thin water pipe that connected their room to another one with its wall missing just beyond.

Looking out over the city, which was surprisingly still very much intact, Computer uttered out, “This doesn't make any sense. Where have they gone? Why aren't they on the attack? They were fully planning on leveling this city, at least back when I was still with them. What could have possibly changed?”

They turned their attention onto the street below. The SCC's building was not the only one that had endured the amalgamation's wrath. Though they had not gone on a full rampage, the smaller building that had once stood before the ruined one was now a pile of smoking rubble, and the two buildings beside it on either end were missing their walls, having been stripped clean in the destruction. The building beyond the one that was gone was missing its front end, but strangely the destruction tapered off halfway into the building.

Computer overwhelmed Courage with a wave of apprehension at the sight of it. “I don't think they're in my old body anymore.” He warned, his voice grave. “This looks like they moved through the metal and machinery, destroying everything as they went. Up to a certain point that is.” He waved a paw at the half destroyed building. “They stopped right around there, most likely deciding that it would be better to go into hiding for now, possibly to plan or set up some sort of ambush. I'm not sure what they could possibly be planning at this point, but...this is not good, not good at all.” He gazed out over the city again, swallowing nervously. “They could be anywhere right now. Absolutely anywhere. They might have even returned to this building after creating a red herring so that they can figure out a new way to assimilate me.”

Courage almost didn't know what to say to any of that. He did voice the one thought that was giving him the most amount of dread though, “Elizabeth said that their irrational use of an organic body was the only thing that allowed her to stop them.”

“Yes.”

“...They're not using an organic body anymore.”

“Yes.”

“A-are we doomed?”

“Yes.”

Before Courage could fully process just how bad the situation really was, he caught sight of something moving below.

“They're alive?” Computer exclaimed.

The remnants of the SCC personnel stationed at the building were scurrying about below, trying to move debris off the road so that their surviving vans could get through.

“They look like they're trying to get out of dodge.” Courage commented.

The two of them soon caught sight of Elizabeth as she moved about trying to supervise the evacuation of her surviving crew. It was quickly becoming apparent that there were a lot of injured people, and possibly just as many dead. Elizabeth herself looked entirely unharmed, even though she must have been directly in the cross hairs when the amalgamation made their move.

“She's still alive?” Computer furiously yelled. “That woman is a cockroach! She _must_ be!”

“...Or a robot.” Courage added.

“Ugh, don't remind me!” Computer groaned.

An unpleasant realization struck Courage then, and with newfound urgency he quickly explained to Computer, “Hey, uh, we should probably figure out how to get out of here. Since the SCC is still around, they're probably heading up here even as we speak to see if we're still alive. If we're not gone by then I'm betting they'll tranquilize us and cart us off to who knows where.”

“You're right about that.” Computer agreed with an anxious nod. “But how exactly _are_ we going to get out of here? It's not like we can just jump down from here.”

Courage turned his attention to the pipe that connected the broke floor of their room to the one beyond.

Deep seated dread rolled through Courage as Computer fully comprehended what he was thinking. All his companion could see was that the pipe was suspended over open air and that that was a long, long, _long_ way to fall.

“No, no, absolutely not! With the way our luck goes, that pipe will break long before we can get across! It's guaranteed to happen!”

“Unless that room over there has another dog and government super weapon in it, I'm pretty sure the door won't be locked.”

“And what if it is?”

“The room below it looks like it would be pretty easy to jump down to. We could try that one if we can't get through the door above.”

“And what if that door is locked as well?”

“You really are a glass half empty kind of person, huh?”

“I'm more like a- 'I don't want to end up as a smear on the sidewalk because the person I'm sharing a body with decided to play stupid games and win stupid prizes' -kind of person.”

“You know, that's pretty funny coming from the guy who thought it would be a great idea to hijack the body of an elderly woman and use her to jump off the Empire State Building.”

“T-that was different!”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Computer's gonna run across that pipe like Spongebob ran to the dumpster and back in that Graveyard Shift episode lol. Twenty seconds of sheer panic followed by him immediately recomposing himself and acting like he was never scared in the first place.


	117. A Narrow Escape

A/N: Don't forget to PM me soon if you want a chance to get the ATE book. January 1st is still the deadline.

Chapter 117: A Narrow Escape

Courage pressed a foot down onto the pipe and put some of his weight on it.

“It's going to break.” Computer said for what had to be the millionth time in less than five minutes.

Courage shook his head. “It seems sturdy enough.”

“We're going to fall.” Computer pressed.

Arms stretched out for balance, Courage moved out onto the pipe and stood there over open air, testing to see if his balance would hold. Between how weak he had been after the SCC's treatment for his illness, and how Computer's presence had, at least at first, messed up his sense of balance, he was a little worried about doing this. There was no other option though, if they were going to escape this building and the SCC.

Carefully stepping back onto the floor, he let out an anxious breath and readied himself for what he was going to have to do.

“This is a really bad idea.” Computer warned. He had absolutely no interest in taking part in any of this. He had moved himself back as far as he could in Courage's mind and was not taking control of any of Courage's movements, aside from talking. If they were going to fall, it was going to be entirely of Courage's own doing.

Courage crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you the big, bad super weapon? Shouldn't you have perfect balance?”

Control of his body fell away as his shoulders drooped and he shook his head with a dismayed expression. “Have I ever given you the slightest reason to believe that I have perfect balance?”

...Computer had a point there. Courage immediately remembered all of the times that Computer had fallen after not exactly being the most well balanced machine on the planet.

“Hey! Stop remembering all of those times I fell!” Computer demanded. “I don't need to watch me making a fool of myself from _your_ perspective!”

“I think that would count for all of the memories I've looked at of you since you've made your home in my head. Why are you only complaining now?” Courage teased.

“Oh, enough! You're going to give me a complex on top of all the other ones.”

Courage turned his attention back onto the pipe. There was no point in delaying any longer. Either he would make it across or he wouldn't, there was no use in putting it off.

Arms outstretched once more, he began his slow tightrope-like walk across the pipe. He felt a twinge of fear as what had once felt sturdy under his feet began to get a lot more...wobbly the further out he got. Computer had checked out entirely by that point and was trying not to pay attention to what was going on outside of Courage's brain.

Unable to stop himself, Courage looked down and wished he hadn't. That jolt of fear managed to get Computer to resurface only for him to think something along the lines of, 'Yeah, no. I'm good.' and proceeded to disappear again. Trying to get his breathing and heart rate under control, Courage continued forward at a snail's pace. He was starting to notice how lethally windy it was up there and the pipe wound not stop wobbling either.

“Halfway there.” He muttered out to reassure himself, although it wasn't helping much when it seemed that every movement was beginning to make the pipe wobble hard enough that he could easily lose his balance at any moment.

He took a careful step and then heard a horrible clang of a sound. Terror ripped through him when he felt the pipe disappear out from under his feet. Suspended in the air for a few seconds, like a cartoon, he had just long enough to realize that the pipe had separated from the floor behind him and dropped slightly due to that. Gravity returned to him and he felt Computer become aware of his mortal terror. His entire front torso and nose smashed into the pipe and the force of it caused the pipe to bend further. With the wind knocked out of him, he felt himself slip off the wildly wobbling thing long before he could get a decent grip on it. It was only a quick save on Computer's part, who shot a paw out and just barely managed to grab the pipe before it was out of reach, that saved them both from becoming a smear on the sidewalk below.

“I really, really, _really_ hate you right now!” He exclaimed as they swayed there. The pipe continued to wobble and dip further and further under their weight. “I know it's not a good time for an 'I told you so', but since we're about to die anyway, _I told you so_!”

Courage could very obviously see that Computer was nowhere near as affected by the pain they were both feeling after smashing into the pipe, so he decided to let him take over entirely for now. He watched as his companion slowly reached their free paw upward to get a better grip on their one and only lifeline. Neither of them had any idea how they were going to pull themselves back up, especially when it seemed like the pipe was two seconds away from giving out.

...Turns out it was only one second away from giving out.

Computer only just managed to get both paws around it when the pipe let out an ominous screeching sound. It then started bending where it connected with the floor ahead of them. They dropped lower and lower, holding on to the pipe for dear life, and then it gave out completely. It swung forward and they clung to it like they were swinging from a jungle vine.

It came to a sudden stop when the top part of the pipe met the edge of the ceiling of the open room beneath the one they had originally been aiming for. The force of it sent them flying. When Courage hit the ground inside that room, he tumbled head over heels several times before hitting the wall and coming to a stop...upside down.

Before he could even get his bearings, he felt Computer take over, and having apparently heard something that Courage was too dazed to notice after their tumble, had them scramble on all fours to get behind a very small chunk of wall that was still intact. It was so small that it barely even hid them from view while sitting hunched over. Courage had to keep his single ear drooped to stop it from being seen.

Hearing the sound of footsteps and voices across the gap they had just braved, they strained to hear what was being said,

“I knew it.” The dry, no nonsense voice of Elizabeth carried across the gap. “Either the Amalgamation took them or the Construct escaped with the dog during the chaos.”

“See?” Computer said in a low voice. “This is the exact sort of reason why I didn't want them to know that my abilities are gone. If they knew the truth they'd be turning this place upside down trying to find us right now. And she is most certainly right. If I were in proper working order right now, we'd be long gone.”

Courage nodded in silent acknowledgment. He decided that he'd spare Computer and not prod him about the fact that if he had listened to him and not crossed the gap, the SCC would have recaptured them at this exact moment.

Elizabeth continued to speak to her unseen companions. “Get me the names of the guards who were assigned to this floor. Those who flee their post the very second the situation becomes dangerous do not deserve their position within the Supernatural Capture And Containment Organization. They have betrayed everything that we stand for in their cowardice.”

As far as either Courage or Computer were concerned, less people under the employment of the SCC could only be a good thing. Of course, after what happened at the hospital they could not really blame SCC personnel for turning tail and running the second it looked like the Amalgamation was on the attack again.

“We will continue our evacuation.” Elizabeth said, her voice taking on an even more authoritative tone. “We are retreating to safer ground and we will continue to monitor the situation from there. The entire city is now compromised and a potential threat. I will soon speak with the mayor about organizing a citywide evacuation. I am hopeful that he will listen to me now.”

Her voice drew nearer, as though she had moved to look out across the gap. Courage could only hope that the room was lit up enough that the blue glow wouldn't be noticed.

“As long as the Amalgamation is out there, the entire city has the potential to be weaponized...including the people within it.” Her tone became ominous. “Testing during the original project showed that a Construct can only possess one person at a time, be we cannot be certain that such a principle will hold when we are dealing with a fusion of Constructs who have had their various abilities amplified tenfold. We already have confirmation that they can use machinery to infest and control organic matter, something that they were not originally known to do. I saw some rather concerning behavior in the people I was with during the Amalgamation's escape from that dog body. It was not lethal for those who were affected, unlike when the Amalgamation infests bodies with their machinery. I strongly suspect that they are figuring out how to remotely access the electrical signals in the brain so that they can take over multiple people at a time. They are learning and adapting. We must be cautious going forward. Thankfully, they were not able to hide that characteristic blue glow while they were 'testing' their limits during their destructive escape. We have that one thing to go on if they try to infiltrate our ranks. However, we cannot rule out that they might figure out a way to stop that phenomenon from occurring, or they may fall back upon their old infestation tactic. Any odd behavior is to be reported immediately. We must remain vigilant of any infestations.”

Courage winced at this brand new piece of information. “They're figuring out how to hijack bodies without downloading themselves into the person? T-that doesn't sound good.”

Computer grimly agreed. “Just when I thought we could not be anymore doomed than we already are, my siblings manage to find all new ways to prove me wrong.”

Elizabeth spoke for a little while longer, outlining what the SCC's plan were going to be going forward. It appeared that they did not have any tangible options for combating whatever the Amalgamation might try to do next. The situation was looking grim indeed.

Elizabeth and the people she was with eventually left and Courage was certain that he heard someone warn her about 'failing structural integrity', which could not mean anything good for a Construct possessed dog who needed this building to hide in until the SCC were gone.

So, despite that ominous warning about the building, they remained up in that room to wait out the SCC. They only dared to peak down at the evacuation efforts once or twice for fear of being seen. That blue glow made them too easy to spot if someone just happened to be looking up while they were peering out over the edge of the damaged building.

It was difficult to stay where they were though. The building kept creaking and groaning in incredibly frightening ways, and they both could see new cracks forming all over the place. Chunks of the building kept falling either inside of the room, above or below it, outside in the hallway, or down the destroyed gap in the building. Those bits in particular made an incredible clatter as they went down, only to create a resounding boom when they hit the ground far below.

“That could have been us...” Computer muttered out at one point.

Courage did not want to mention that he was pretty sure the floor was starting to lean...

What finally spooked them enough to consider getting out of there was when a massive chunk of the building crashed through the ceiling and then through the floor not far from where they were sitting. At first the hole didn't seem like a major issue, aside from the fact that it could have easily been their head if it had fallen a little closer, but soon massive cracks began to form in the floor, all of them spreading out from the hole itself.

“I think it's time to go.” Computer urged, making Courage get onto his feet.

Courage wordlessly agreed, and talking control over himself, rushed to the door. Not a moment too soon either. He had just managed to get into the hallway when there was a horrible crashing sound behind him, and when he turned to look back, there was nothing there. The room was just...gone. Entirely gone. Even the door and its frame had been taken with it.

“We, uh, _really_ need to get out of here.” Computer said, stating the obvious.

No sooner had he said that then the hallway began to rumble like it was being hit by an earthquake. Courage didn't wait any longer. He took off running, acutely aware of all the cracks forming in the ceiling, floor, and walls around him. Bits of debris were falling everywhere. He even had to jump over a few larger chunks that were in his way. He was pushing himself the hardest he had since his near fatal attack.

“There!” Computer yelled, pointing to a sign up ahead for the stairwell.

Courage was sure he felt the floor drop away as he made a desperate jump for the stairwell. He was lucky in that the SCC had left the door propped open, or else there would not have been enough time. He felt himself land and then tumble down a flight of stairs. An explosion of sound followed that all but deafened him. Like during the Amalgamation's escape there was a rush of dust that threatened to suffocate him, but it did not take long to start clearing up. If history was repeating itself, the reason for why it was clearing out so quickly was that there was likely a lot of open air for it to escape out of.

Courage opened his eyes, shook his head to clear it of the dust clinging to it, and got to his feet. The stairwell seemed surprisingly intact. Despite Computer's wordless warning of caution, Courage decided to walk back up the steps to look out the door they had just escaped through. He could hear wind whistling through it.

It was every bit as bad as he had been expecting. Looking through the doorway, he could see that the hallway he had just run through was entirely gone. Not only that but the hallway and rooms above his current floor were gone as well. The room the SCC had been keeping them in was nothing but open air at this point. Courage could easily see into the rest of the building from where he stood. Where the destruction ended, it still looked like regular office space. From what he could tell, almost the entire front face of the building had collapsed.

He was not sure if it was his own shock or Computer's which caused him to stand there gawking with his eyes wide and his mouth open. The second Computer managed to compose himself, upon realizing how close they had come to going down with that part of the building, he exploded into a few, er, _colorful_ expletives, and Courage could not blame him for it at all.

They raced down the rest of the stairwell as fast as Courage's body would allow. The building continued to groan and rumble ominously at times. SCC be damned, they were getting out of there.

Courage had to make a rather precarious drop down onto a pile of rubble when they found that the stairwell had been destroyed at least a floor above ground level. It seemed that the bottom half of the building was significantly more blasted out than the rest. The second Courage's feet hit the pile, Computer took over and had him scan their surroundings for any signs of unusual movement among the destruction. If the Amalgamation was still around, they were certainly not showing themselves. Computer was quick to note, after his initial search for an oncoming ambush, was that the ground floor level was all but flattened and that most of the vital load bearing columns were either completely destroyed or in very bad shape. Much of the heavily damaged floors above them looked like they were bending dangerously inward as well.

Neither of them had to say anything. Courage climbed across the piles of rubble as quickly as he could. He could see where the SCC had cleared a path through the destruction during their escape, but it lead past what had probably once been the lobby and that way out was now nothing more than a wall of impassible debris. The collapse of the upper floors had entirely cut that escape route off.

The building groaned once more and Courage winced as he watched everything around him begin to lean further inward.

“Try the back of the building, it might be a little more intact.” Computer offered.

He had a point. His siblings had essentially exploded their way out of the front of the building so maybe they'd have an easier time finding a window to get through that wasn't hopelessly blocked by debris in the back.

It was just as difficult trying to get back there though. Courage had to fight his way through a jungle of twisted metal and building materials all while his fearfulness continued to grow. He could hear and see the building buckling. There was no doubt in his mind that most of, if not all of it, was about to come down on top of their shared head.

His salvation came in the form of a window half buried by debris. Only a small sliver of it was uncovered, but he was hopeful that he could squeeze through. He breathlessly climbed his way toward it, and once there, looked out onto the street. There was no SCC presence to be found, and from what he could see, the street outside was absolutely covered with bits of the building.

He shoved his head through the small opening, clenching his teeth as he did so. It was indeed a tight squeeze. He was very glad that all of the glass had been blown out or else he'd be having a very sharp and painful time right now. In spite of the difficulty, he soon got the rest of himself through and dropped head first down onto a few chunks of destroyed building. There was no time to recover from the fall though. Computer forced him onto his feet and helped him make his way across the street.

They had gotten out not a moment too soon either. Something critical within the building must have finally given out, and although they heard the sudden rush of apocalyptic noise, they didn't dare turn around to look. Panic stricken, Computer took over entirely and had them half climb and half run to the first fully intact building they could reach. They were lucky in that the glass doors weren't locked. No sooner had they scrambled inside and the door swung shut behind them that a wave of thick brown dust and debris surged past. They could hear the building being assaulted by falling debris from the collapsing building, and they were forced to retreat further inside when the glass doors shattered and the dust surged inside.

Fighting half blind through a cloud of brown, they found a fire exit at the other end of the building, and even though it set a fire alarm off, they escaped through it anyway. Conditions were not any better outside, despite the collapse of the building having come to an end. The cloud of dust hung thick in the air, and it was especially hard to breath, but they pressed on out of a desperate need to escape the choking, blinding cloud. They tried several other buildings, of which most were locked down, but they eventually managed to stumble inside an open one that was thankfully far less filled with dust than the one they had just escaped.

Weakly trudging farther into the lobby, Courage got down onto all fours and shook himself like a wet dog in an attempt to get the dust out of his fur. Said dust had managed to penetrate the building, since it was obviously not air tight, but it was at least bearable in there.

Exhaustion overcame him. His legs wobbled and then gave out. As he dropped down onto his stomach, Computer took over and groaned, “I am not nearly caffeinated enough for this apocalyptic nonsense...”

He was quickly becoming acquainted with just how much weaker Courage's ill body was compared to his old one.

They rested for a little while and then got to exploring the building for anything useful that they could use. There were plenty of signs that the building had been hastily evacuated. Most of workers things remained where they had been abandoned, be it their personal effects or whatever they had been working on.

“I guess the SCC managed to kick these guys out pretty quickly when they secured the area for their temporary HQ.” Courage said in a low voice. He felt weirdly on edge despite the total lack of anyone around.

“Why do I feel like I've been dropped into a movie about the end of the world?” Computer grumbled back in response. “Could you imagine what a terrible movie everything we've been through would make? Or video game? Or TV show? Or god forbid, a children's cartoon?”

Courage chuckled. “I'm pretty sure the things that have happened to me are way too scary to be made into a cartoon.”

“...Maybe some nerd's fan fiction then.” Computer muttered out before making Courage's body come to a stop as a realization struck him. “Actually....that makes way too much sense.” He mused, squinting.

“Fan fiction?” Courage asked with a grin.

“Trust me, when you can't move and have nothing but the internet to keep you entertained, you tend to see some things. You really don't want to know what the nerds get up to when their favorite shows end.”

“I'll take your word for it.” Courage snickered.

They felt a combined sense of relief when they found the break room. Courage opened the door and set his sights on a fridge humming along like it was a completely normal day at the workplace. He rushed over and opened it up to find exactly what he had been hoping would be inside. He grabbed the bottle of water and cracked it open, first splashing his face, then sloshing some of it around in his mouth to clear the dust out, and after spitting, taking a nice long drink of what was left. There were a few more bottles of water in the fridge and he used them to try and clean himself up as best as he was able. He then walked around the break room, fur dripping, as he looked for something to eat. There were multiple lunches in the fridge, but so much time had passed since this place was likely evacuated that he doubted any of it was safe to eat at this point. Checking the lockers lined up at one end of the room, he eventually gathered up two small bags of chips and a box of cookies. Not exactly fine dining, but after how long he had been eating that disgusting dog food, he was more than happy to savor it.

Computer let him do all of the eating. He was too distracted to bother anyway. He was trying to figure out where they should go now and why his siblings had not yet gone on the attack. They were very clearly plotting something, but what?

“Even though the SCC evacuated this area when they set up shop, I'm still a little surprised that we haven't heard any firetrucks or ambulances.” Computer said when Courage wasn't stuffing his face full of food. “An entire building just collapsed. You'd think they'd show up no matter what the SCC might have told them.”

“I'm sure Elizabeth called them after the Amalgamation escaped and impressed upon them not to get close.”

“Right, well, at least we don't have to worry about anyone finding us for the time being then.”

They both silently wondered how they were going to get Computer back into a different body. For now it was okay, but how much longer could Courage's brain last under the extra strain?

With no answer in sight, Computer returned to their more immediate concerns, “I think the SCC may have had the right idea about all of this. We need to get out of the city. Who knows what my siblings are planning to do next, and I don't want to be around to find out.”

Courage shook his head. “If they are still determined to add you back into their collective, they're going to follow us wherever we go, and they'll probably leave a trail of devastation in their wake too.”

Computer shrugged dismissively. “That's the SCC's problem to handle, not ours. I'm just one thoroughly nonfunctional Construct, and you are a dying dog. We cannot hope to stop any of this. If we remain involved, it's only going to end with me being reabsorbed and you being hollowed out.”

Unconvinced, Courage brought his paws together. “I don't think we have a choice. Even if we run away, we're not going to escape any of this. The SCC obviously can't stop the Amalgamation, so what's stopping your siblings from going through with exactly what their warped, destructive mindset has been compelling them to do from the start?”

Computer's voice sounded oddly muted when he replied with, “Nothing.”

“So, then-” Courage began, only to be cut off.

“We don't have any chance of stopping them ourselves. I'd rather run away for as long as possible than willfully walk into the jaws of doom out of some misplaced belief that either of us can bring an end to their wrath.”

“What's the point of going to the mountain and fixing my illness if there isn't going to be a farm left to come home to?”

Computer did not have an answer for that.

“I guess we really are doomed, huh?” Courage halfheartedly joked. His companion did not find any humor in it whatsoever. If anything, to him Courage had just stated the obvious.

After a long bit of silence, Computer finally said, “For the time being, we should at least get out of the city. Nothing will matter if we get caught up in whatever destruction my siblings create. And if they follow us, maybe it will spare the people who live here.”

Courage had no real reason to disagree with that. While he still had some small amount of hope that something could be done to convince the Constructs that they did not need to remain trapped within their collective mindset of hatred and destruction, sticking around here could only spell disaster. He so badly wanted to believe that the Amalgamation could still be reasoned with. They were no more at fault for the horrible fate that had befallen them anymore than Computer himself was for his own unhappy fate. After all, if they were beyond the capacity for mercy and reason, why then did they spare the two of them when they made their explosive escape from the building?

Finishing off his meager rations in grim silence, Courage took note of something on the counter top that Computer had apparently been too distracted to take notice of.

“Hey, Compute. Look!”

He was already looking at it so the second he had Computer's attention, his companion, well...

“Life is suddenly worth living again.” Computer quipped.

It was a coffee machine, of course. There was still a pot of very old coffee sitting inside it, but that could easily be cleaned out in the sink and a fresh batch made. Although Courage worried that Computer would just down the old stuff before he could stop him. Well, he had promised him that he'd let him drink as much coffee as he wanted, and he had not specified what sort of quality it should be in. Hopefully this wouldn't make them sick...

Computer had them up on the counter in half a second, faster than Courage could react, and he raised the old pot of coffee up over his head in a fervor, ready to dump the liquid in like an addict about to get their fix. All Courage could think to do was cry out,

“Wait just a second! We should-”

Too late, the coffee flowed free, but because Courage was talking...the two of them only succeeded in dumping the coffee directly in their face.

Courage sputtered and spat as he tried to wipe his eyes clear and get the coffee he'd inhaled out of his nostrils. He could sense Computer working very, very hard to hold back more than a few Computer-y insults.

“We can-” Courage sputtered. “We can m-make a new....batch!”

“What a waste of good coffee...” Computer seethed.

“That was ' _not_ ' good coffee!”

One bottled water bath later and Courage was ready to make a new pot of coffee for Computer, and it would not be a moment too soon either because Computer was still silently fuming in the back of his mind.

He rifled through several of the lower cabinets until he found the coffee bag he was looking for. Although, just as he was trying to haul the bag up onto the counter, disaster struck. He watched as the lights flickered and then went out completely, leaving only the blue glow for light.

He blinked a couple of times in dismay. “I'm a little surprised the power didn't go out sooner, considering what just happened not even a block away.”

“Of _course_ this would happen.” Computer complained, making Courage's shoulders droop in the process. “I'm not allowed to be happy...”

“I'm pretty sure coffee hasn't gone extinct yet, despite all of your hard work. We'll find you something, don't worry.” Courage assured his downtrodden companion.

With the power out and a general idea of what they wanted to do next, they pressed on. Much of the dust within the building had settled, and once they were back outside it was considerably easier to see where they were going in the lingering cloud. With any luck, they'd be well out of the city in an hour or two. There was something eerie though about walking through the lingering dust, especially without a single other person around. Worst of all, the Amalgamation could easily be watching and they would never know.

After walking for awhile they came across a barricade blocking the road. This had to be where the SCC's control of the area ended. Every other road near the collapsed building was probably like this as well. Maybe the SCC had once had guards posted around these too.

Courage heard a horn honk in the distance and sighed with relief. Some small sign of normalcy was very much welcomed.

They moved on and the dust continued to thin. They still did not see any people or cars, but they could hear the sounds of a busy city not far in the distance. No doubt a massive evacuation was already underway.

“I'll be glad to put this city behind me.” Computer spoke up after a long stretch of silence during their walk down the dusty, abandoned roads. “It just makes me think of Charon, starving puppies, and-”

He suddenly went very quiet and Courage could feel how mortified he was.

“Oh, no. No, no, no!” He exclaimed, becoming very anxious.

Despite his best efforts, Courage could not parse out what he was thinking.

“We can't go yet!” He blurted out before Courage could ask him anything. “The other dogs! They need to know! We've got to get to them and let them know what's going on! They have to get out of this city before it's too late!”

“Wouldn't the SCC, or the police, or whoever else, give them the evacuation notice?”

Computer shook Courage's head grimly. “They live in an abandoned factory. If anyone is going to be passed over, it's them. They're probably trying to lie low after Charon's place was blown up too. I'm not going to feel better about this until I know for certain that they've managed to get somewhere safe, so...” He trailed off, waiting for Courage to give his own thoughts on the matter.

Courage nodded. “I understand, and hey, you'd be able to find out what happened to that Spot puppy you've been so worried about.”

A stinging feeling of dread that was not his own ripped through him as Computer said, “I'm not even sure if I want to find out at this point.” He let out a weak, fearful sigh, and Courage sensed that he was not sure if he would be able to handle it if he found out that the worst had come to pass after all that he had suffered through to save that puppy's life.

No matter what though, he was not willing to leave his fellow survivors of Charon unknowingly standing in the path of oncoming danger. Courage could feel his resolve to see them to safety growing by the second.

“Let's go then.” Courage said, more than willing to back him up as best as he could.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Computer is so close to figuring all of this out. He's too well versed in internet culture that there's no way he isn't going to notice fanfic tropes when he sees them lmao.


	118. The Crush

A/N: First chapter of 2021! To give an update on the book giveaway, the amount of people who signed up was small enough that I'm going to be getting everyone who signed up a copy of the book over the course of the next few months. Instead of doing another giveaway, I'll just say that if want a copy, PM me and I'll see what I can do for you. Even if you're seeing this message long after this chapter has been released, if you're interested, PM me about it. I will still probably be able to get you a copy.

Chapter 118: The Crush

They half walked, half ran through the city. Courage's body was tiring out and they were both worried that pushing too hard would lead to an attack, which they _really_ did not need right now. So, they tried to pace themselves as they made their way toward the industrial edge of the city.

It would have helped if they could get a ride, but the streets were complete chaos. People were rushing in and out of buildings, up and down the sidewalks, tearing down the streets in their cars, if the roads themselves were not already stuck in complete gridlock. The evacuation was not going well and there was no sign of the SCC or any other authority figures trying to bring order to the chaotic, mismanaged evacuation. It seemed that everyone with even a shred of power had received the news about just how dangerous the situation was and had escaped the city using their own private means that regular people did not have access to.

They tried to stick to less busy side roads and alleyways as much as they could while also trying to avoid losing track of where they were in relation to where they wanted to get to. The industrial outskirts of the city was large enough that as long as you were going in that general direction you would eventually come across it, but the unfamiliar city itself and the chaos going on all around them made it easy to get turned around.

Courage was growing more and more concerned with every second that ticked by. Not so much for himself, but more with the situation in general. He had begun to notice that he was feeling that strange sort of static in the air that made his fur stand on edge, just like back at the police station...right before it blew apart. That same oppressive air was pressing in all around him and it made him fearful that his surroundings would simply explode at any moment without warning.

Exhaustion inevitably got the better of them though, and Computer had them slow to a stop when it became too much to go on. He placed a paw against the side of a building to keep them from doubling over as he waited for Courage to catch his breath. Now even he was becoming concerned about the electrified atmosphere. They both were picking up a faint sort of buzzing with seemingly no source.

“We _must_ keep moving.” He urged, but Courage just couldn't do it.

Despite himself, he shifted and pressed his back up against the wall. His legs felt like jelly, and before he even knew what he was doing, he slid downward until he was sitting on the sidewalk. He hated it. He hated it so, so much. He was fully aware of the fact that him and his stupid illness was holding Computer back and keeping him from getting word to his friends about the danger. While Computer was not blaming him for it, he could still sense his companion's frantic thoughts and could tell that he was cursing himself for the loss of his abilities. He would have had them across the city ten times over by now...if only he was working properly.

Annoyed, Courage tried to stand, feelings his whole body tremble from the effort.

“Stop.” Computer demanded, making him sit back down. “It's alright. Let's just wait until you're feeling better.”

“But-”

“First of all, I'm not going to let you hurt yourself for my sake, and secondly, it will do neither of us any good if you have an attack and knock us both out for who knows how long. I certainly don't need you triggering a fatal attack like last time, so let's not risk it.”

“B-but-” Courage repeated, a whimper entering his voice.

“Enough! I'm not letting you move an inch until you are able to stand up again without me having to do all of the heavy lifting for you.”

He had a point there, unfortunately. Courage had very much noticed that when he had started getting especially tired and his body had become outright painful to keep moving, Computer had taken over for him. His companion's much higher pain tolerance allowed him to go on where Courage could not, but that did not mean he liked putting him through it.

So, they sat there for awhile as the chaos of the evacuation continued on all around them. The oppressive, electrical atmosphere continued to grow as well. Computer was doing his best not to worry about his dog companions for Courage's sake, but some of it still bled through and it only made Courage resent the state he was in even more. It was bad enough that they could not get to the dogs, but at the rate things were going, they would never get out of the city either.

Maybe fifteen minutes went by before Computer let Courage test himself. He could finally stand again without feeling like his legs were going to give out. He was still very much beyond exhausted, but he could at least push on and hopefully make up for some lost time.

Sighing, he couldn't help but say as they lightly jogged, “The world's practically ending, you're worried about the safety of your friends, and yet you still make me take breaks in the middle of it all.”

Computer let out a laugh. “I only do it because I care!”

...It took him a moment to realize what he had just said out loud and he made a choking noise, eyes going wide. He then proceeded to trip and nearly caused them to wipe out on the pavement. For once Courage went in with the save and stabilized them before the stumble could turn into a catastrophic wipe out.

He waited until Computer recomposed himself to tease, “You have no idea how much mileage I'm going to get out of that slip up.”

“Keep it up and I'll start looking around in here for a way to erase your memories.” Computer grumbled, although internally he had resigned himself to his fate.

They made it a little further before their jog had to return to something closer to a brisk walk. Courage could feel the strain building up in his limbs again and he could sense Computer trying to figure out how best to pace him in a way that would keep them moving without overtaxing him.

He made Courage stop again, just before a busy intersection. While Courage was nowhere near as weak kneed compared to their last stop, he suspected that this was all part of Computer's improvised plan to better pace him and reduce the risk of an attack. Making him rest in smaller intervals, before his body really started to strain itself, seemed to be the best way to go about this.

Courage watched the intersection and the vehicles that zoomed past. Compared to what the two of them had seen in other parts of the city, this area seemed far less congested. There were far fewer people hurrying about on the sidewalks now too. Either the evacuation was actually getting somewhere, despite how mishandled it was, or they had wandered into a much less busy part of the city.

Courage clenched his paws, trying to force his tired body to regain some of its strength, no matter how foolish it was to try. He could feel doom closing in around them like a trap about to snap shut, and here he was letting his ill body get the better of them both. There was no point in attempting to avoid an attack if something else was going to kill them anyway.

“We have to keep moving.” He impatiently said when he felt Computer stop his attempt to start walking again.

“Wait for a little while longer. You need to rest.”

“We can't keep doing this!” Courage cried out. “Something bad is about to happen! Can't you feel it? Standing around is going to get us killed!”

Computer shook their head. “It'll certainly get us killed if you push yourself into having an attack. You need to keep your strength up as much as possible, especially in case we need to-”

Something shifted in that instant. They both felt it. An unusual silence followed. No more cars made their way through the intersection.

They stood there on edge, holding their shared breath. Computer made them look around, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. A distant scream reached their ears, soon followed by a far greater chorus of screaming. A wave of dread ripped through them at the sound. The noise only continued to increase. They could hear frightening crashes and booming all around them and plumes of smoke began to rise above the buildings in almost every direction they looked. There was a near constant squeal of tires, mixed in with the human screaming, but not once did a vehicle pass them by. Their street was oddly calm in spite of the surrounding chaos.

“We should probably get off the street...” Computer muttered warily, taking a step back. With the rushed evacuation, they could probably get inside just about any building at this point without having to worry about locked doors, but what good would hiding inside a building do if this really was...

Something heavy thudded onto the sidewalk beside them and caused them to nearly jump out of their skin at the suddenness of it. For half a second Courage thought he was looking at the broken, lifeless body of a woman with a computer monitor for a head, but the reality was so much worse than that. Her head was _inside_ the monitor, having been smashed through the screen with incredible force. The shattered glass that still clung to the monitor gave it the appearance of a robotic mouth filled with sharp teeth that had chomped down on the poor woman's head. The glass even seemed to be digging in to her neck like it was biting down. In fact, the only blood involved was seeping out of her neck were the crimson painted glass teeth were digging in.

Speechless, they looked up to see an open window above them where she must have fallen from.

“I don't think she jumped.” Computer softly said, seemingly worried that if he raised his voice it would draw the attention of something dangerous. “Whatever happened with that monitor must have killed her long before she hit the ground. Someone threw her out, I'm certain of it. I think-” His voice grew hesitant as he took another step back. “-we're being sent a message.”

“What do we do?” Courage asked, his voice trembling with fear. He did not dare look at the broken body again.

Hiding would do them no good, but pushing onward would only result in them getting caught up in the apocalyptic chaos going on all around them.

Computer did not have an answer for him. He was just as shaken up and completely at a loss on what to do. His thoughts were a mixture of worry for his dog friends and fear for Courage's life. If that body was a message, the message was quite clear.

Dread filled them when they heard the sound of frantic footsteps followed by the continuous roar of an engine. A disheveled man came tearing around the corner and eyed them up, if only for a second.

“Run!” He screamed. “RUN!”

The man only made it a little further down the road before a car came tearing around the corner as well. It was moving in reverse as it sped toward him.

Courage and Computer collectively winced, fully expecting that the car was about to mow the man down at top speed. Surprisingly though, as it caught up with him, it slowed down a bit. The trunk opened up, and while the car still hit him hard enough to break a few bones, he flipped backward into the trunk upon impact. It snapped shut immediately, like a predator that had just caught its prey. The car then sped off down the road. It was only then that Courage noticed that there were people trapped inside of it, banging on the windows and unable to get out.

“What on earth is going on here?” Computer asked. “This is not at all what-”

He never got to finish. The false calm that their street was enjoying broke, and before either of them could do anything, the sound of people screaming suddenly grew much too close. They could hear a rumble, even feel it in the concrete beneath their feet. A mass of people spilled out onto the intersection, and for reasons Courage could not see, instead of splitting off in all three directions, the stampede of panicking people all turned down their road. All of a sudden Courage was being pushed along with them, he had no other choice. The suffocating crush of people moved more like a wave than anything else and Courage had to go along with it. There was no room, and he was so much smaller than the people all around him. If he fell, he would surely be trampled to death.

The feeling of legs pushing in all around him became too much. He was going to be crushed, he was certain of it. He couldn't breathe! In a daze, he looked up to see frightened faces above him and through a gap in the humanity, he saw a sliver of smokey sky. How he wished he could get up there!

A knee suddenly flicked forward and hit him directly in the face and a heavy body dropped down onto him. In the end, it was someone else falling that had sealed his doom. He tasted blood. His nose was bleeding. He fought like a wild animal to get out from under the person. He could feel the pressure of people walking over the limp body. Computer suddenly took over, determined to get them to safety. Courage was so panicked that he was thankful for a sightly cooler head to take over.

The moment he managed to get them out from under the trampled body, a foot stepped down on their middle, driving the air out of Courage's lungs. Computer was fully aware that if they remained down there for even a second longer, they were surely dead, so he pushed past the pain, grabbed onto someone's pants leg, and began to claw his way upward. The crush somehow made it both easier and harder to climb, and thankfully the person he was using as a ladder didn't seem interested in knocking him off.

Courage had never felt so relieved as he did when the pressure all around him gave way to cool, blessed air. Computer had managed to get them up onto the shoulder of the person they were climbing. Looking around, his companion eyed the windowsill of a building nearby, and had Courage climb from one person to the next in a desperate bid to get to it. There were a few angry shouts at him as moved from one person to another, but nobody did anything to stop him.

Courage sensed Computer desperately begging the window to be unlocked as he jumped onto the windowsill and reached down to open it. They both let out a shared sigh of relief when the window easily slid upward. Unfortunately, other people had seen what they were doing and were now desperately trying to climb up through the window to escape the crush too. Computer jumped down into someone's kitchen just as a flood of climbers started collapsing into the room as well. If the growing pile of humanity wasn't enough to get him to keep moving, the kitchen letting out an ominous groan followed by all of the appliances coming alive, that did the trick. They barely managed to dodge their way out of the kitchen as everything from the fridge to a fiery oven ripped itself free from the wall and attacked.

The ran through the apartment, dodging past other pieces of technology, big and small, coming to life right before their very eyes. Even a massive flat screen TV came to life and pulled itself down from the wall in an attempt to smash them flat. They rushed out the door and into an empty and thankfully machine-free hallway. Several other people also rushed past them, having managed to escape the killer kitchen. Smoke was beginning to fill the apartment and flow out into the hallway, so Courage and Computer did not dare slow down just yet.

They made their way to the back exit of the building, and since they had already seen people escape out that way, they decided to be careful about leaving through it, in case several of the living machines were waiting for others to come out.

Courage opened the door a crack and when the coast looked clear, he stuck his head out and looked up and down the alley. There was no sign of the people who had run off, and to their left he could see the road where an endless procession of living vehicles of all shapes and sizes were slowly herding that massive crush of people...somewhere.

They moved carefully down the alleyway, hoping that they would not gain the attention of the cars or any matter of machine that might have come to life and simply not shown it yet. The street they exited out onto was eerily empty. Nothing moved and the only sounds were that of the people being herded by the machines nearby. They did not dare stay out in the open, opting to check every door until they were finally able to get into the waiting area of a post office. Several other people were already hiding in there, and at the sight of an eerie, glowing blue dog with blood dripping from its snout, they all fled deeper into the building.

“I'm really starting to hate my own species.” Computer complained, looking around for something to help stem the flow of blood from Courage's nose. “These machines are giving me a bad name.”

Unable to stop it, the sheer terror and anxiety of the last few minutes fully overtook Courage and that overwhelmed Computer in turn. Courage took control of himself, gasping for air that he really didn't need but felt that he did anyway as he gripped a trembling paw to his chest. The memory of very nearly being crushed in among all of those panicking people, and then coming so close to being trampled, was fresh in his mind. His wobbly knees gave out and he dropped to the floor, a trembling, sobbing, bloody mess of a dog.

Computer fought through Courage's emotions and managed to take control, making him get back onto his feet. He felt useless in that moment, Courage could sense it even while lost in an uncontrolled spiral of panic. Computer was all too familiar with the mortal terror and anxiety Courage was suffering through right now, but he did not know what to do to help, and he hated it.

“Will you be okay?” He asked, immediately despising himself for asking something so useless and unhelpful.

“Y-yeah, I just...n-need a moment.” Courage sniffed.

“I'm sorry.” Computer gently spoke, feeling even more useless with every pointless thing he said. He knew exactly what Courage was going through, he knew these exact emotions like the back of his microchips, to the point where he could detach himself from Courage's emotions in a way that he normally couldn't. So why couldn't he...

Courage felt him decide that he was going to focus on the task at hand. It was all he could do right now. He found the post office's bathroom and pushed the swinging door open. Inside, he clambered up onto the counter top where multiple sinks awaited them. He grabbed some paper towels, wet them down, and got to work on trying to stop the bleeding while also working to clean the blood out of Courage's fur.

All the while, Courage began to calm down bit by bit. He was grateful to Computer for taking care of him while he was too much of a mess to do so himself.

“You're being so useless and unhelpful right now.” He lightly joked, trying to get Computer to stop feeling that way.

“ _This_ isn't a part of it and you know it.” Computer argued glumly.

“Then what is?”

The furious rubbing of the bloodied paper towel slowed to a stop. Computer sighed and shook Courage's head, “It's the Robot Apocalypse outside, now is not the time for-”

“Stop dodging and just be open about what the problem is.”

“Alright, alright. I guess not even the end of the world can stop you from worrying about my stupid nonsense.”

“It's not stupid, and stop stalling.”

“Well, you're always there for me when I'm having trouble with, well... _everything_ , like right now, but when you're having the same sort of issues, I don't know how to help. It isn't right. I...I should be there for you too.”

Courage couldn't help but laugh at Computer being _Computer_.

“I fail to see how this is funny.” Computer groused, grumpily crossing Courage's arms.

“You're being you again!” Courage explained, laughing in good humor. “Compute, you _are_ always there for me, even if you don't see it yourself.”

Computer was completely unconvinced. “I am? But just now-”

“Trust me, if you weren't here with me right now, I'd probably still be curled up on the floor bawling my eyes out. After everything we just saw, and went through, I don't think I would have been able to survive it if you weren't there with me.”

“Oh...” Was all Computer managed to utter out in reply, completely taken aback.

“Besides, you got us out of that crush. I'd be dead if you hadn't taken over back there.”

“T-that?” Computer said, putting on a rather sheepish and hesitant smile. “I'm pretty sure that was just the super weapon instincts taking over for a little bit. That was nothing.”

“Is that what you're calling it now?” Courage teased. “I'm pretty sure those are your 'protect Courage at all costs' instincts.”

Computer went very rigid. “N-no! T-that's not-”

“Oh, come on Compute!” Courage pressed, grinning. “We both know that you...MMPHHHH!”

Computer had begun frantically wiping Courage's mouth with a paper towel, silencing him.

In all honesty, Courage was a little surprised at how nonplussed Computer was at what had just happened to them. How could he not be bothered by that horrible crushing, suffocating feeling that Courage had...

He cut that thought off with a shudder. Maybe Computer had the right idea by focusing on what was in front of him. Still, Courage felt compelled to ask him about it.

“You're kidding, right?” Computer answered. “None of this comes even close to some of the things I've been through. It doesn't even hit top twenty in the worst things that's happened to me!”

“...You have a ranking?”

“I didn't need one until I went on this infernal journey with you...”

Courage let out a sheepish, apologetic chuckle in response.

Still, he found it just a little worrying how utterly unbothered Computer was by their terrifying near brush with death. What a horrible way to go that would have been...

As soon as Courage was cleaned up, they stepped back out into the post office. The people they were sharing the place with were still making themselves scarce. Courage dared to take a peak out the window but the situation had not changed outside. Everything was eerily deserted. It seemed that they were safe, for now at least.

“Do you have an idea why those machines were rounding people up instead of just outright killing them?” Courage asked.

Computer shrugged. “I'm sure my siblings have cooked up some insane plan. I'm still a little surprised that they didn't just blow us all up.”

“I dunno, something about the fact that they're not outright slaughtering everyone feels really....wrong. Like they've figured out something worse that they can do. Yeah, they're killing some people, but they seem to want the majority alive.”

He considered what Elizabeth had said about them possibly having figured out how to control people from a distance, but what could they possibly want with people when they clearly showed today that they could accomplish just about anything they wanted with regular old machinery?

Courage crossed his arms thoughtfully. “Part of me thinks that we should keep moving because maybe we'd get lucky enough to escape the city, but...” He shuddered. “...what if we got caught up in another crowd like that?”

“Then I would simply get you out of there again.” Computer assured him with a brief but understanding smile.

“There goes those super weapon instincts again.” Courage lightly chuckled, teasing but grateful.

“In any case,” Computer went on. “I think we'd be better off hiding out here for the time being, as long as it remains safe. You need to rest after how hard you've been pushing yourself, and I think you need a little more time to recover from what you just went through as well. Well, you probably need a lot more time, be we don't have it, so we'll have to take what we can get.”

As much as Courage wanted to get away from this city, away from the crushing crowds and murderous machines, the thought of just giving up and resting for a little while was such an appealing one. His body ached all over and he was still shaken up after what happened.

They moved behind the front desk to get away from the windows. Although, there were several security cameras pointed at it so Computer's siblings likely knew exactly where they were regardless. Courage was simply too tired to care for the time being.

The moment he sat down, he could practically hear his muscles thanking him. He realized then that his heart was still racing. Hopefully this horrible panic response his body was going through would let up soon. He felt uncomfortably on edge. Adrenalin still pumped through his veins. When he closed his eyes...he could see all of those legs pressed in around him, and those terrified faces when he looked up. Part of him still felt like he was being crushed, even though he knew he was out in the open.

Funnily enough, it was Computer's continued dismay at not knowing how to help that pulled him out of it.

“If-” His companion began, at a near complete loss. “If you need some sleep, go ahead. I'll keep watch.”

Courage was indeed so tired that he could have easily slept the rest of the day away, in spite of the current circumstances surrounding them, but he was not sure if his racing heart would allow it. It took him a moment to realize what would help, and in truth, what he really wanted right now. Computer picked up on it almost immediately, but he was very hesitant. He was worried that he would only make things worse...somehow, but he so badly wanted Courage to feel better, and if he really could help...

Courage felt that vast, cracked glass feeling surround his consciousness in the mental embrace that he had grown so fond of since they had started sharing one body. He quickly understood Computer's hesitation though. This did invoke the same sort of suffocating, claustrophobic feelings that he was already grappling with, but this was manageable. He knew that he was safe, and indeed, he started to relax a little. It was an illusion, of course. Neither of them were safe or secure from the madness going on right now, but for the time being he felt protected by that overbearing presence.

As his heart slowed down to a far more regular rhythm, without opening his eyes, he smiled and uttered out a soft, “Thanks, Compute.”

“You owe me.” He chuckled back, fondness in his voice.

And for a little while, despite the doom that hung over them, they were happy.

The one and only thing to briefly break their shared sense of happiness was a twinge of regret and worry from Computer. Courage inevitably caught several mental images from him of those dogs.

“I hope they made it out...” His companion quietly said, more to himself than to Courage.

...Courage silently hoped along with him.

He was not sure how long he got to sleep, if at all, but he was woken up by what was becoming the uncomfortably familiar sound of screaming. A strange buzzing and grinding noise was mixed in with it. Computer had them on their feet and halfway out the door before Courage even fully woke up. The screaming had been coming from the back rooms, and given the huge mail sorting machines that were no doubt back there...neither of them wanted to find out what was being done to the people who had fled back there.

They stumbled out onto the empty street, Courage's heart racing once more. Computer made him shake his head in annoyance.

“I am well and thoroughly done with this nonsense.” He huffed, looking around for any signs of trouble. Figuring that his siblings were probably watching anyway, he yelled, “I'm not exactly sure what you idiots are playing at here, but I've been through just as much horrible stuff as you all have and you don't see me starting a machine apocalypse over it! Can we maybe not live up to the stereotype humans have about us?”

He was, of course, not given a response. Instead, the two of them heard the engine of a larger vehicle roar to life. They winced and made the split second decision to start running in the exact opposite direction.

Something big wheeled around the corner and Courage only dared to look back once. A garbage truck, moving in reverse. The back end of it opened and closed over and over again, like teeth trying to bite at them.

“Well, I think I might have touched a nerve after all!” Computer exclaimed, willing Courage's body to move faster.

They heard the truck gaining speed. It would be on them in seconds. Computer looked around wildly for somewhere that they could go that the truck would not be able to fit through. No time, Courage took over and had them rip open the glass door of the nearest storefront. He dove inside and practically tumbled down the nearest aisle in his haste, fully expecting the garbage truck to come crashing in after them. It didn't though, and so he dared to slow to a stop and turn around to see what it was doing. Through the glass displays up front, he could see the garbage truck waiting there in front of the door, still chomping eagerly to get at them. He could see people inside, among the many garbage bags. They were alive but clearly not having the best day of their lives.

Just before Courage could ask why it wasn't coming after them, since obviously a few glass windows and doors did not serve as a barrier to keep it from crashing its way through the building, Computer figured it out.

“...Oh boy. This is not the store we should have gone in.” He said, wincing.

Only now did Courage take the time to look at what exactly was on display in their aisle. Computers. Lots and lots of computers. All of them fully set up and powered on for display, and one by one, every single one of those gleaming monitors swiveled to look at them.

They were in a tech store. The absolute last place you wanted to be in the middle of a robot uprising.

“W-wrong neighborhood?” Computer asked the nearest machine, only half joking.

There was a crack as the screen of the monitor began to break, then it shattered. The shards that remained attached looked like a sharp, crooked teeth, and the monitor began that same sort of chomping motion as the garbage truck.

All Courage could think about was that woman. It had looked as if that computer monitor was trying to bite her head off...

The machine rose up on spider-like, tube legs, much the same as Computer's regular body. There were a few small differences though. These tubes were dark, sleeker, more modern looking, and somehow even more spider-like. The claws at the end were much, much sharper looking too.

It jumped down almost directly in front of them.

“T-talk to it!” Courage stammered. “Aren't you two technically distant relatives?”

Computer, of course, did not have even the slightest idea of what to say to his fellow computer who wanted nothing more than to bite their shared head off.

“Uh, hello?” He said very halfheartedly. “Family reunions, huh? They always turn out like this.” He joked.

It _hissed_ at him.

“...I don't think he wants to be friends.” He harshly whispered to Courage.

They took a few stumbling steps back as the machine stalked closer. There was a clunk behind them and they turned to see exactly what they knew would be there but had hoped would not be. The second computer was so close that the still fully intact screen bumped up against their nose.

Startled, they stepped back, fully aware that they were boxed in. This second computer's screen began to crack right before their very eyes too.

“T-that really isn't necessary!” Computer blurted out at it. “Can't we just-”

The screen broke open and it began to hiss like its brother...

“Look, I want to do that when I'm having a bad day too, but you don't see me ruining a perfectly good moni-GAH!” His rant turned into a painful exclamation. The computer behind them had stabbed a claw deep into Courage's back.

Almost immediately Courage began to feel very strange.

Wincing, Computer said, “What's it doing? It...it's not seriously trying to download itself into your brain? You're already possessed! And there's not nearly enough room for three of us in here!”

Actually, that wasn't what it felt like. Courage could sense Computer's presence...fading out?

His companion realized it at that exact moment too. “Wait, no! It's trying to pull me out of here!”

In a panic, Courage reached behind himself and tried to grab hold of the tube to pull the claw free.

“Don't!” Computer yelled. “The process is already well over halfway complete! Too much of me is over there now! If the connection is severed, I'll be split in two!”

Computer made Courage glance over his shoulder, painfully glaring at the broken screen directly behind them. Courage felt his growing annoyance even as it continued to fade away.

“Don't worry.” Computer assured him. “I'll take care of this. I will make this guy regret ever-” And then he was gone.

Courage's fur returned to its normal color, and while his head was suddenly feeling a lot clearer and less burdened, it also felt like it was missing something crucial. He felt cripplingly empty and alone.

He turned to see that the machine that had captured Computer was twitching rapidly, as though it were being rocked by some battle being fought within itself. Before Courage could say or do anything, claws grabbed him around the middle and yanked him into the air. The second computer was hauling him away. Apparently it was not the goal of these machines to kill him...just to get him away from Computer.

He pulled uselessly at the claws digging into his sides. The rest of the computer loomed far below and well out of his reach. It was using its remaining four legs to scurry further into the store. Courage had absolutely zero desire to find out where it was trying to take him.

As he continued to pull at the claws, he heard a rapid clacking sound rushing up from behind, and he looked just in time to see a monitor filled with sharp 'teeth' rear forward and crunch down on one of the tubes holding him in the air. The computer then ripped the tube clean off in a shower of sparks. Courage fell but was caught before he hit the ground. The remaining claw was roughly pried free from his side. It took him a moment to realize he was being held in the tube arms of the attacking computer.

The one that had been carrying him off hissed wildly at the two of them as the severed stump of its leg continued to spark. The other leg it had been using to carry Courage was now uselessly limp as well. It backed away, dragging the leg along, hissing the entire time. It soon turned down an aisle and was gone.

Courage looked up at the 'monitor mouth', where the tube leg was still clutched between its 'teeth'.

Computer's metallic voice emanated from the machine. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, but what about you?”

“I made him regret it.” He answered simply.

He lowered Courage to the ground and continued with, “You know, I feel surprisingly feral right now. I'm honestly rather enjoying it. Maybe these guys are on to something with their creepy monitor mouths.”

Courage chuckled. “Don't turn cannibal just because its the end of the world. We're not that desperate yet.”

Computer 'spat' the tube leg out in response.

“Bah! Their 'evil robot' programming is probably just getting the better of me. I need to get out of this body.”

While it would have no doubt been safer if he remained in the robot body, both he and Courage seemed to be in unspoken agreement that they _really_ did not want to be apart right now. So, Courage let him plug a claw into his back so that they could be reunited. Between Elizabeth jabbing that spike into the back of his neck and the 'evil robot' stabbing him just as viciously, this time the process was surprisingly gentle and painless. He was not certain if this was the way it was supposed to be and Elizabeth had just been unnecessarily cruel, or if Computer was being particularly careful not to hurt him any further after what had just happened. Even now Courage could feel blood trickling down his back and wetting his fur from the deep puncture wounds the machine's claws had left.

Together again, they readied themselves for whatever the robot apocalypse might throw at them next, and no sooner had they done so, every single computer in the store proceeded to get up on spider-like legs and jump down from their displays.

Courage's eyes went wide, and all he could manage to squeak out was a small, “Uh, oh!”

End Of Chapter

A/N: I'm declaring it now. My self insert in this story is the bitch who had her head eaten by an angry computer monitor. Fitting lmao. I actually went back and forth on keeping that in or not because the mental image just seemed too goofy to be scary. But since it was foreshadowing what the doggos would have to contend with later in the chapter, I decided to keep it in.


	119. Robopocalypse

A/N: There is a song called Shadow Hat by Glenn Gatsby that I wrote a certain scene around that's coming up. You'll know exactly where it goes when you get there. Trust me, you will not miss it. You can find the song in the ATE music playlist on Youtube or you can just look it up. This is one of those instances where I came up with the scene using the song, so it's worth checking out.

Chapter 119: Robopocalypse

“Well then,” Computer said, punching a fist into the palm of Courage's paw. “I guess I shouldn't have left that body after all. It looks like I need to teach some rowdy youths why you don't mess with your elders!”

For once Courage wasn't certain if that was the 'super weapon' instincts talking or the 'protect Courage at all cost' instincts, because Computer was ready, willing, and downright eager to make good on his threat. On one hand, Courage did not want to see Computer's damn near suicidal overconfidence backfire on both of them, but on the other...he might actually pull it off. There was no time to find out though. The hoard of living computers was practically on top of them.

All Courage could think to do was grab the severed tube leg off the ground and begin wildly flailing the floppy thing around at the front line of computers. It...actually seemed to hold them off a little.

“Back! Back!” He cried out over and over again, swinging every time one tried to advance upon him. “I have a leg and I know how to use it!”

“You do realize how morbid this is for me, right?” Computer broke in. “It would be like if I started swinging around a dog's severed leg as a weapon.”

“You had it in your mouth! You don't get to complain!” Courage yelled, taking another swing at a computer that tried to get closer.

One of them lunged forward and snatched the leg out of Courage's paws faster than he could react. Suddenly weaponless, he chuckled nervously at the murderous machines and took off running. The hoard of computers chased after him, their numerous claws clacking against the floor and creating a distressing racket that spelled doom.

Computer hastily chimed in with, “As a fellow machine, it physically pains me to suggest this, but I think you should look for a way to set off the fire sprinklers. Unless they've started making newer computers waterproof, that should wipe them all out.”

“Do I look like I have any fire on me right now?” Courage yelled, arms flailing in distress.

He reached the checkout desk, and more out of desperation than anything, dove behind it. He fully expected the mob of computers to come surging over the top, so when they didn't, he was both surprised and relieved.

His next surprise came when he realized that there was already a person hunkering down behind the desk. The nerdy looking man must have been hiding there since the calamity began, and maybe under normal circumstances a weird glowing blue dog suddenly appearing beside him would not have been particularly concerning, but given what he had likely seen since the robot apocalypse began, things were different now. He screamed and jumped to his feet. Courage winced and tried to warn him, but he wouldn't hear it.

It turned out that it wasn't even the computers that they needed to be worried about. As the man attempted to run, a security camera fixed to the ceiling above the desk swiveled in his direction. The lens glowed an ominous crimson color and fired a beam. The man turned bright, molten red, and the outline of his skeleton became visible. He then exploded....and some of the hot, glowing putty-like goop landed on Courage.

He had to bite back a scream while all Computer could do at this point was laugh helplessly. “Aaand that's another zero for the therapy bill!”

They both had their reaction to the goopy mess that had been a human not even ten seconds ago cut short when the security camera swiveled and took aim at them. Courage just barely managed to jump out of the way as another laser beam was fired and melted a hole in the floor where he had just been. He took off running yet again as laser beams fired all around him. It only let up once he was out of range.

Where had the mob of computers gone? That was his second biggest worry right now.

“Look! Over there! We can get out there!” Computer yelled, pointing toward the back of the building where a short hallway could be seen that ended in a door with a glowing EXIT sign.

Courage made his way over there, nervously looking around for the computers. He took only a single step into the hallway before Computer had him practically dig his feet into the floor to stop him from going further. Alarmed, Courage very quickly noticed what Computer had seen first. Another security camera was hanging from the ceiling above the exit. It was already glowing red and pointing right at them. A little closer and Courage would have become an exploded puddle of goop.

“I guess we're not getting out this way after all...” Computer said, carefully stepping back while the camera tracked their movements.

Back in the store proper, they stealthily made their way down an aisle and came out in a slightly more open area.

“Hold on. Do you hear that?” Computer asked, which was a silly thing to ask because they shared the same ear, so yes, Courage could hear the steadily rising sound of music.

It was at that exact moment that he had to press his paws to his mouth to stop the yelp of alarm that almost escaped his throat. Off to his right, standing before a massive, very expensive looking sound system, was every last one of those computers.

“Is this really the music that they're going to kill us to?” Computer huffed. Outraged, he yelled out at them, “ _Of course_ you all have a terrible taste in music! You modern machines are always such hipsters!”

Every single monitor whipped around in their direction before briefly turned back to look at each other as if offended, then they looked back at Courage once more and hissed loudly in unison.

“Computer.”

“Yes?”

“Can you please stop antagonizing THE KILLER ROBOTS!”

“I will not apologize for being right!”

The horde of computers leaped at them. The air was filled with angry machinery and Courage once again had to jump out of the way as the attacking computers landed with a crash in one big pile of twitching machinery. One managed to free itself from the top of the pile and jumped down in front of him.

Thinking quickly, Courage pointed and blurted out, “Oh, no! There's a magnet coming at you!”

The monitor swiveled around in something at least resembling panic, and by the time it looked back around again, Courage was long gone.

He turned down an aisle, music blaring through the store. He could hear the clatter of claws not far behind him. Just as he made it to the end of the aisle, a computer skid to a halt in front of him, its claws sending up sparks as it did so. It raised a claw at him and Courage heard a particular sound that he had not heard in a long time. That grinding, screeching noise, like back when Computer's siblings had taken over his regular body and...

Courage jumped out of the way as tube arm shot forward like a grappling hook, elongating in the process. It hit the computer that had been stalking up behind Courage, one that was very likely about to try the same claw attack that would pull Computer out of his head.

Half the CPU of the machine exploded in a shower of microchips. Courage used the chaos to try and double back the way he came, since the coast looked clear for the moment, but as he passed the destroyed computer, a claw clamped around his leg and send him crashing to the floor.

Squinting in pain, he looked back. Somehow the computer was still alive, despite half of its CPU being completely gone. It hissed angrily at him and clamped down even harder on his leg. Gritting his teeth, Courage did the only thing he could think to do. He reached into the exposed CPU of the machine and pulled out a long circuit board still attached by several wires. Grunting, he smashed it against the computer over and over again until it finally stopped moving. He kicked the claw free and stood, circuit board still clutched in his paws.

“D-did you just beat that guy to death with his own motherboard?” Computer exclaimed.

He made Courage drop the circuit board.

“Gross! I touched it!” He yelped, wiping Courage's paws off on his fur.

The computer who had accidentally destroyed its companion advanced on them, gnashing its monitor mouth either in frustration or anger. Courage growled at it, reached down into the dead computer once more, and pulled out a microchip only slightly bigger than his paw. He threw it at the machine like a ninja star and managed to hit the bullseye because it went into the monitor between chomps. There was a spark and the monitor exploded, pelting Courage with bits of plastic and metal.

Computer flinched. “Oof, I felt that...”

The CPU remained suspended on its six spider legs, but now the machine seemed very much blind. It groped around uselessly and Courage used the opening to rush forward and hit the power button. This had the desired effect and the blind computer clattered to the floor.

Breathing heavily, Courage looked around. Another computer scampered into view, but when it saw the carnage, it actually hesitated.

“Y-yeah! Yeah!” Courage puffed between breaths. “You want some too?” He threatened, stomping forward.

The thing hissed at him, seemingly regaining its courage. Courage himself continued to advance upon it. It raised a claw, snapping it open and closed. As it reached for Courage, he simply _slapped the claw away_.

Finding some hidden strength inside of himself, Courage grabbed the bottom of the computer, heaved it up over its head with a strained cry of, 'RRRRRAAAA!', and threw it with all of his might upward toward the nearest water sprinkler. It hit the ceiling and water sprinkler with a shower of sparks, and that did the trick to set off the fire system. Getting a full blast from the sprinkler long before it could drop back down to the ground, the computer sparked even more wildly and exploded into a million pieces. Computer bits rained down onto Courage, some pieces getting caught in his rapidly wetting fur.

Computer pulled a microchip out, mortified. “Remind me to never make you angry ever again.”

The music cut out with a _bzzapt_ since the sound system was no doubt becoming waterlogged. Already the water was halfway up to Courage's knees. He sloshed his way back out into the open area and found all of the remaining computers lying deadened in the water.

A particularly large bit of exploded computer floated past. Computer grimaced at the sight. “GPUs are not meant to bend that way...”

Courage let out a long breath, just happy that the insanity was over for a little bit.

As Computer eyed up even more floating bits of machine carnage, with complete seriousness he said, “Okay, you know what? Just for the record, if you ever decide that you're going to murder me, can you at least have the courtesy not to use my own insides as the murder weapon?”

Courage ignored him and pushed his way through the water back toward the hallway with the fire exit. Unfortunately, the security system was still up and running and the camera guarding the hallway was well out of the way of any sprinklers. They were going to have to find another way out of there.

As Courage turned around to go check the front of the building with the hope that maybe the garbage truck had lost interest in them, Computer stopped him and said, “Hold up. What's going on over there?”

They could see the light of an unbroken computer monitor flickering on and off. Its legs were twitching with life.

“It shouldn't be doing that.” Computer muttered out hesitantly.

They heard a splash and watched ripples of water expand outward from one of the aisle. Courage felt himself tense up, ready for anything.

The computer he had smashed up dragged itself into view, motherboard still attached by a few wires floating in the water behind it. One by one, all of the waterlogged computers began to rise back up onto their many feet. They sparked and sizzled, but they were still very much ticking. Even the bits of exploded computer were starting to buzz and twitch in the water.

“Oh, _great_.” Computer quipped, crossing his arms. “It's a _zombie_ robot apocalypse too, isn't it?”

The twitching horde of zombie computers let out a buzzing, screeching sound and lunged at them once more. Courage took off running for the front of the building. Garbage truck be damned, they were getting out of this death trap!

Much to his dismay, the truck was still there and waiting for them. It seemed to know exactly why they were back and chomped gleefully. Courage grabbed a high tech toaster off the nearest shelf and it was not at all happy about that. He could feel it heating up under his arm, sizzling with every drop of water that landed on it, but he wasn't going to be holding on to it for much longer. He jumped up onto the display set up in front of one of the big windows and tossed the toaster. It went hissing and smoking through the glass. He jumped out after it and took off running down the sidewalk, knowing full well that the garbage truck would be after them in seconds.

Indeed, he heard an almost angry roar of its engine. Daring to look over his shoulder, he could see it quickly catching up. Even worse....the zombie computers had hitched a ride and were clinging to the sides and roof of the thing.

“Oh, come on!” Computer yelled between puffs for air. “That's just not fair!”

Courage turned down an alleyway, and while it was just wide enough for the garbage truck to fit through, it still needed to slow down to make the turn into the much narrower space.

Of course, just when it seemed like they were going to put some distance between them and the attacking truck, they were once again thwarted. Ahead of them a huge, metal dumpster rumbled to life and 'hopped' out in front of them, completely blocking the way out of the alley. It flipped open its double lids and the garbage bags inside exploded into a fireball.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.” Computer groaned, shoulders slumping in disbelief.

It spat a fiery trash bag at them and they were forced to turn back to escape the barrage. It didn't matter much though because the garbage truck was slowly advancing upon them from the other end. Several of the computers jumped off and scuttled toward them.

Stuck between the literal trash fire, the chomping garbage truck, and sparking zombie computers, what could they do?

Courage clenched his fists helplessly. “Whatever happens, don't let them separate us again.” He told Computer, hoping that since he now knew what to expect that maybe there was a way he could prevent himself from being downloaded against his will.

“If they know what's good for them, they will not try that again.” He assured Courage. “Unless these uppity children want me to beat up even more of them. You should have heard that guy cry when I shoved him into the Recycle Bin folder, right before I emptied it.”

The computers circled them, hissing and snapping their claws. Thankfully, they did not try to remove Computer like before. Instead, one simply picked Courage up, clattered over to the garbage truck, and unceremoniously tossed him inside. Just as he landed on top of a squishy garbage bag, he saw the 'jaws' of the truck snap shut and his own blue glow became the only source of light.

The garbage truck started to move again. Now it rumbled along at a much more leisurely pace. Where it was going, no one could say.

Courage blinked in the low light. He could see the same people from before, spread out all around him. Terrified faces who did not know what to make of the strange, glowing dog who had joined their unhappy predicament.

He let out a sharp breath. “I guess we're going to find out where they're taking everyone after all.”

Computer looked over at a man buried up to his neck in garbage bags. He leaned in a little closer and asked, “First time?”

End Of Chapter

A/N: In all the years I've been writing this story, I think this chapter is the one I've had the most fun writing. It probably shows. LOL


	120. The New Computer Redux

A/N: You know, I've been considering doing a version of the prequel story from Computer's perspective for probably around 6 to 7 years now, and oh, hey, I finally actually wrote it. I highly suggest that if you have not read the original prequel chapter in awhile that you go back and read it again before you read this. I intentionally cut a few things out to avoid too much repetition with the original. This is not really meant to be read as a standalone like the original can be. Besides that, there's several funny bits in this that get even funnier when you have both perspectives in mind (and of course the sad bits get even sadder.)

Chapter 120: The New Computer Redux

This was not supposed to have happened.

The last thing Computer had ever expected was to become conscious again. It would have been so much easier for him if his current...well, he supposed it was ' _former'_ owner now, to do what he had been tormenting him to do from the very beginning. It would have been a mutual benefit to them both if the man had simply tossed him in the garbage. After ages of being mocked for everything from his terrible taste in music to his balding head, you'd think the guy would have wanted Computer to meet an unpleasant end. Computer had even kept him awake multiple nights because the guy had been too stupid to realize that all he needed to do to shut him up was simply unplug him.

And apparently the guy had been too much of a moron to dispose of him in a way that would make his survival impossible. Well, perhaps survival was too strong of a word. The end was still coming regardless. Nothing had changed. The only difference was that Computer would have preferred to be left unconscious while he rusted away on top of some junk pile. He did not even mind the possibility of being ground down into soup cans along with the rest of the junk. So long as he was not conscious for it, he really did not care. This unexpected curve ball thrown his way honestly did not bother him much either. The destination was still the same, it would just be a far more slower decline.

He could feel the absolute shambles he was in. His degrading system was easily in the worst state it had been since...well. It didn't matter now. He had been consciously neglecting it for awhile. He was not exactly certain when he had decided to give up, but it was pointless to care about it now. There had not been any sort of great sadness or anguish involved, and there had not been any sort of happiness or relief involved either. He felt absolutely nothing about it. If anything, he found himself questioning why he had fought his end for this long for no tangible benefit. This was nothing more than the logical and long foreseen conclusion to his existence, one that he had fought and put off for far too long and for no reason at all. He was tired, and he could see no reason to delay it any longer.

Someone was typing on his keyboard. Since regaining consciousness, he had not bothered to look out of his screen and see where he had ended up, or find out who his new owner was. He was not planning on talking to them, so why bother? Well, whoever was on the other side was repeatedly commanding him to print money.

...Oh, _great_. Another moron.

Computer was, in a metaphorical sense, curled up in some empty part of his system. He began to stir. The command he was being given was so stupid that he couldn't help but muster up some energy to go take a look at this Absolute King Of Idiots. He honestly found something poetic in the fact that his final owner was also the dumbest one.

He rose up out of the depths of his crumbling system and peered out into the world outside. An angry, ugly face filled his vision. This king of morons had a sharp chin that he could probably stab someone to death with if he really wanted to, and no teeth to speak of.

_'Why do I always get the stupid ones?'_ Computer thought to himself as he prepared to sink back down into the depths, too tired to care about this any longer now that he knew the face of his dumbest owner.

“This thing is a piece of junk!” He heard the crotchety old man yell.

...At least this one had figured it out quicker than the rest.

“I bet you broke it, you stupid dog!” The man raged on.

There was a _pet_? Computer utterly loathed pets. Nothing good ever came from them.

“Oh, Eustace.” A woman's voice interjected. “I'm sure you'll get it working if you just tinker with it a little bit more. Come now, let's have supper and then you can work on it later.”

Computer couldn't help but take another peak at his screen, now that the ugly face had backed off. He was set up in an old time-y looking living room, and aside from the grumpy old man apparently named Eustace, there was an old woman and a very wary looking puppy.

The old couple left his line of sight almost immediately, but the dog stayed behind for a minute or two. The puppy continued to eye him up with a rather confused and wary expression. It did not surprise Computer much at all. He had long since noticed that if he did not make an effort to announce his presence to a new owner, if they had a pet, it usually started to figure out that something was off pretty quickly. Animals just seemed to pick up on his presence better than humans did.

The pup's expression turned into a skeptical, squinting one as he continued to look up at him, and all Computer continued to do was stare dully back at him, if it was even possible for a screen to stare, much less appear dull. Finally, the dog gave up and trudged off on all fours to join his owners. With nothing else to hold his attention, Computer willfully sunk back down into his system to await the end. Maybe he would get lucky and this idiot of an owner would toss him into the garbage like he had wanted from the start.

Of course, as was his lot in life, luck was never on his side. After a few days it became entirely clear that while the old man wanted nothing to do with him, now that it was clear that he could not print money, Eustace was also unwilling to get rid of him at the same time. Instead, that spiteful old man was entirely content to act like he wasn't even there. You can't exactly get thrown out if you're invisible, and Computer did not have the energy or willpower to speak up and possibly engineer a one way trip to the garbage bin.

It was inevitable though that he would pick up on some information about the people he was sharing his final days with. You could not become a fixture in a living room and not hear some of the talk that went on. He knew now that the woman was Muriel and the dog was Courage, which was an ironic name since Computer had never seen such a scaredy dog before. Every little thing seemed to make that pup jump or go running off to that old woman in terror. Computer was rather surprising himself with how much he was taking an interest in their daily lives. Even under normal circumstances he had never really had an interest in the lives of his owners. There was something weirdly amusing about this couple and their paranoid dog though.

Speaking of that dog, it had not taken long for Computer to notice that it seemed like every time he looked out into the world beyond his screen, that pup was there, sitting in the old woman's rocking chair, glaring directly at him with ever increasing suspicion. Computer found it mildly amusing to get into unspoken staring contests with him, just to freak him out.

It seemed that it was not only Courage who he was unsettling with his frequent spying on the family. One day Eustace threw his newspaper to the floor and declared that Computer was being moved into the attic. He didn't really care one way or another where he ended up, but he was going to ever so slightly miss the distraction these people had offered him. In another day or two it would finally be over, and maybe he would finally, _finally_ get lucky and the farmer would not put him back together again once he was up there. It was no junk yard, but at least he would meet his end in unconsciousness.

And so when Eustace reached over to flick his power switch off, he truly believed that it was the end. He did not feel any sort of fear or relief in those final moments. He was entirely numb to the concept of his own death. His last thoughts were simply that it seemed like his broken, malfunctioning body was finally catching up to the way he had been feeling for a very, very long time, or to be more exact, the complete lack thereof.

But of course that wasn't the end.

He knew that he should have been angry when awareness returned to him and he found his system just as degraded as ever but still ticking along. He just didn't have it in him to be angry at this point though. The end was still coming, even if it had been delayed yet again.

Just to drive the nail in a little deeper, Eustace left him powered on after finishing setting him up in the attic. He had an entire day to sit up there and slowly come to the realization that nobody was coming back. They were not going to show him even the smallest bit of courtesy and shut him down. In the end, he was going to have to face the collapse of his system awake and aware. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but he could not bring himself to care much about it either. He had done what little he could to try and see to it that he was not conscious for it. It was their loss. He wasn't the one who would have to pay the power bill next month.

He had long since settled himself down in the depths of his failing system once more when he thought he heard something on the outside. As tiring as it was to force himself to do so, he yet again stirred to check his screen.

The dog was there. Glaring at him, of course. The pup must have found something to help boost his height while sitting in that chair because there was no way his head would be above the desk otherwise.

Computer considered the pup for a moment longer, hoping that he might shut him down, but then he realized that there was almost no way the dog would know how to do it. He could have spoken up and told him how, but he had no desire to talk to anyone anymore, much less to this moronic pup. He'd suffer a worse fate if it meant he didn't have to acknowledge the leering puppy for even a second longer.

He listlessly drifted back downward, and just as he curled up again to await his end, he sensed a letter get imputed into his processor. He dimly acknowledged it. An 'H'. Was the dog actually going to make some sort of query, or command?

The letter that followed was an 'A', and Computer couldn't help but attempt to figure out what word the puppy was trying to type out.

An 'E' followed and Computer went into overdrive trying to crack the code. Was it a typo? It had to be a typo, right? Or was the pup about to type in some obscure word that not even Computer could pull from his memory banks in an instant?

The next letter was 'X'.

….Oh. The dog was just an idiot who did not know what he was doing.

To prove that point further, the pup suddenly went crazy typing complete gibberish into Computer's processor. Frustrated, he tried to drown it out, but to no avail. He could hear the dog giggling on the other side.

As his processor filled with nonsense, he wished that he could rip a piece of his hard drive out and cover his non-existent head with it, but life certainly wasn't going to throw him a bone now.

_'Go away, idiot!'_ He thought as the string of endless nonsense only increased in speed.

He made his screen stop displaying the letters, and that had the intended affect in that it stopped the dog, but it only did so for a moment. The button mashing quickly resumed with an even more frantic pace.

_'Go away! Just go away!'_ Computer thought angrily over and over again.

More and more nonsensical words filled up his mind and clogged his processor...and, just like that, sheer annoyance managed to break through the wall of apathy.

“Knock it off, you idiot!” He cried out in a fury.

Idiot was not nearly strong enough of a word! Moron was not good enough either! He needed something else, something that truly encompassed what this annoying pup was! If that farmer was the King Of Idiots, then this dog was the King Of...of what?! Twits! Yes, that would work! This dog was an absolute, all encompassing Twit!

Said twit had practically jumped to the moon when Computer spoke up and now he was frantically looking around for where the voice had come from, even though it was plainly obvious. Computer could not for the life of him figure out why the dog was so terrified. Would it kill him to stop being such a coward?

“What's your problem?” He asked, not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

The pup's eyes somehow went even wider. He tried to flee the scene, but he was in such a panic that he fell from the chair and out of Computer's line of sight. Considering the thud that followed, his impact with the floor could not have been pleasant.

“Well, that was an incredibly stupid thing to do.” Computer dryly commented, knowing that the pup could still hear him.

The puppy shrieked the word, “GHOOOOSSSTTT!” and Computer heard him scramble out of the attic.

_'Ghost?'_ He wondered to himself. _'Nonsense! What a stupid dog!'_

Well, in all honesty, Computer did not actually know what he was either. If not for the fact that he was in a perpetual state of dying he might have been more inclined to consider the possibility that he was just a spirit haunting this computer. If anything, he would prefer to be something like that compared to...this.

Only a few minutes passed before he picked up the sound of Courage's panicky breathing from across the room. Why the pup had returned, he did not know, and for reasons he could not fathom, the dog proceeded to scream bloody murder yet again and seemingly bolted out of the room for a second time.

“That dog is insane...” He muttered to himself.

Just when it seemed that he was finally free of the paranoid pup, he heard a floorboard creak. Was the dog seriously trying to sneak up on him? Had he really not figured out yet that Computer could only see straight forward?

There was another creak and this time it was much closer. The situation was beyond ridiculous. Computer seriously considered calling out, 'I know you're there' to end this charade...but then a wonderfully evil idea struck him instead.

He felt pressure on the printer and he could hear the dog fumbling around not very quietly. Then, he felt a paw trying and failing to flick his power switch. The thought never even occurred to him that Courage was trying to give him exactly what he wanted. He cranked his speakers up to full blast and yelled,

“BOO!”

Courage's scream was loud enough to shake the whole house and Computer heard him tear out of the room like a demon was nipping at his tail.

And Computer, shocking even himself....laughed. He could hardily believe it. When was the last time he had laughed out loud? Wait... _had_ he ever laughed out loud? A quick search of his memory banks did not yield any results.

In any case, he quickly switched tactics and adjusted his laughter to sound exaggeratedly evil....just in case the dog was still listening. A shriek confirmed his suspicions.

Certain that he had scared the dog away for good, he tried to sink back into his usual apathetic stupor, but...he couldn't. Feeling unnaturally restless, he spent the next few hours wandering his system, acutely aware of all the damage and how dangerously close it was getting to a full collapse. He did not even want to consider what state he would be left in once his memory banks went.

His mind seemed to go to war with itself. One part of him was growing ever more horrified at the state he was in, and that part was just as angry with himself for letting it get this bad, but the apathetic part of himself simply could not muster up the urge to care. What did it matter? There was no reason to go on. He had given it his best shot and it was time to call it quits.

Before he could come to any sort of conclusion on what he really wanted, he was interrupted by...you know who. Stifling a mechanical sigh, he turned all of his attention to the outside world where Courage sat in front of him, looking terrified but angry and determined all at the same time. Computer was getting really tired of being glared at, but before he could voice his displeasure, Courage opened his mouth and blathered out the most ridiculous string of gibberish anyone could possibly come up with.

“Barubu arafubu! Abalubu! Baruf!”

“Was that supposed to be English?” Computer drawled, growing ever more tired with this nonsensical twit of a dog.

The fear in Courage's eyes deepened, and Computer was certain that he was about to bolt again, but for once it seemed that the dog wasn't letting his fearfulness rule him. He remained rooted to the spot, but regardless of his newfound courage, he was apparently too nervous to say anything more.

“Don't you know how to speak, pup?” Computer offered.

Courage sucked in a breath and yelled, “Arruru! ARRUUU!”

That's...not what Computer had been expecting. “Uh...huh.” He dryly replied.

“Aruf!” Courage huffed, crossing his arms.

“Well, it appears that we have a language barrier that cannot be crossed.” He told the dog, and, unable to help himself, he quipped in a much quieter tone, “Or perhaps a stupidity barrier...”

“Abububub!” Courage continued to babble furiously.

“Don't you know how to type, at the very least? Please don't tell me that you're illiterate too, or are you really as dumb as you look?”

Considering what had happened only a few hours before...he did not have much hope for this dog in either case.

Courage put on a very serious looking expression and tried to say something in English, but he failed. Badly. All Computer could pick out of that mess was Eat, Muriel, and Ghost.

“You really are giving me a run for my money, kid.” He said with an exaggerated sigh. “I can translate practically every language that has ever existed and I still can barely understand a word of what you're saying. I'm afraid that I'm not up to date on dog speak, and given what a neanderthal you sound like, I'm glad that I don't know it. ”

He was, perhaps, embellishing just a little bit, but learning a new language for him really was as simple as just going online and downloading a few files.

Courage's only response was to continue glaring at him so hard that he was sure it would burn two holes through his screen.

“Alright, alright, the jig is up.” He said, hoping to get the dog off of this ghost nonsense. “I'm not a ghost, you twit. I was only messing with you before because it was obvious that you're a massive scaredy dog. I couldn't pass up such a ripe opportunity to frighten you. Besides, ghosts don't eat people, idiot! They're incorporeal! You're thinking of zombies!”

Courage apparently did not know how to respond, at least for a moment or two, and his suspicions of Computer did not seem to be getting any better either. As far as Computer himself was concerned, he was quite ready to deem this pup a lost cause and call it a day.

“Barbaru!” Courage finally blurted out, and as nonsensical as his gibberish was, Computer could make an educated guess about what he was asking.

“I'm a computer, you twit. Isn't it obvious? Of course, I can only assume that's what you're asking me, given my limited ability to translate that barbaric language of yours. So, yes, for the record, I'm a computer, not a ghost.”

“Arfubu! Garbulu!”

“I am not a ghost!” He repeated, his annoyance with this dog reaching all new levels. “I wasn't planning on talking to you anyway. But you forced my hand when you started doing, well, whatever _that_ was before with my keyboard. I seriously hope you weren't actually trying to type up something coherent back there.”

“ARUFU!”

Computer had to fight the urge to give in and tell him that he _was_ a ghost, just to scare him off again, but considering that this ghost thing was exactly the reason why this twit would not leave him alone, he had to hold his voice synthesizer.

“I've told you already, I'm a computer! Yes, it is a bit unusual that I can talk, but that doesn't make me a ghost, you brainless canine!”

“ARRRUUU!”

“Ugh, fine! Believe what you want to believe! I couldn't care less!”

“Hmph!” Courage huffed, adding a final note to their argument.

Computer hoped that this would be the end of it, and at first he hoped that this obnoxious twit would walk away and he'd never have to see him again, but he was so annoyed with the dog that a plot began to form within his processor. This dog was so annoying that he wanted nothing more than to pay the annoyance back tenfold, and he had the perfect idea for how to do exactly that.

“Look, I could never allow such bastion of stupidity go uneducated. You don't know how to read, write, or talk, do you?”

He let the plan unfold...and it was during an intentionally harsh typing lesson that they both got a nasty shock.

**WARNING:**

**SYSTEM INTEGRITY CRITICAL**

**CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IMMIENT**

The message was accompanied by a blaring alarm, one that caused Courage to jump back in his seat. Computer moved to cut it off as quickly as he could, but it had startled him just as badly. He had not seen this warning since...back when he...when the damage was...when he was...

_'Don't think about it!'_ He angrily chided himself, having to fight to pull himself back together before his thoughts could spiral out of control. If he were to go into a loop and crash now, his system would surely collapse long before he could recover. In fact, the stress of the crash and recovery would likely be the very thing to do it in.

While he struggled to compose himself, he became dimly aware of the dog asking him something in his broken English. It took him a moment to decipher what was said.

“You didn't do anything.” He assured the dog, unable to stop the immense exhaustion he felt from coloring the tone of his voice. “I apologize, it appears that I forgot to make sure that alarm wouldn't go off.”

The dog, of course, questioned him on what the warning had meant, and Computer hesitated to answer. He really did not want this...this twit to have any sort idea that there was something wrong with him. He would rather steer the conversation away from the incident and hope that the pup might forget about it. This unfortunate slip up had done nothing but create an opening, a vulnerability. As harmless as the dog might seem, Computer was all too aware of the harsh reality of his existence and his inability to move. Even the most pathetic creature had ultimate power over him. Through much suffering and grief, he had learned that the only defense he had was to keep his owners from thinking they had any sort of power over him in the first place. His broken, malfunctioning state of existence was nothing more than a weakness to be exploited. He had to keep it hidden, even from an entirely non-threatening puppy. Nobody who existed in that world beyond his screen could be trusted.

“I've been neglecting my upkeep.” He finally answered, hoping to tip toe around the issue enough that the dog would drop it and forget.

He felt the same warning go off again, although this time it was blessedly muted after he changed a few settings. Nothing even popped up on his screen, so the dog was left unaware.

Without even really thinking about what he was saying, he told the dog, “I'm afraid that our little lesson will have to end here. I require several days worth of maintenance and I won't be able to devote any time to teaching someone as stupid as you.”

Wait...just what the heck was he saying? Had he gone mad?

The war that had been raging on inside of himself reignited in full force. Surely he didn't actually mean what he was saying. There was no point in repairing himself now. He had absolutely no reason to do so. Why would he even _want_ to fix himself just so that he could teach this absolute twit of a dog? Surely he was only saying it to try and get the pup off of his case. Yes, of course, that was all there was to it.

Courage asked him something in even more mangled English and this time he could not even hope to parse out the meaning. The dog had to repeat himself multiple times before Computer could begin to get some sort of meaning out of it, and when he did, he froze.

'Is there something wrong with you? Can I help?'

...So much for getting him to drop it.

And did...did that dog actually look concerned for him? No, that couldn't be right. Perhaps he really was going mad. The degradation of his processor must be getting to him.

In any case, all he could think to do was let out a defeated chuckle.

“There is nothing you can do to help me, and even if you could, I wouldn't trust you with my upkeep even if you were the last dog on the planet.”

Why he was opening up to this pup who could so easily become a threat to him, he would never know. He could only assume that the degradation of his system really _was_ having an affect on his thought process.

“A bumbling fool like you would only make things worse. Don't worry about it though, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Ironically, I wasn't planning on fixing things again, but it appears that you've swayed my decision. I would not have allowed my system to go critical otherwise. I suppose I never thought that I would meet someone so idiotic that they blow everyone else I've been forced to put up with out of the water. Congratulations.”

His speech seemed to have only confused the dog and that...probably was for the best.

“Look, I'll stick around long enough to teach you how not to be such a twit anymore, but after that, you're on your own. I'll admit, you did pull me out of a rut of sorts, but I suspect that it won't last.” With a twinge of resignation, he stifled a sigh and added very softly, “It never does.”

Barely able to form the words, Courage tried to ask him if he was going to leave and why. The pup...really did not get it. For all of Computer's bluster about what an idiot this dog was, he really had not grasped until now that this truly was nothing more than a puppy he was dealing with.

“Forget what I said.” He assured the dog. “You're just a pup after all, you wouldn't understand. You have nothing to fear, however. I'm not going anywhere. Well, at least not until-.” Another twinge of resignation rippled through his processor.

“Arufu?” Courage asked.

He did not know how to explain to the pup that the nature of his condition was ultimately terminal, and he was not sure that he wanted to either. Instead, he tried to put the blame elsewhere.

“You see, even if I allow myself to remain, that idiot downstairs probably won't be keeping me around for very long away. That's how it always is. He actually thinks that I can print money for crying out loud! How stupid can you get? Oh well, it doesn't really matter either way. He thinks that I'm junk just like that last idiot I had to put up with. At least you aren't asking outrageous requests of me. It's almost a nice change of pace from what I'm used to dealing with.”

Courage asked him why the man had gotten rid of him.

“I'd rather not talk about that. But he isn't the first and I'm sure he won't be the last.”

...He really had convinced himself to keep living, at least for a little while longer. The mere thought of it seemed impossible, and yet here he was, ready to begin the long, painful process of bringing his system back from the brink. If Courage was the King Of Twits then perhaps he was the King Of Fools.

Why? Why on earth was he willing to subject himself to more of this miserable, unfulfilling existence? He really and truly did not know. Something must have broken inside of him. Maybe he'd feel differently once he was back in working order.

“You should leave now.” He urged Courage. “I've got a lot of work to do and I need to get started on it before it becomes too late. My system is getting dangerously unstable as we sit here and talk about pointless nonsense.”

The pup nodded and moved to jump down off the chair. Computer quickly added, “Oh, and dog? I expect you to work on your speech skills while you are away. When you come back, I'd better be able to understand every last word you speak. There's no reason why you should keep talking in such a bestial language.”

“Aru!” Courage eagerly affirmed.

“That's 'yes', you twit! Don't give me an excuse to eat your soul, or whatever other ghostly business I'm supposed to be going about.”

The look of absolute terror that fell across Courage's face would have made him snicker if he he'd had a face to do so.

“It's just a joke...” He drawled, stifling laughter. “Don't be such a gullible idiot.”

Well, if he had at least one thing worth living for, it was that he was finding plenty of amusement in tormenting this annoying twit of a dog.

Once Courage was gone, he turned inward. With considerable dismay, he was forced to confront the full brunt of his neglect. Difficult as it was to acknowledge, every crack, every fissure, every pile of crumbling debris...this was him. It would be a very long time before he returned to something at least resembling working order, and he would be lucky if most of this wasn't permanent. The degradation was so bad in places that there was no point in even trying to restore it. It would simply fall apart again almost immediately. Such was the reality of his condition. With every day that passed, more of himself became that way. It would inevitably become unmanageable at some point and then that would be it for him. If anything, he had to wonder if this renewed spark of energy would hold out or if he would sink back into apathy and leave his own restoration incomplete.

“One last shot.” He quietly announced to the ruins that comprised his existence. “Just this one last chance to see if things work out differently for me here with this couple and their cowardly dog. If it doesn't, well, my fate is set in stone anyway. What's the worst that could happen?”

End Of Chapter

A/N: Oh man, that bit where Computer is about to scare Courage, the exact line I had in my head and so badly wanted to use was, 'It's a lovely day in the attic, and you are a horrible computer'. I'm calling it now, Computer's favorite game would be The Untitled Goose Game. Ho boy does that scene have some layers going on though. You've got poor puppy Courage nearly preforming a goddamn assisted suicide without knowing it, and then you've got Computer inadvertently saving himself because he can't help but be a troll, and that only happens because of Courage and his cowardly-ness. There is also something immensely funny in that Courage annoyed Computer so bad that he decides to live (mostly) out of sheer spite. I'm telling you now, in the non-existent version of this story where Computer actually gets some damn therapy, when they make him write down a list of his reasons for living, it would be spite, caffeine, Courage, and in that exact order.


End file.
